A magnificent pair of taxidermy "unicorns" have seen outstanding results at auction, encapsulating the eclectic tastes of London restaurateurs Les Trois Garcons.
 The 'unicorns' have been equipped with a genuine narwhal tusk |
The pair sold at Christie's South Kensington on March 5, making £35,000 ($58,310) against a £6,000 high estimate - a 483.3% increase.
Les Trois Garcons are three friends who bought a Shoreditch, London pub together, living in the upper portion while the downstairs was converted into a fine-dining restaurant. The restaurant has become renowned both for its celebrity customers and its inimitable style.
Time Out magazine described its awesome interior: "Crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling interspersed with rows of vintage handbags, while stuffed animals perch on the bar or crane from walls, swathed in costume jewellery. It's surreal but harmonious, with mellow wood panelling and dim lighting to offset the flourishes."
 Items in the sale came not only from the restaurant, but also from the apartment upstairs and the trio's chateau in the Vendee |
The auction exceeded the $1.1m total, realising $1.5m. Top lot of the sale was Jonathan Wateridge's monumental Shipwreck, an oil on Perspex sheet painting created in 2005; acquired following the landmark exhibition of Wateridge's work at the David Risley Gallery in Denmark.
Valued at £50,000-80,000 ($83,500-133,600), the piece sold comfortably within estimate for £68,500 ($114,121).
The second highest bids were seen by a set of nine architectural paintings from the studio of Marcello Piacentini (1880-1960) - the official architect of Italian fascism - depicting the EUR (Esposizione Universale di Roma) created for the 1942 world's fair.
Estimated to make just £3,000-5,000, the designs achieved £37,500 ($62,475) - a 650% increase on valuation.
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