Decade 1780-1789
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Ancient art by women French painting < 1860 Development of USA Autograph Political document Ancient French furniture Austria II Coin US gold coins Coins 1776-92 Music Imperial seal Chinese dragon
See also : Ancient art by women French painting < 1860 Development of USA Autograph Political document Ancient French furniture Austria II Coin US gold coins Coins 1776-92 Music Imperial seal Chinese dragon
masterpiece
1781 The Nightmare by Fuseli
Detroit Institute of Art
The Swiss born Johann Heinrich Füssli is better known with his Italianized name Fuseli and his Anglicized first name Henry.
His Nightmare, exhibited in 1782 at the Royal Academy of London, perfectly matches the trend for a Gothic revival mingling supernatural, dark magic, horror and sex. An apelike demon is crouching on the chest of a sleeping woman while a (night) mare is watching from within a dark curtain. The original oil on canvas, 102 x 127 cm, is kept at the Detroit Museum of Art.
Fuseli had taken orders as a Zwinglian minister in 1761. He was a classmate of the physiognomist Johann Kaspar Lavater and his frightening Nightmare is a psychoanalytical attempt one century before Freud and Jung. The root cause may be the rejection of Fuseli as a suitor by a niece of Lavater. It highly influenced the much younger William Blake and later the Romantics and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
The demon of The Nightmare is an incubus, which is a male with a sexual power. The artist conceives a following to that scene in the same format, titled The incubus leaving two sleeping women. A bare chested woman in awaking in full light with a horrified expression while the monster is jumping on the back of the mare through the window, leaving a ghostly veil behind them. Her female companion is sleeping beside her.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
A smaller autograph replica oil on canvas 86 x 110 cm has surfaced from an oblivion of two centuries. It is believed that it had been supplied by the artist in 1794 to the young Swiss printer Theodor Falckeysen in order to prepare an edition. It was sold for $ 3.5M by Christie's on October 14, 2021, lot 57.
His Nightmare, exhibited in 1782 at the Royal Academy of London, perfectly matches the trend for a Gothic revival mingling supernatural, dark magic, horror and sex. An apelike demon is crouching on the chest of a sleeping woman while a (night) mare is watching from within a dark curtain. The original oil on canvas, 102 x 127 cm, is kept at the Detroit Museum of Art.
Fuseli had taken orders as a Zwinglian minister in 1761. He was a classmate of the physiognomist Johann Kaspar Lavater and his frightening Nightmare is a psychoanalytical attempt one century before Freud and Jung. The root cause may be the rejection of Fuseli as a suitor by a niece of Lavater. It highly influenced the much younger William Blake and later the Romantics and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
The demon of The Nightmare is an incubus, which is a male with a sexual power. The artist conceives a following to that scene in the same format, titled The incubus leaving two sleeping women. A bare chested woman in awaking in full light with a horrified expression while the monster is jumping on the back of the mare through the window, leaving a ghostly veil behind them. Her female companion is sleeping beside her.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
A smaller autograph replica oil on canvas 86 x 110 cm has surfaced from an oblivion of two centuries. It is believed that it had been supplied by the artist in 1794 to the young Swiss printer Theodor Falckeysen in order to prepare an edition. It was sold for $ 3.5M by Christie's on October 14, 2021, lot 57.
1782 Venice by Guardi
2014 SOLD for £ 9.9M by Christie's
Pupil and imitator of Canaletto, Francesco Guardi appears on the vedutist market during the last decade of his master. He innovates with very large formats.
Canaletto dies in 1768. Guardi's art gets more freedom. He now waives the strict topographic truth while maintaining an extreme detail in the monuments and an intense and picturesque animation.
Around 1780 Guardi loves to show Venice in its greatest splendor when the bright sun of late morning reveals all the warm shades of the color of the stone. The term 'Impressionism' sometimes used to describe the style of his later period is not a reference to the future French school but to his desire to restore the atmosphere of the place, anticipating the art of Constable.
A magnificent panorama from the Bacino di San Marco includes the Piazzetta and is centered on the Doge's Palace. This oil on canvas 70 x 102 cm was sold for £ 9.9M from a lower estimate of £ 8M by Christie's on July 8, 2014. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The paintings by Canaletto and Guardi are not dated, but fortunately for the chronologist the grand tours of their wealthy English clients provide some accurate information. This one was purchased between 1782 and 1784 by the 5th Earl of Shaftesbury.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house, including an interesting comparison in the treatment of the surface of water between this painting and a view of Venice by Monet.
Canaletto dies in 1768. Guardi's art gets more freedom. He now waives the strict topographic truth while maintaining an extreme detail in the monuments and an intense and picturesque animation.
Around 1780 Guardi loves to show Venice in its greatest splendor when the bright sun of late morning reveals all the warm shades of the color of the stone. The term 'Impressionism' sometimes used to describe the style of his later period is not a reference to the future French school but to his desire to restore the atmosphere of the place, anticipating the art of Constable.
A magnificent panorama from the Bacino di San Marco includes the Piazzetta and is centered on the Doge's Palace. This oil on canvas 70 x 102 cm was sold for £ 9.9M from a lower estimate of £ 8M by Christie's on July 8, 2014. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The paintings by Canaletto and Guardi are not dated, but fortunately for the chronologist the grand tours of their wealthy English clients provide some accurate information. This one was purchased between 1782 and 1784 by the 5th Earl of Shaftesbury.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house, including an interesting comparison in the treatment of the surface of water between this painting and a view of Venice by Monet.
masterpiece
1785 Les 120 Journées de Sodome by Sade
Etat Français
When he was a young aristocrat the marquis de Sade believed that anything could be allowed to him within the false stage of his own life. He had no consideration excepted for himself. Increasingly serious sex scandals are emerging in his wake. He is jailed by lettre de cachet in 1777 at the request of his family anxious to protect him from his own "sadistic" perversions.
Transferred in 1784 to the Bastille after a reassignment of the dungeon of Vincennes, Sade is then nobody more than Monsieur le 6 according to the number of his cell. His energy and his hate have not weakened and a liberation is unthinkable. He will never retrieve the freedom of Gilles de Rais or Elisabeth Bathory. He becomes a writer. He wants to be the most impure of all writers.
His first project of book is a catalog of perversions for which he is inspired by the narrative structure of the Decameron. In an abject absence of humanism, girls and boys are toys of torture and death for the sexual pleasure of the masters. The title, Les 120 Journées de Sodome, is an allusion to the 1,001 Arabian Nights.
In October 1785 the draft of the first part is finished. Despite his isolation, Sade fears a confiscation. He copies his text into a tiny and tight writing on 11.3 cm narrow sheets. The set to be kept in a tube is an assembly of 33 sheets glued end to end for a total length of 12.10 m. The top sheets of the roll are inscribed on both sides.
Sade had worked for no result. A few days before the Bastille day of July 14, 1789 he manages through the bars of his cell to add his vociferation within the growing popular discontent. His presence at the Bastille is considered as a threat to security and he is transferred to the hospice of Charenton without being allowed to take anything with him. He will never see again this manuscript of his most atrocious frenzies.
Long considered as lost, the manuscript is the subject of a first edition by a German psychiatrist in 1904. Recovered by a descendant of Sade, it is stolen in 1982 and acquired by a collector of erotic literature, legally under Swiss law and illegally according to French law. Its purchase by the Aristophil company with significant monetary compensation to all involved parties was acclaimed by the press in 2014.
This scroll unique in its theme, format, author and history was a major piece in the liquidation of Aristophil, listed with an estimate of € 4M by Aguttes on December 20, 2017, lot 39. Please watch the video shared by Aguttes. The image below is shared by Wikimedia. It was classified as Trésor national and withdrawn before the sale. It was acquired by the Etat Français in 2021.
Transferred in 1784 to the Bastille after a reassignment of the dungeon of Vincennes, Sade is then nobody more than Monsieur le 6 according to the number of his cell. His energy and his hate have not weakened and a liberation is unthinkable. He will never retrieve the freedom of Gilles de Rais or Elisabeth Bathory. He becomes a writer. He wants to be the most impure of all writers.
His first project of book is a catalog of perversions for which he is inspired by the narrative structure of the Decameron. In an abject absence of humanism, girls and boys are toys of torture and death for the sexual pleasure of the masters. The title, Les 120 Journées de Sodome, is an allusion to the 1,001 Arabian Nights.
In October 1785 the draft of the first part is finished. Despite his isolation, Sade fears a confiscation. He copies his text into a tiny and tight writing on 11.3 cm narrow sheets. The set to be kept in a tube is an assembly of 33 sheets glued end to end for a total length of 12.10 m. The top sheets of the roll are inscribed on both sides.
Sade had worked for no result. A few days before the Bastille day of July 14, 1789 he manages through the bars of his cell to add his vociferation within the growing popular discontent. His presence at the Bastille is considered as a threat to security and he is transferred to the hospice of Charenton without being allowed to take anything with him. He will never see again this manuscript of his most atrocious frenzies.
Long considered as lost, the manuscript is the subject of a first edition by a German psychiatrist in 1904. Recovered by a descendant of Sade, it is stolen in 1982 and acquired by a collector of erotic literature, legally under Swiss law and illegally according to French law. Its purchase by the Aristophil company with significant monetary compensation to all involved parties was acclaimed by the press in 2014.
This scroll unique in its theme, format, author and history was a major piece in the liquidation of Aristophil, listed with an estimate of € 4M by Aguttes on December 20, 2017, lot 39. Please watch the video shared by Aguttes. The image below is shared by Wikimedia. It was classified as Trésor national and withdrawn before the sale. It was acquired by the Etat Français in 2021.
#LT : Pièce phare des Collections #Aristophil : le rouleau manuscrit « Les 120 journées de Sodome ou l'école du Libertinage » rédigé par le Marquis de Sade dans les cellules de la prison de la Bastille. Estimation 4 000 000 / 6 000 000 € pic.twitter.com/z1zFkL8QsQ
— claude Aguttes (@CAguttes) November 14, 2017
1786 Qianlong Xintian Shuren
2010 SOLD for HK$ 122M by Sotheby's
Belonging to the Qing dynasty of Manchu origin, the Qianlong emperor wants to unify all the Chinese ethnic groups, certainly to escape a hegemony of the Han. His territory is separated from the Mongols and Tibetans by a rebel people, the Dzungars.
The war against the Dzungars ends with a Qing victory in the 24th year of the reign matching 1759 CE. The strategy proposed by the emperor himself had been determining. The area is emptied of its original occupants by genocide, deportation and smallpox and becomes Shintian (or Xinjiang) meaning new frontier.
Qianlong is immensely proud of his civilizing achievement on behalf of the authentic Chinese people. He agrees to add to his nicknames that of master of Shintian which is partly a homophony with Xintian Shuren meaning "the ruler who believes in heaven". In that period he has a significant quantity of seals made with that name.
Time passes. The emperor is getting older. During the 49th year of the reign, courtiers seek to reinterpret the sobriquet. Qianlong complacently writes a poem in which he is astonished that his civilizing work has been so completely supported by the heavens. New Xintian Shuren seals will be regularly created over the years to honor Shintian's master.
On October 7, 2010, Sotheby's sold as lot 2103 for HK $ 122M a very large seal with that mark. It was sold for RMB 94M by Poly on June 5, 2019, lot 5569.
This piece 12.9 cm square and 11 cm high in greenish white jade weighs 3.5 kg. The knob consists of a pair of superbly sculpted crossed dragons. Its production including chiseling and inscription had lasted five months. It is identified in the imperial archives during the 51st year of the reign matching 1786 CE.
The war against the Dzungars ends with a Qing victory in the 24th year of the reign matching 1759 CE. The strategy proposed by the emperor himself had been determining. The area is emptied of its original occupants by genocide, deportation and smallpox and becomes Shintian (or Xinjiang) meaning new frontier.
Qianlong is immensely proud of his civilizing achievement on behalf of the authentic Chinese people. He agrees to add to his nicknames that of master of Shintian which is partly a homophony with Xintian Shuren meaning "the ruler who believes in heaven". In that period he has a significant quantity of seals made with that name.
Time passes. The emperor is getting older. During the 49th year of the reign, courtiers seek to reinterpret the sobriquet. Qianlong complacently writes a poem in which he is astonished that his civilizing work has been so completely supported by the heavens. New Xintian Shuren seals will be regularly created over the years to honor Shintian's master.
On October 7, 2010, Sotheby's sold as lot 2103 for HK $ 122M a very large seal with that mark. It was sold for RMB 94M by Poly on June 5, 2019, lot 5569.
This piece 12.9 cm square and 11 cm high in greenish white jade weighs 3.5 kg. The knob consists of a pair of superbly sculpted crossed dragons. Its production including chiseling and inscription had lasted five months. It is identified in the imperial archives during the 51st year of the reign matching 1786 CE.
1786 Commode by Carlin and Weisweiler
1999 SOLD for FF 46M by Christie's
On December 11, 1999, Christie's sold for FF 46M, which would later correspond to € 7M, a Louis XVI commode à encoignures stamped by both Carlin and Weisweiler, from a lower estimate of FF 15M.
This 91 x 135 x 51 cm piece of furniture responds to the fashion for inlays of luxurious materials launched under Louis XV by the marchand-mercier Poirier. It is in ebony veneer, blackened wood, copper and pewter marquetry, relief inlays of pietra dura from the Gobelins, Florentine pictures in pietra dura marquetry, and adorned with gilded bronzes.
Daguerre succeeded Poirier in 1777. The cabinetmaker Carlin, who was one of the major suppliers of Poirier and Daguerre, died in 1785. Weisweiler took over de facto from Carlin for supplies to Daguerre.
The Florentine plaques constitute the major element of the decoration of that commode. They had been recovered from some cabinet made around 1700 in the Grand Ducal workshops. Out of fashion, the monumental Florentine cabinets in the French royal collections had been sold by the Garde Meuble from 1741.
The commode is not listed in the inventory after Carlin's death and its mark is undoubtedly posthumous, before his widow remarried with another cabinetmaker in 1786.
Daguerre settles permanently in 1789 in London where the Prince of Wales, future George IV, is furnishing in the greatest luxury his new residence of Carlton House.
The inventory of the Carlton House Council Salon, carried out in 1793, lists two pietra dura commodes, similar to each other. One of them, still in the British Royal Collection and stamped by Weisweiler, is probably the commode sold by James Christie in March 1791 directly from the stock transferred to London by Daguerre. The other, which no longer appears in 1806 in the collection of the Prince of Wales, is probably the Carlin-Weisweiler commode.
This 91 x 135 x 51 cm piece of furniture responds to the fashion for inlays of luxurious materials launched under Louis XV by the marchand-mercier Poirier. It is in ebony veneer, blackened wood, copper and pewter marquetry, relief inlays of pietra dura from the Gobelins, Florentine pictures in pietra dura marquetry, and adorned with gilded bronzes.
Daguerre succeeded Poirier in 1777. The cabinetmaker Carlin, who was one of the major suppliers of Poirier and Daguerre, died in 1785. Weisweiler took over de facto from Carlin for supplies to Daguerre.
The Florentine plaques constitute the major element of the decoration of that commode. They had been recovered from some cabinet made around 1700 in the Grand Ducal workshops. Out of fashion, the monumental Florentine cabinets in the French royal collections had been sold by the Garde Meuble from 1741.
The commode is not listed in the inventory after Carlin's death and its mark is undoubtedly posthumous, before his widow remarried with another cabinetmaker in 1786.
Daguerre settles permanently in 1789 in London where the Prince of Wales, future George IV, is furnishing in the greatest luxury his new residence of Carlton House.
The inventory of the Carlton House Council Salon, carried out in 1793, lists two pietra dura commodes, similar to each other. One of them, still in the British Royal Collection and stamped by Weisweiler, is probably the commode sold by James Christie in March 1791 directly from the stock transferred to London by Daguerre. The other, which no longer appears in 1806 in the collection of the Prince of Wales, is probably the Carlin-Weisweiler commode.
1787 US Constitution
Intro
Relying on the document sold by Sotheby's on November 18, 2021, lot 1787, define the importance of the US Constitution, including worldwide legacy.
The document sold at Sotheby's on November 18, 2021 (lot from a dedicated single-lot auction, often referenced in context with related sales), was an exceptionally rare first printing of the final text of the United States Constitution. Printed in approximately 500 copies in September 1787 by Dunlap & Claypoole for submission to the Continental Congress and delegates to the Constitutional Convention, it represents the "Official Edition"—the first public dissemination of the Constitution's finalized wording after its adoption in Philadelphia.
Only 11–13 surviving copies are known today, with this one (from the Dorothy Tapper Goldman collection) being the last in private hands at the time; it sold for a record $43.2 million.
Importance of the US Constitution
This printing embodies the foundational moment of American governance. As described in Sotheby's materials and expert commentary (e.g., by Selby Kiffer), it marks the transition from debate over the Constitution's content to the ratification process, replacing the ineffective Articles of Confederation. It is regarded as the oldest continuing codified national charter in the world, establishing a durable framework for a federal republic with separated powers, checks and balances, and (later via amendments) protected individual rights. Sotheby's specialists emphasized it as "unequivocally the most significant document in United States history," the ultimate expression of democratic principles that transformed colonists into a unified nation and has endured for over 235 years through 27 amendments.
Worldwide Legacy
The U.S. Constitution's global influence is profound, serving as a model for written constitutions, federalism, separation of powers, judicial review, and rights protections. It inspired 19th-century Latin American constitutions, post-WWII documents in Germany and Japan, and many others in emerging democracies (e.g., Philippines, India). Studies note similarities in phrasing and principles in numerous national charters, promoting rule of law and limited government. While its direct influence has waned since the late 20th century (as newer constitutions incorporate broader social rights), it remains a benchmark for democratic governance worldwide, often called the primary influence on modern constitutionalism. As Sotheby's noted in related sales, it "will continue to influence the future of democratic principles in America and around the world."
The document sold at Sotheby's on November 18, 2021 (lot from a dedicated single-lot auction, often referenced in context with related sales), was an exceptionally rare first printing of the final text of the United States Constitution. Printed in approximately 500 copies in September 1787 by Dunlap & Claypoole for submission to the Continental Congress and delegates to the Constitutional Convention, it represents the "Official Edition"—the first public dissemination of the Constitution's finalized wording after its adoption in Philadelphia.
Only 11–13 surviving copies are known today, with this one (from the Dorothy Tapper Goldman collection) being the last in private hands at the time; it sold for a record $43.2 million.
Importance of the US Constitution
This printing embodies the foundational moment of American governance. As described in Sotheby's materials and expert commentary (e.g., by Selby Kiffer), it marks the transition from debate over the Constitution's content to the ratification process, replacing the ineffective Articles of Confederation. It is regarded as the oldest continuing codified national charter in the world, establishing a durable framework for a federal republic with separated powers, checks and balances, and (later via amendments) protected individual rights. Sotheby's specialists emphasized it as "unequivocally the most significant document in United States history," the ultimate expression of democratic principles that transformed colonists into a unified nation and has endured for over 235 years through 27 amendments.
Worldwide Legacy
The U.S. Constitution's global influence is profound, serving as a model for written constitutions, federalism, separation of powers, judicial review, and rights protections. It inspired 19th-century Latin American constitutions, post-WWII documents in Germany and Japan, and many others in emerging democracies (e.g., Philippines, India). Studies note similarities in phrasing and principles in numerous national charters, promoting rule of law and limited government. While its direct influence has waned since the late 20th century (as newer constitutions incorporate broader social rights), it remains a benchmark for democratic governance worldwide, often called the primary influence on modern constitutionalism. As Sotheby's noted in related sales, it "will continue to influence the future of democratic principles in America and around the world."
1
September 13 Committee of Style Draft (with Rufus King autograph)
2026 SOLD for $ 7.4M by Christie's
A copy of the printed working draft of the US Constitution discussed by the Committee of Style had been marked up during the debates by a delegate. It was sold for $ 7.4M from a lower estimate of $ 3M by Christie's on January 23, 2026, lot 214.
Role of the Committee of Style Draft in the Preparation of the U.S. Constitution
The Committee of Style (formally the Committee of Style and Arrangement) was appointed on September 8, 1787, near the end of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Its task was to revise and polish the text of the Constitution based on the provisions already agreed upon by the delegates after months of debate. The committee consisted of five members: William Samuel Johnson (chair), Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Rufus King, and Gouverneur Morris.
Gouverneur Morris is widely credited as the primary author of the draft's elegant and concise language—often called the "Penman of the Constitution." The committee condensed the prior resolutions into seven articles and produced a near-final version. Notably, it introduced the iconic Preamble beginning with "We the People of the United States" (replacing an earlier enumeration of the individual states), emphasizing national unity over a loose confederation of states.
On September 12, 1787, the committee's report was presented, and printers John Dunlap and David C. Claypoole produced limited copies for the delegates' use. This printed working draft—the second of only two such drafts created during the Convention (the first was from the earlier Committee of Detail)—allowed delegates to review the text uniformly during final debates from September 12–15. Minor revisions were made, and the final engrossed parchment was signed on September 17, 1787.
This draft represents the Constitution in its almost-final form, capturing the framers' polished vision just before adoption.
Significance of This Specific Print (Lot 214 at Christie's, January 23, 2026)
The document at auction is one of approximately 12 known surviving copies of the Committee of Style's printed draft, making it extraordinarily rare. All other known copies are held in institutional collections (museums, libraries, or archives). This is the first such copy to appear at auction in over 40 years.
It belonged to Rufus King (1755–1827), a Massachusetts delegate (later representing New York) who served on the Committee of Style itself. King's personal copy bears his handwritten annotations, corrections, and suggested alterations, which were incorporated into the final signed version of the Constitution. These markings provide direct insight into the real-time deliberations and last-minute refinements during the Convention's closing days.
As a working document marked up by a key framer, it offers a tangible window into the dynamic process of finalizing the text—far more revealing than clean institutional copies (such as those annotated by George Washington or David Brearley, now in archives). Its provenance ties it directly to the debates, underscoring how delegates like King influenced the document's ultimate wording.
Offered in Christie's "We the People: America at 250" sale (with an estimate of $3–5 million), this artifact is among the most significant Constitutional relics in private hands, illuminating the collaborative yet meticulous crafting of America's founding charter.
Role of the Committee of Style Draft in the Preparation of the U.S. Constitution
The Committee of Style (formally the Committee of Style and Arrangement) was appointed on September 8, 1787, near the end of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Its task was to revise and polish the text of the Constitution based on the provisions already agreed upon by the delegates after months of debate. The committee consisted of five members: William Samuel Johnson (chair), Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Rufus King, and Gouverneur Morris.
Gouverneur Morris is widely credited as the primary author of the draft's elegant and concise language—often called the "Penman of the Constitution." The committee condensed the prior resolutions into seven articles and produced a near-final version. Notably, it introduced the iconic Preamble beginning with "We the People of the United States" (replacing an earlier enumeration of the individual states), emphasizing national unity over a loose confederation of states.
On September 12, 1787, the committee's report was presented, and printers John Dunlap and David C. Claypoole produced limited copies for the delegates' use. This printed working draft—the second of only two such drafts created during the Convention (the first was from the earlier Committee of Detail)—allowed delegates to review the text uniformly during final debates from September 12–15. Minor revisions were made, and the final engrossed parchment was signed on September 17, 1787.
This draft represents the Constitution in its almost-final form, capturing the framers' polished vision just before adoption.
Significance of This Specific Print (Lot 214 at Christie's, January 23, 2026)
The document at auction is one of approximately 12 known surviving copies of the Committee of Style's printed draft, making it extraordinarily rare. All other known copies are held in institutional collections (museums, libraries, or archives). This is the first such copy to appear at auction in over 40 years.
It belonged to Rufus King (1755–1827), a Massachusetts delegate (later representing New York) who served on the Committee of Style itself. King's personal copy bears his handwritten annotations, corrections, and suggested alterations, which were incorporated into the final signed version of the Constitution. These markings provide direct insight into the real-time deliberations and last-minute refinements during the Convention's closing days.
As a working document marked up by a key framer, it offers a tangible window into the dynamic process of finalizing the text—far more revealing than clean institutional copies (such as those annotated by George Washington or David Brearley, now in archives). Its provenance ties it directly to the debates, underscoring how delegates like King influenced the document's ultimate wording.
Offered in Christie's "We the People: America at 250" sale (with an estimate of $3–5 million), this artifact is among the most significant Constitutional relics in private hands, illuminating the collaborative yet meticulous crafting of America's founding charter.
2
September 17 Final Document
2021 SOLD for $ 43M by Sotheby's
Eleven years after the Declaration of Independence, the USA still needed to have a federal law accepted by the thirteen states. They were tentatively ruled since 1781 by the Articles of Confederation.
The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia from May 25, 1787 with George Washington as president. The final version of the US Constitution established by the committee was signed on September 17 by 39 of the 55 delegates.
The text was immediately edited in 500 copies for the use of delegates and congressmen. No public release was suitable at that time as it still had to be ratified by the federal Congress and the states. The 6-page 41 x 26 cm document printed by John Dunlap in partnership with David Claypoole includes in appendix the list of delegates who voted for it and a copy of Washington's letter urging the ratification by the Congress.
This original US Constitution is still in force today without fundamental changes. Such an unprecedented longevity is due to the remarkable political insight of the delegates who prepared it under the leadership of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton and to the foreseen capability to amend it as necessary.
Thirteen copies are surviving. One of them was sold for $ 43M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Sotheby's on November 18, 2021, lot 1787. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This piece is the top highlight from the collection of S. Howard Goldman and his widow Dorothy. It is sold for the benefit of the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Foundation whose aim is to advance the principles of America’s founding documents through educational programs. Mrs Goldman introduces her collection and educational purpose in the video shared by Sotheby's.
From the same collection, a copy of the first separate printing of the so called Bill of Rights was sold for $ 1.53M from a lower estimate of $ 700K by Sotheby's on November 23, 2021, lot 71.
This 3-page 34 x 21 cm document is dated August 24, 1789. It was prepared for proposing to the Congress a resolution of amendments to the US Constitution. Such articles had been desired by US citizens for preventing the government to infringe the basic individual rights. They were approved on September 26, 1789 and constitute the Third to Twelfth Amendments.
The underbidder for the US Constitution had been an organization just created for the express purpose of raising money to acquire it. They gathered more than 17,000 contributors who, in a matter of only weeks, raised more than $ 40 million, not enough against the winning bidder, the fund manager Kenneth C. Griffin.
The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia from May 25, 1787 with George Washington as president. The final version of the US Constitution established by the committee was signed on September 17 by 39 of the 55 delegates.
The text was immediately edited in 500 copies for the use of delegates and congressmen. No public release was suitable at that time as it still had to be ratified by the federal Congress and the states. The 6-page 41 x 26 cm document printed by John Dunlap in partnership with David Claypoole includes in appendix the list of delegates who voted for it and a copy of Washington's letter urging the ratification by the Congress.
This original US Constitution is still in force today without fundamental changes. Such an unprecedented longevity is due to the remarkable political insight of the delegates who prepared it under the leadership of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton and to the foreseen capability to amend it as necessary.
Thirteen copies are surviving. One of them was sold for $ 43M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Sotheby's on November 18, 2021, lot 1787. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This piece is the top highlight from the collection of S. Howard Goldman and his widow Dorothy. It is sold for the benefit of the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Foundation whose aim is to advance the principles of America’s founding documents through educational programs. Mrs Goldman introduces her collection and educational purpose in the video shared by Sotheby's.
From the same collection, a copy of the first separate printing of the so called Bill of Rights was sold for $ 1.53M from a lower estimate of $ 700K by Sotheby's on November 23, 2021, lot 71.
This 3-page 34 x 21 cm document is dated August 24, 1789. It was prepared for proposing to the Congress a resolution of amendments to the US Constitution. Such articles had been desired by US citizens for preventing the government to infringe the basic individual rights. They were approved on September 26, 1789 and constitute the Third to Twelfth Amendments.
The underbidder for the US Constitution had been an organization just created for the express purpose of raising money to acquire it. They gathered more than 17,000 contributors who, in a matter of only weeks, raised more than $ 40 million, not enough against the winning bidder, the fund manager Kenneth C. Griffin.
3
September 28 Archetype of the US Constitution
2024 SOLD for $ 11M by Brunk
A further print of the US Constitution was executed in 100 copies on September 28, 1787 in New York by John McLean on behalf of Dunlap and Claypoole, for being sent to the legislatures of the states. This 4 page folio 40 x 28 cm document known as the Archetype of the US Constitution is composed in two columns while the 6 page original edition of September 17 was printed in one column.
A copy signed by the Secretary of the Congress Charles Thomson has just surfaced in a North Carolina plantation ranch which had belonged to Samuel Johnston, the governor of that state from 1787 to 1789 and a later senator, a slave holder and Freemason leader who lived at that place since 1765. Johnston, who supported the project, presided over the two conventions in North Carolina, successively rejecting the Constitution in 1788 and ratifying it in 1789.
This document was sold for $ 11M by Brunk on October 17, 2024, lot 1509. Its condition is good overall with expected wear and a heavy central horizontal fold. No other example of the less than 10 surviving copies is in private hands. The September 28, 1787 resolution officially launching the ratification process is attached.
The 1787 Printed Archetype of the US Constitution refers to one of the approximately 500 copies printed on September 18, 1787, by John Dunlap and David C. Claypoole in Philadelphia, immediately following the Constitutional Convention's completion of the document. This printing was authorized by the Convention's Committee of Style and Arrangement (comprising William Samuel Johnson, Alexander Hamilton, Gouverneur Morris, James Madison, and Rufus King) on September 15, 1787, and served as the working text for the Continental Congress. It was produced concurrently with the engrossed parchment version signed by delegates on September 17, 1787, but the printed archetype became the primary version distributed for ratification.
In the creation and ratification process, this archetype played a pivotal role. On September 28, 1787, the Continental Congress unanimously resolved to transmit these printed copies—along with the Convention's letter and resolution—to the legislatures of the 13 original states for consideration by popularly elected conventions, as stipulated in Article VII of the Constitution. Secretary Charles Thomson sent them via circular letters to governors, who forwarded them to state assemblies. States then produced their own printings for delegates and public dissemination (e.g., Virginia ordered 5,000 copies). This printed text was the exact version debated, voted on, and ratified by state conventions from December 1787 to November 1789, with the required nine states ratifying by July 1788 to establish the Constitution. It facilitated the transition from the Articles of Confederation by providing a uniform, authorized text for adoption, deriving its authority directly from the people through these conventions (as later affirmed by Chief Justice John Marshall in McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819).
specific copy sold at Brunk Auctions (lot 1509) on October 17, 2024, is notable as the only known privately held official ratification copy, discovered in 2022 in a filing cabinet at Hayes Farm in Edenton, North Carolina—once owned by Samuel Johnston, the state's governor from December 1787 to December 1789. It sold at a hammer price of $9 million, with a 23% buyer's premium bringing the final price to $11,070,000.
A copy signed by the Secretary of the Congress Charles Thomson has just surfaced in a North Carolina plantation ranch which had belonged to Samuel Johnston, the governor of that state from 1787 to 1789 and a later senator, a slave holder and Freemason leader who lived at that place since 1765. Johnston, who supported the project, presided over the two conventions in North Carolina, successively rejecting the Constitution in 1788 and ratifying it in 1789.
This document was sold for $ 11M by Brunk on October 17, 2024, lot 1509. Its condition is good overall with expected wear and a heavy central horizontal fold. No other example of the less than 10 surviving copies is in private hands. The September 28, 1787 resolution officially launching the ratification process is attached.
The 1787 Printed Archetype of the US Constitution refers to one of the approximately 500 copies printed on September 18, 1787, by John Dunlap and David C. Claypoole in Philadelphia, immediately following the Constitutional Convention's completion of the document. This printing was authorized by the Convention's Committee of Style and Arrangement (comprising William Samuel Johnson, Alexander Hamilton, Gouverneur Morris, James Madison, and Rufus King) on September 15, 1787, and served as the working text for the Continental Congress. It was produced concurrently with the engrossed parchment version signed by delegates on September 17, 1787, but the printed archetype became the primary version distributed for ratification.
In the creation and ratification process, this archetype played a pivotal role. On September 28, 1787, the Continental Congress unanimously resolved to transmit these printed copies—along with the Convention's letter and resolution—to the legislatures of the 13 original states for consideration by popularly elected conventions, as stipulated in Article VII of the Constitution. Secretary Charles Thomson sent them via circular letters to governors, who forwarded them to state assemblies. States then produced their own printings for delegates and public dissemination (e.g., Virginia ordered 5,000 copies). This printed text was the exact version debated, voted on, and ratified by state conventions from December 1787 to November 1789, with the required nine states ratifying by July 1788 to establish the Constitution. It facilitated the transition from the Articles of Confederation by providing a uniform, authorized text for adoption, deriving its authority directly from the people through these conventions (as later affirmed by Chief Justice John Marshall in McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819).
specific copy sold at Brunk Auctions (lot 1509) on October 17, 2024, is notable as the only known privately held official ratification copy, discovered in 2022 in a filing cabinet at Hayes Farm in Edenton, North Carolina—once owned by Samuel Johnston, the state's governor from December 1787 to December 1789. It sold at a hammer price of $9 million, with a 23% buyer's premium bringing the final price to $11,070,000.
1787 Brasher Doubloon
2021 SOLD for $ 9.4M by Heritage
When the United States declared their independence, the issue of monetary autonomy became a puzzle whose importance was paramount to the new union. In 1783 the first federal project named Nova Constellatio is a failure. In 1785, a step forward is made with the naming of the new currency, the dollar.
Meanwhile, business transactions use large foreign gold coins, dominated by those from the Spanish colonies in South America. Banks and grand merchants are the only users of such coins. To deal against counterfeiting, they have their gold checked by specialists, the assayers, who put their own punch on the controlled pieces.
Ephraim Brasher is a goldsmith operating in New York City where he is a neighbor and supplier of George Washington, the President, known as a great lover of silverware. Brasher appreciates that he can play a role in the fight against the monetary anarchy, but his offer in early 1787 to carry out a copper coinage for the state of New York is rejected.
Brasher is an assayer. He knows well the doblon of Lima, a large gold coin worth 8 escudos and weighing 26 grams, whose name is anglicized to doubloon. Circa 1786, he produces in his workshop some Lima-type doubloons which are not fakes because their gold content is correct.
Brasher changes his theme in 1787 for producing doubloons and half doubloons to the use of New York.
The independence of the United States had created the need for a national emblem which will be affixed from an official seal. The project was accepted by Congress after six years, in 1782. It was double-sided, so that it could be printed at the end of a ribbon, but in practice only the face with the heraldic eagle would be used. The popular iconography seized on this patriotic symbol in 1786, with the engravings prepared by James Trenchard for the first two issues of Columbian Magazine.
The eagle with its outstretched wings, the thirteen stripes on the breast shield, the olive branch and the arrows also appeared in 1787 on the reverse side of the Cent and Half Cent from Massachusetts.
Brasher was a metallurgist and definitely not an artist, which had been amply demonstrated by his Lima-style doubloon prepared in 1786. In the meantime he partnered with the designer John Bailey. His new doubloon is superbly engraved on both sides. The centering is very good, with full readability all around.
Both sides are inspired by national emblems. The eagle has all of its attributes, including the constellation of thirteen stars around its head. On the other side, the Eye of Providence shines its radiant light from above a pyramidal mountain. The inscription conforms to the federal motto E Pluribus Unum but the production is located in Nova Eboraca (New York).
The pieces are stamped with his initials, EB, with two possible positions on the wing and on the breast of the eagle. Although their centering and cutting are rather awkward, they are beautiful coins whose design is sharp enough to discourage counterfeiting.
Brasher's Lima-type and New York-type doubloons were not documented in period, which confirms how limited their use was. The gold alloy had undoubtedly been recovered by the melting of some jewelry.
Brasher assayer's punch EB gave these coins an authorization for circulation and they are considered regular by numismatists. This mercantile provenance strengthens the argument that the Brasher doubloon, earliest gold coin made for circulation in the United States, was designed to supersede the foreign currencies in large commercial operations. Other assumptions are however not rejected such as a promotional operation or a demonstration of know how.
The finest of the seven known examples, graded MS65 by NGC, was sold for $ 9.4M by Heritage on January 21, 2021, lot 3934.
The only known Brasher doubloon with the mark on the breast was sold for $ 7.395M in a private sale in December 2011, although its condition is only graded AU50 by PCGS.
On January 9, 2014, Heritage sold for $ 4.6M the other one from only two Brasher doubloons in mint condition from an overall surviving total of six wing marked doubloons, lot 5100. It is graded MS63 by PCGS. This example had been in the nineteenth century the first Brasher doubloon to be described. It was at that time in the estate of an important dealer importer named Gilmor also known as an early collector of coins. It was sold privately in 2018 for a reported $ 5M.
A half doubloon is kept at the Smithsonian. It was made with the same dies and a thinner planchet. Unlike the doubloons of the same year but in accordance with the two known Lima style doubloons, some trimming was required to adjust the weight. This half doubloon was perhaps an intermediate version for testing the dies.
Meanwhile, business transactions use large foreign gold coins, dominated by those from the Spanish colonies in South America. Banks and grand merchants are the only users of such coins. To deal against counterfeiting, they have their gold checked by specialists, the assayers, who put their own punch on the controlled pieces.
Ephraim Brasher is a goldsmith operating in New York City where he is a neighbor and supplier of George Washington, the President, known as a great lover of silverware. Brasher appreciates that he can play a role in the fight against the monetary anarchy, but his offer in early 1787 to carry out a copper coinage for the state of New York is rejected.
Brasher is an assayer. He knows well the doblon of Lima, a large gold coin worth 8 escudos and weighing 26 grams, whose name is anglicized to doubloon. Circa 1786, he produces in his workshop some Lima-type doubloons which are not fakes because their gold content is correct.
Brasher changes his theme in 1787 for producing doubloons and half doubloons to the use of New York.
The independence of the United States had created the need for a national emblem which will be affixed from an official seal. The project was accepted by Congress after six years, in 1782. It was double-sided, so that it could be printed at the end of a ribbon, but in practice only the face with the heraldic eagle would be used. The popular iconography seized on this patriotic symbol in 1786, with the engravings prepared by James Trenchard for the first two issues of Columbian Magazine.
The eagle with its outstretched wings, the thirteen stripes on the breast shield, the olive branch and the arrows also appeared in 1787 on the reverse side of the Cent and Half Cent from Massachusetts.
Brasher was a metallurgist and definitely not an artist, which had been amply demonstrated by his Lima-style doubloon prepared in 1786. In the meantime he partnered with the designer John Bailey. His new doubloon is superbly engraved on both sides. The centering is very good, with full readability all around.
Both sides are inspired by national emblems. The eagle has all of its attributes, including the constellation of thirteen stars around its head. On the other side, the Eye of Providence shines its radiant light from above a pyramidal mountain. The inscription conforms to the federal motto E Pluribus Unum but the production is located in Nova Eboraca (New York).
The pieces are stamped with his initials, EB, with two possible positions on the wing and on the breast of the eagle. Although their centering and cutting are rather awkward, they are beautiful coins whose design is sharp enough to discourage counterfeiting.
Brasher's Lima-type and New York-type doubloons were not documented in period, which confirms how limited their use was. The gold alloy had undoubtedly been recovered by the melting of some jewelry.
Brasher assayer's punch EB gave these coins an authorization for circulation and they are considered regular by numismatists. This mercantile provenance strengthens the argument that the Brasher doubloon, earliest gold coin made for circulation in the United States, was designed to supersede the foreign currencies in large commercial operations. Other assumptions are however not rejected such as a promotional operation or a demonstration of know how.
The finest of the seven known examples, graded MS65 by NGC, was sold for $ 9.4M by Heritage on January 21, 2021, lot 3934.
The only known Brasher doubloon with the mark on the breast was sold for $ 7.395M in a private sale in December 2011, although its condition is only graded AU50 by PCGS.
On January 9, 2014, Heritage sold for $ 4.6M the other one from only two Brasher doubloons in mint condition from an overall surviving total of six wing marked doubloons, lot 5100. It is graded MS63 by PCGS. This example had been in the nineteenth century the first Brasher doubloon to be described. It was at that time in the estate of an important dealer importer named Gilmor also known as an early collector of coins. It was sold privately in 2018 for a reported $ 5M.
A half doubloon is kept at the Smithsonian. It was made with the same dies and a thinner planchet. Unlike the doubloons of the same year but in accordance with the two known Lima style doubloons, some trimming was required to adjust the weight. This half doubloon was perhaps an intermediate version for testing the dies.
Heritage Auctions will offer the Donald G. Partrick Collection in a series of auctions over the next year, making available one of the most historic collections of American colonial coins ever assembled.https://t.co/lZtpZzLOKC#Coins #DonaldPartrick pic.twitter.com/0a798TEqkh
— Heritage Auctions (@HeritageAuction) August 11, 2020
Join us tomorrow for a little F-U-N!
— Heritage Auctions (@HeritageAuction) January 20, 2021
It is a coin any collector would love to own, but only one will be able to possess. We could only be talking about the 1787 New York-Style Brasher Doubloon!
Jan. 20-24 FUN US Coins Auction #HeritageAuctions #coins https://t.co/Jq3TVG58jP pic.twitter.com/wysPjhL8uk
1788 The Ambassador by Vigée Le Brun
2019 SOLD for $ 7.2M by Sotheby's
Louise-Elisabeth Vigée managed her career perfectly. Before turning 20, she is a member of the Académie de Saint-Luc, which allows her to pursue a professional activity. In 1776 she marries Le Brun, a merchant and restorer of paintings, antiques dealer and painter. In the same year, a commission from the comte de Provence, King Louis XVI's brother, gives her access to the court.
Now known as Madame Le Brun, she is seeking admission to the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, in the specialty of history painting. The stakes are bold, both because she is a woman and because she is the wife of an art dealer.
She becomes in 1778 the official painter to Queen Marie-Antoinette. The court highly appreciates her charming and exquisite portraits. Her pictures of the queen, born like her in 1755, are of a young woman dressed simply and audaciously altogether. She will have this comment on that carefree period : "Women were reigning then, the Revolution has dethroned them."
The arrival in Paris in July 1788 of three ambassadors from Mysore with a suite of about thirty people is a sensational and picturesque event. Great enemy of the English, the Sultan of Mysore was preparing a new war and hoped to be helped by France. The sumptuous Muslim clothes of his diplomats ensure their credibility.
Elisabeth remembers opportunely that one of her earliest ambitions had been to be a history painter. With the indispensable support of King Louis XVI, she obtains the authorization to paint the portraits of these exotic lords.
On January 30, 2019, Sotheby's sold for $ 7.2M from a lower estimate of $ 4M the full length portrait of the leader of the delegation, lot 48.
This oil on canvas 226 x 136 cm shows the white bearded man holding an oriental sword with curved blade. This composition is reminiscent of the portrait of the young Polynesian prince Omai by Reynolds in 1776. The exotic traveler is shown life-size, standing in front of a landscape in a counter-dive view that increases his dignity.
The image shared by Wikimedia is trimmed on the left and lower edges.
Now known as Madame Le Brun, she is seeking admission to the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, in the specialty of history painting. The stakes are bold, both because she is a woman and because she is the wife of an art dealer.
She becomes in 1778 the official painter to Queen Marie-Antoinette. The court highly appreciates her charming and exquisite portraits. Her pictures of the queen, born like her in 1755, are of a young woman dressed simply and audaciously altogether. She will have this comment on that carefree period : "Women were reigning then, the Revolution has dethroned them."
The arrival in Paris in July 1788 of three ambassadors from Mysore with a suite of about thirty people is a sensational and picturesque event. Great enemy of the English, the Sultan of Mysore was preparing a new war and hoped to be helped by France. The sumptuous Muslim clothes of his diplomats ensure their credibility.
Elisabeth remembers opportunely that one of her earliest ambitions had been to be a history painter. With the indispensable support of King Louis XVI, she obtains the authorization to paint the portraits of these exotic lords.
On January 30, 2019, Sotheby's sold for $ 7.2M from a lower estimate of $ 4M the full length portrait of the leader of the delegation, lot 48.
This oil on canvas 226 x 136 cm shows the white bearded man holding an oriental sword with curved blade. This composition is reminiscent of the portrait of the young Polynesian prince Omai by Reynolds in 1776. The exotic traveler is shown life-size, standing in front of a landscape in a counter-dive view that increases his dignity.
The image shared by Wikimedia is trimmed on the left and lower edges.
1789 Acts of Congress
2012 SOLD for $ 9.8M by Christie's
During the ten years following the Declaration of Independence of the United States, the Congress sets up a code known as the Articles of Confederation to manage the relations between the states. Too idealistic, this first law is a failure.
The founders of the nation are now trying to redefine the delicate balance between the executive and legislative branches while considering also the need for autonomy of each state. Their work is outstanding, since the system defined between 1787 and 1789 is still the foundation of the US law.
George Washington is one of the key figures in this success. On June 22, 2012, Christie's sold for $ 9.8M his personal copy of the main acts of Congress, lot 1. It gathers the Constitution, various acts including the creation of major Executive Departments, and the first draft of twelve articles known as the Bill of Rights for an effective and pragmatic definition of freedoms.
This collection was a working document for the new President. It is also a much valuable autograph : signed on the title page, it includes handwritten notes in the margin of several acts.
These 53 sheets 30 x 19 cm from 1789 are assembled in a binding probably made in the same year. They are in excellent condition.
Please watch the video shared by Fox News :
The founders of the nation are now trying to redefine the delicate balance between the executive and legislative branches while considering also the need for autonomy of each state. Their work is outstanding, since the system defined between 1787 and 1789 is still the foundation of the US law.
George Washington is one of the key figures in this success. On June 22, 2012, Christie's sold for $ 9.8M his personal copy of the main acts of Congress, lot 1. It gathers the Constitution, various acts including the creation of major Executive Departments, and the first draft of twelve articles known as the Bill of Rights for an effective and pragmatic definition of freedoms.
This collection was a working document for the new President. It is also a much valuable autograph : signed on the title page, it includes handwritten notes in the margin of several acts.
These 53 sheets 30 x 19 cm from 1789 are assembled in a binding probably made in the same year. They are in excellent condition.
Please watch the video shared by Fox News :
1789 pair of Qianlong Jade Seals
2011 SOLD for RMB 43M by Poly
A pair of white jade dragon seals made in the 54th year of Qianlong matching 1789 CE was sold by Poly on December 6, 2011 for RMB 43M from a lower estimate of RMB 25M, lot 4981.
The main seal is a 2.6 cm square 5 cm high carved with a single dragon. It is inscribed for The treasures of the eight conquests (pinyin designation not retrieved from the English translation of the catalogue).
The other seal is 2.6 x 1.6 cm and 5 cm high. It is inscribed for Five blessings of Xiangyong (Xiang Yong Wu Fu).
Both refer to the legend of King Wu who created the Zhou dynasty around 1046 BCE, considered by Qianlong as the seminal Chinese imperial ruler.
Made in the Suzhou workshops, this set is one of eight sets prepared for the celebration of the 80th birthday of the Qianlong emperor to be celebrated in his 56th year.
The main seal is a 2.6 cm square 5 cm high carved with a single dragon. It is inscribed for The treasures of the eight conquests (pinyin designation not retrieved from the English translation of the catalogue).
The other seal is 2.6 x 1.6 cm and 5 cm high. It is inscribed for Five blessings of Xiangyong (Xiang Yong Wu Fu).
Both refer to the legend of King Wu who created the Zhou dynasty around 1046 BCE, considered by Qianlong as the seminal Chinese imperial ruler.
Made in the Suzhou workshops, this set is one of eight sets prepared for the celebration of the 80th birthday of the Qianlong emperor to be celebrated in his 56th year.
