A rococo porcelain-mounted 21 light ormolu chandelier was the top seller at Sotheby's Suzanne Saperstein auction of antique furniture in New York on April 19, 2012.

The circa 1765-1786 piece, produced by the Berlin-based Koningliche porcelain manufacturer, sold for $602,500, comfortably within its $500,000-800,000 estimate.

David got the nanny, Suzanne took the antique furniture

The collection comes from Saperstein's Fleur de Lis estate in California. Saperstein received the Versailles-style mansion and its antique furniture as part of a divorce settlement from entrepreneur husband David in 2005.

He in turn, married the Swedish former nanny of the couple's children.

"After many years of collecting, living with and loving these objects, I feel that it is time for them to be enjoyed by a new group of owners," she commented.

"I look forward to the new chapter of my life that will begin with the sale of Fleur de Lys - a time to be spent with my family and on my new pursuits."

Collecting runs in Suzanne's family, as her Swedish great-grandparents were enthusiastic collectors of antique furniture and decorative arts.

A rare Louis XVI ormolu-mounted and parcel-gilt ebony bureau plat also performed well at the $8.2m sale, achieving $446,500 against a $300,000-500,000 valuation.

Here at Paul Fraser Collectibles we are delighted to offer you our superb range of antique English furniture, including these superb library steps from Cambridge University's Gonville Caius College, circa 1840.

We will continue to bring you the latest in antique furniture news throughout the course of the year, so be sure to check in regularly.