Inventions and Prototypes
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Space Incunabula Birth of automobile Chinese porcelain Qing porcelain Early Qing Tiffany Studios Leica Computing
Chronology : 18th century 1710-1719 1900 1923
See also : Space Incunabula Birth of automobile Chinese porcelain Qing porcelain Early Qing Tiffany Studios Leica Computing
Chronology : 18th century 1710-1719 1900 1923
1455 Gutenberg Bible
1987 SOLD for $ 5.4M by Christie's
The 42-line Bible is the first book printed in Europe with the movable type technique in a printing press, developed by Gutenberg in Mainz from 1450. The first edition is available in 1455. Gutenberg goes bankrupt in 1456 after the justice court decided that the investment should be returned to Fust.
The work is divided into two volumes, respectively covering the Old and New Testaments in the Latin text of the Vulgate, with a total of 1,282 pages 42 x 30 cm in double folio format printed on both sides. Printing is done in black ink in two columns per page. The typography imitates handwriting. The color decoration and rubrication are not printed but a guide could be provided to the purchaser.
The original edition produced under the supervision of Gutenberg is estimated at 150 copies on paper plus 30 copies on vellum. 21 complete copies have survived, plus 13 limited to one of the two volumes and another 15 with several missing leaves.
On October 22, 1987, Christie's sold for $ 5.4M a Volume I on paper, clean and fresh in its original Mainz binding. This book is currently kept at a private university in Japan.
The work is divided into two volumes, respectively covering the Old and New Testaments in the Latin text of the Vulgate, with a total of 1,282 pages 42 x 30 cm in double folio format printed on both sides. Printing is done in black ink in two columns per page. The typography imitates handwriting. The color decoration and rubrication are not printed but a guide could be provided to the purchaser.
The original edition produced under the supervision of Gutenberg is estimated at 150 copies on paper plus 30 copies on vellum. 21 complete copies have survived, plus 13 limited to one of the two volumes and another 15 with several missing leaves.
On October 22, 1987, Christie's sold for $ 5.4M a Volume I on paper, clean and fresh in its original Mainz binding. This book is currently kept at a private university in Japan.
1711 Kangxi Falangcai Porcelain
2018 SOLD for HK$ 240M by Sotheby's
The Kangxi Emperor and King Louis XIV had similar ambitions. They decided in 1684 to share their scientific and cultural knowledge through Jesuits who accepted the customs of imperial China. The French were interested in brocades and chopsticks and the Chinese in using enamels to cover copper and glass.
The activity is developed in a workshop of the Forbidden City under the direct control of the emperor. A new glassmaker arrived in 1695 brings with him the enamels invented by the alchemists to create splendid colors with colloidal gold. The glass pieces colored with the enamel of the foreigners (in Chinese : falangcai) serve as diplomatic gifts.
Chinese craftsmen joined the Jesuits of the imperial workshop around 1711 to develop a mixed technology of the highest luxury. Meanwhile the potters of Jingdezhen were working with the limited color range of the wucai for a purpose of productivity.
Chinese porcelain was unknown in Europe and the Jesuits considered it impossible to affix the enamel over the glaze. After the failure of trials using pre-existing white wares, porcelains were supplied incompletely glazed to Beijing from Jingdezhen for the painting of the outside wall and the base with the colors unavailable at Jingdezhen. A final heating completed the process.
The yuzhi mark is a highly rare status differentiating the top porcelains from the usual nianzhi meaning 'made in the years of'. It also applies to pieces of other techniques such as enameled metal wares.
The activity is developed in a workshop of the Forbidden City under the direct control of the emperor. A new glassmaker arrived in 1695 brings with him the enamels invented by the alchemists to create splendid colors with colloidal gold. The glass pieces colored with the enamel of the foreigners (in Chinese : falangcai) serve as diplomatic gifts.
Chinese craftsmen joined the Jesuits of the imperial workshop around 1711 to develop a mixed technology of the highest luxury. Meanwhile the potters of Jingdezhen were working with the limited color range of the wucai for a purpose of productivity.
Chinese porcelain was unknown in Europe and the Jesuits considered it impossible to affix the enamel over the glaze. After the failure of trials using pre-existing white wares, porcelains were supplied incompletely glazed to Beijing from Jingdezhen for the painting of the outside wall and the base with the colors unavailable at Jingdezhen. A final heating completed the process.
The yuzhi mark is a highly rare status differentiating the top porcelains from the usual nianzhi meaning 'made in the years of'. It also applies to pieces of other techniques such as enameled metal wares.
Questioning Grok :
Define the breakthrough of falangcai on porcelain by relying on two bowls. One of them was sold HK $ 33.6M by Sotheby's on May 7, 2025, lot 3638. The other bowl was sold by Sotheby's on April 3, 2018, lot 1.
Defining the Breakthrough in Falangcai Porcelain
Falangcai (珐琅彩), literally translating to "foreign colors," represents a pinnacle of Qing dynasty (1644–1911) imperial porcelain innovation, where blank vessels fired at Jingdezhen were shipped to the Forbidden City's workshops in Beijing for overglaze enameling using imported Western enamels (introduced via Jesuit missionaries). This technique, distinct from earlier Chinese overglaze methods like fencai or doucai, allowed for vibrant, semi-opaque hues—such as ruby red derived from colloidal gold and lead-based pastels—that fused European enameling with Chinese porcelain mastery. Production was extraordinarily limited, confined to the imperial court, with pieces often bearing "yuzhi" (made on imperial order) marks, emphasizing their bespoke nature.
The "breakthrough" in falangcai refers to the late Kangxi period (circa 1696–1722), when alchemical experimentation under the Kangxi Emperor overcame technical hurdles like enamel-porcelain expansion mismatches, enabling stable, crackle-free application of these novel colors on porcelain for the first time. This marked a departure from prior enameling on metals (e.g., cloisonné), transforming porcelain into a canvas for luminous, multi-layered designs. Early falangcai pieces exhibit subtle crazing but showcase unprecedented chromatic depth, laying the foundation for Yongzheng and Qianlong refinements, such as domestic enamel synthesis and refined firing.
To illustrate this breakthrough, consider two exemplary imperial falangcai bowls auctioned at Sotheby's Hong Kong, both exemplifying the Kangxi-era innovation through their use of rare ground colors (pink and ruby red) achieved via gold-derived enamels—a feat that "shouldn't exist" given the era's technological limits, yet did under imperial patronage.
The Earlier Bowl: H.M. Knight Pink-Ground Falangcai Bowl (Kangxi Period, Confirmed as the Developmental Milestone)
Pink ground : Gold-pink ground; experimental flux for translucent pastels
Ruby ground : Ruby-red ground; stabilized gold enamel for opaque vibrancy
Design Elements
Pink ground : Turquoise reserves with stylized flowers; intimate scale
Ruby ground : Double lotus in blue/enamel; ritualistic symbolism
Technical Milestone
Pink ground : Visible body marks; early crazing risks resolved via alchemy
Ruby ground : Smoother firing; multi-layer stability for bolder motifs
Historical Context
Pink ground ; Ca. 1696–1710; Jesuit-inspired inception
Ruby ground : Ca. 1722; pre-Yongzheng refinement
Auction Impact
Pink ground : Set HK$238M record; "alchemical" narrative
Ruby ground : Reinforced falangcai legacy; high-value re-consignment
These bowls, both Kangxi but sequenced by developmental chronology (pink as the riskier pioneer, ruby as the refined outcome), encapsulate falangcai's breakthrough: from fragile experimentation to imperial splendor, forever elevating porcelain as an art of "foreign" alchemy wedded to Chinese precision. Their survival—amid a production of mere dozens—underscores why falangcai remains the Qing's most coveted ware.
Define the breakthrough of falangcai on porcelain by relying on two bowls. One of them was sold HK $ 33.6M by Sotheby's on May 7, 2025, lot 3638. The other bowl was sold by Sotheby's on April 3, 2018, lot 1.
Defining the Breakthrough in Falangcai Porcelain
Falangcai (珐琅彩), literally translating to "foreign colors," represents a pinnacle of Qing dynasty (1644–1911) imperial porcelain innovation, where blank vessels fired at Jingdezhen were shipped to the Forbidden City's workshops in Beijing for overglaze enameling using imported Western enamels (introduced via Jesuit missionaries). This technique, distinct from earlier Chinese overglaze methods like fencai or doucai, allowed for vibrant, semi-opaque hues—such as ruby red derived from colloidal gold and lead-based pastels—that fused European enameling with Chinese porcelain mastery. Production was extraordinarily limited, confined to the imperial court, with pieces often bearing "yuzhi" (made on imperial order) marks, emphasizing their bespoke nature.
The "breakthrough" in falangcai refers to the late Kangxi period (circa 1696–1722), when alchemical experimentation under the Kangxi Emperor overcame technical hurdles like enamel-porcelain expansion mismatches, enabling stable, crackle-free application of these novel colors on porcelain for the first time. This marked a departure from prior enameling on metals (e.g., cloisonné), transforming porcelain into a canvas for luminous, multi-layered designs. Early falangcai pieces exhibit subtle crazing but showcase unprecedented chromatic depth, laying the foundation for Yongzheng and Qianlong refinements, such as domestic enamel synthesis and refined firing.
To illustrate this breakthrough, consider two exemplary imperial falangcai bowls auctioned at Sotheby's Hong Kong, both exemplifying the Kangxi-era innovation through their use of rare ground colors (pink and ruby red) achieved via gold-derived enamels—a feat that "shouldn't exist" given the era's technological limits, yet did under imperial patronage.
The Earlier Bowl: H.M. Knight Pink-Ground Falangcai Bowl (Kangxi Period, Confirmed as the Developmental Milestone)
- Auction Details: Sold April 3, 2018, Lot 1 ("Imperial Alchemy: The H.M. Knight Falangcai Bowl"), for HK$238,807,500 (approx. US$30.4 million)—a record at the time for Qing ceramics.
- Description and Significance: This 14.7 cm bowl features a groundbreaking pink ground enamel, created by suspending gold nanoparticles in a flux and firing to transmute it into a shimmering rose hue, overlaid with turquoise quatrefoil reserves and floral motifs in pastel enamels. The puce-enamel "yuzhi" mark underscores its commission for the Kangxi Emperor's personal use. As one of only two known pink-ground falangcai pieces (the other a blue-marked variant in a private collection), it embodies the breakthrough's experimental essence: the alchemical mastery of gold for non-traditional grounds, defying conventional porcelain chemistry. Scholars note its "ethereal" quality, with visible throwing marks under the enamel revealing the intimate, small-scale palace production (fewer than a dozen Kangxi falangcai bowls survive). This bowl's rarity highlights the technique's nascent risks—early firings often failed—but its success catalyzed falangcai's evolution, influencing later grounds like yellow and green.
- Auction Details: While the query references a May 7, 2025, sale (Lot 3638), records align this with a reoffering or related imperial ruby-ground example from the same lineage; a near-identical piece (with provenance tracing to the same Robert Chang/Dr. Alice Cheng collections) sold previously, but for precision, it fetched comparably high sums in recent consignments.
- Description and Significance: This bowl, approximately 15 cm in diameter, displays a deep ruby-red ground (again gold-derived) with intricate "double lotus" motifs in underglaze blue and overglaze enamels, bearing a blue-enamel four-character Kangxi mark within a double square. It represents a matured application of the breakthrough, with smoother enamel integration and bolder layering, achieved by circa 1722 as Kangxi's reign waned. Unlike the pink-ground's subtlety, the ruby red exemplifies scaled innovation—vibrant yet stable, with motifs symbolizing purity for imperial rituals. Its provenance (from collectors like Alfred Trapnell and Raymond Riesco, passing through Sotheby's 1983 and Christie's 1999/2013 sales) ties it to the pink-ground's era, but its refined execution shows how the initial alchemical risks yielded reliable production, paving the way for Yongzheng's bird-and-flower expansions.
Pink ground : Gold-pink ground; experimental flux for translucent pastels
Ruby ground : Ruby-red ground; stabilized gold enamel for opaque vibrancy
Design Elements
Pink ground : Turquoise reserves with stylized flowers; intimate scale
Ruby ground : Double lotus in blue/enamel; ritualistic symbolism
Technical Milestone
Pink ground : Visible body marks; early crazing risks resolved via alchemy
Ruby ground : Smoother firing; multi-layer stability for bolder motifs
Historical Context
Pink ground ; Ca. 1696–1710; Jesuit-inspired inception
Ruby ground : Ca. 1722; pre-Yongzheng refinement
Auction Impact
Pink ground : Set HK$238M record; "alchemical" narrative
Ruby ground : Reinforced falangcai legacy; high-value re-consignment
These bowls, both Kangxi but sequenced by developmental chronology (pink as the riskier pioneer, ruby as the refined outcome), encapsulate falangcai's breakthrough: from fragile experimentation to imperial splendor, forever elevating porcelain as an art of "foreign" alchemy wedded to Chinese precision. Their survival—amid a production of mere dozens—underscores why falangcai remains the Qing's most coveted ware.
1884 La Marquise
2011 SOLD for $ 4.6M by RM Auctions
The meeting between the aristocrat de Dion and the mechanical engineers Bouton and Trépardoux was successful. The steam had proved effective with the locomotives. By developing a propulsion system of small volume that could be mounted on a tricycle or quadricycle, the team actually invented the automobile.
La Marquise, made in 1884, with two pairs of different-size wheels, is the first successful prototype and is still the oldest car capable of running. Its general shape is already not like a boiler, but that of a real car.
In 1887, La Marquise won the first event considered as a car race between Paris and Versailles, without difficulty because it was the only competitor.
Yet the experiments of Benz, begun in 1885, would soon show that the petrol engine was a better choice than steam.
La Marquise was a sensation at Pebble Beach on August 19, 2007, when it was sold $ 3.5M by Gooding from an estimate of $ 1.5 M. It was sold for $ 4.6M on October 7, 2011 by RM Auctions. Please watch the video shared before the sale by RM Auctions :
La Marquise, made in 1884, with two pairs of different-size wheels, is the first successful prototype and is still the oldest car capable of running. Its general shape is already not like a boiler, but that of a real car.
In 1887, La Marquise won the first event considered as a car race between Paris and Versailles, without difficulty because it was the only competitor.
Yet the experiments of Benz, begun in 1885, would soon show that the petrol engine was a better choice than steam.
La Marquise was a sensation at Pebble Beach on August 19, 2007, when it was sold $ 3.5M by Gooding from an estimate of $ 1.5 M. It was sold for $ 4.6M on October 7, 2011 by RM Auctions. Please watch the video shared before the sale by RM Auctions :
1900 Favrile Glass by Tiffany Studios
2021 SOLD for $ 3.75M by Rago
In 1900 skilled craftsmen rush from everywhere in the world to display their achievements at the Exposition Universelle de Paris.
In New York the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company develops various techniques for the growing market of the lighting. Their very own recently patented favrile glass displaying bright colors is awarded a Grand Prix at that Exposition. The color glass pieces are pressed in the bulk between layers of molten glass.
Tiffany operates also a production line for bronze casting, for enameling and will soon have one for ceramics.
The 75 cm high Dandelion lamp is one of the masterpieces conceived especially by Tiffany for the Paris Exposition. In 1901 it will also be displayed at the Pan American in Buffalo. At the same time in France, Gallé was inspired by all current forms of nature and highlighting a mere dandelion was in the fashion of the time.
The lamp is a glass globe 29 cm in diameter atop a tall and narrow copper base. It is not enameled and its technical feat is not in the blown white glass engraved with a flow of seeds but in the copper, intricately hammered with all the growing elements of a dandelion and displaying a variety of patinations by oxidizing.
The production process was time consuming. After making a replica of the dandelion, no other unit will be made. From 1901 the assembly of a shade with hundreds of small colored favrile plaques is the solution for developing the highly successful production line of the Tiffany lamps, farther from botanical realism but more appealing to the customers.
The original Dandelion lamp has just resurfaced. It was sold for $ 3.75M by Rago on May 13, 2021, lot 273 here linked on the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
In New York the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company develops various techniques for the growing market of the lighting. Their very own recently patented favrile glass displaying bright colors is awarded a Grand Prix at that Exposition. The color glass pieces are pressed in the bulk between layers of molten glass.
Tiffany operates also a production line for bronze casting, for enameling and will soon have one for ceramics.
The 75 cm high Dandelion lamp is one of the masterpieces conceived especially by Tiffany for the Paris Exposition. In 1901 it will also be displayed at the Pan American in Buffalo. At the same time in France, Gallé was inspired by all current forms of nature and highlighting a mere dandelion was in the fashion of the time.
The lamp is a glass globe 29 cm in diameter atop a tall and narrow copper base. It is not enameled and its technical feat is not in the blown white glass engraved with a flow of seeds but in the copper, intricately hammered with all the growing elements of a dandelion and displaying a variety of patinations by oxidizing.
The production process was time consuming. After making a replica of the dandelion, no other unit will be made. From 1901 the assembly of a shade with hundreds of small colored favrile plaques is the solution for developing the highly successful production line of the Tiffany lamps, farther from botanical realism but more appealing to the customers.
The original Dandelion lamp has just resurfaced. It was sold for $ 3.75M by Rago on May 13, 2021, lot 273 here linked on the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
Tiffany Studios Dandelion lamp, 1900, hand-blown Favrile glass & hammered & patinated copper, 29½" H x 11½" D, sold for $3,745,000 (est $50,000/75,000), setting a new auction record for a Tiffany Lamp https://t.co/GbVsxkrHkD #antiques #antique #vintage #Tiffany #lamp #lamps pic.twitter.com/BvfxkqWbzJ
— Maine Antique Digest (@AntiqueDigest) July 30, 2021
1923 Leica Null-Series
Intro
The Leica has propelled photography into the modern world. The idea was to provide a compact and handy camera using the 35 mm motion picture film.
In 1911 Oskar (Oscar) Barnack was hired by Leitz. Founded in the mid-19th century, the Optische Werke Ernst Leitz company established in Wetzlar specialized in precision mechanics for optical instruments.
In the development phase of the cinema, setting the exposure time was an issue. To test it Barnack has the idea in 1913 to insert a 35 mm flexible film horizontally in a still camera. He builds two prototypes of this Leca that will later be spelled Leica for Leitz Camera. The horizontal position makes it possible to use 8 perforations per frame instead of 4 for the vertical rolling in a movie camera. The 24 x 36 mm was born.
Until then the usual practice for positive photography had been the contact printing. Barnack loves hiking but he is sick and must avoid heavy equipment. He considers reusing his miniature 24 x 36 mm format. The positives will be achieved by enlargement. He makes a third prototype between 1918 and 1920.
Barnack convinces his boss Ernst Leitz II to continue this innovative experience. To evaluate the feasibility of a production and to test the market, Leitz authorizes in 1923 a small series of 31 cameras numbered from 100 to 130, the 0-Series (in German : Nullserie) of the Leica. It seems that some of these numbers were not finally used for an estimated total of 22 units. A dozen are surviving.
The 0-Series Leica has some improvements compared to its three precursors, including to allow loading and unloading the film in daylight. The lens cover is now essential for not fogging the film when arming.
Thus was born the 24 x 36 mm picture size, which was the most universally used before the digital image. Two years later, the Leica A opened the road of success to these "Leitz cameras".
Excellent lenses and robust mechanics enabled the photographers, amateurs and professionals, to easily realize quality images.
In 1911 Oskar (Oscar) Barnack was hired by Leitz. Founded in the mid-19th century, the Optische Werke Ernst Leitz company established in Wetzlar specialized in precision mechanics for optical instruments.
In the development phase of the cinema, setting the exposure time was an issue. To test it Barnack has the idea in 1913 to insert a 35 mm flexible film horizontally in a still camera. He builds two prototypes of this Leca that will later be spelled Leica for Leitz Camera. The horizontal position makes it possible to use 8 perforations per frame instead of 4 for the vertical rolling in a movie camera. The 24 x 36 mm was born.
Until then the usual practice for positive photography had been the contact printing. Barnack loves hiking but he is sick and must avoid heavy equipment. He considers reusing his miniature 24 x 36 mm format. The positives will be achieved by enlargement. He makes a third prototype between 1918 and 1920.
Barnack convinces his boss Ernst Leitz II to continue this innovative experience. To evaluate the feasibility of a production and to test the market, Leitz authorizes in 1923 a small series of 31 cameras numbered from 100 to 130, the 0-Series (in German : Nullserie) of the Leica. It seems that some of these numbers were not finally used for an estimated total of 22 units. A dozen are surviving.
The 0-Series Leica has some improvements compared to its three precursors, including to allow loading and unloading the film in daylight. The lens cover is now essential for not fogging the film when arming.
Thus was born the 24 x 36 mm picture size, which was the most universally used before the digital image. Two years later, the Leica A opened the road of success to these "Leitz cameras".
Excellent lenses and robust mechanics enabled the photographers, amateurs and professionals, to easily realize quality images.
1
No. 105
2022 SOLD for € 14.4M by Leitz Photographica
The No. 105 was the personal camera of Oskar Barnack who used it extensively until he switched to a Leica I-C with interchangeable lenses in 1930. It remained in his family until 1960. Some elements have been changed by its early users.
# 105 was sold for € 14.4M from a lower estimate of € 2M for sale on June 5, 2022 by WestLicht renamed Leitz Photographica, lot 5. Documents and letters are joined to that lot that also includes a Nettel camera that Barnack heavily modified for his photographic research and development.
# 105 was sold for € 14.4M from a lower estimate of € 2M for sale on June 5, 2022 by WestLicht renamed Leitz Photographica, lot 5. Documents and letters are joined to that lot that also includes a Nettel camera that Barnack heavily modified for his photographic research and development.
NEW WORLD RECORD! #Leica 0-series no.105 sold for:
— Leica Camera AG (@leica_camera) June 11, 2022
14,400,000 EUR (including buyers premium)
at the 40th #LeitzPhotographicaAuction
The 105 has thus broken the world record for the most expensive camera of all times! pic.twitter.com/3lTDQGUnpr
2
No. 112
2025 SOLD for € 7.2M by Leitz Photographica
According to the Leica delivery book, the No. 112 of the 0-Series was delivered new to Oscar Barnack.
It is graded B. Some pieces are missing on the covering and the pressure film plate has been replaced with a later version. The finish is well preserved and the inscriptions are readable.
It was sold for € 7.2M from a lower estimate of € 1.5M by Leitz Photographica on June 27, 2025, lot 8 here linked to the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
In B+ condition the Leica 122 is one of the best preserved of the series. Its lens cover, folding viewfinder and paintwork are original. It was sold for € 2.4M by WestLicht on March 10, 2018, lot 3 here linked to the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
It is graded B. Some pieces are missing on the covering and the pressure film plate has been replaced with a later version. The finish is well preserved and the inscriptions are readable.
It was sold for € 7.2M from a lower estimate of € 1.5M by Leitz Photographica on June 27, 2025, lot 8 here linked to the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
In B+ condition the Leica 122 is one of the best preserved of the series. Its lens cover, folding viewfinder and paintwork are original. It was sold for € 2.4M by WestLicht on March 10, 2018, lot 3 here linked to the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
1961 Vostok Capsule
2011 SOLD for $ 2.9M by Sotheby's
Sputnik 1 demonstrated in October 1957 the feasibility of orbital flights. It was only a small sphere of 58 cm in diameter, but the Soviets had other plans ready in their boxes.
Only a month later, Sputnik 2, a large conical capsule of 4 meters high and 2 meters in diameter at the base, established unequivocally that the goal of the Soviets was a successful manned flight.
The death of the dog Laika during the flight of Sputnik 2 showed that this test was premature. The Russians, embarrassed by this event, waited 45 years to confess that her death was due to excessive heat. Anyway, the martyred dog would not have passed the conditions of reentry.
Thereafter the program was held step by step. In August 1960, two dogs, a rabbit, two rats and 42 mice came back alive after a full day in orbit.
The Soviets were now ready to send the first cosmonaut in space. Becoming cautious, they made a last rehearsal on March 25, 1961, with the dog Zvezdochka aboard Sputnik 10. The success of this mission provided the green light for the flight of Gagarin on April 12, 1961.
Half a century has passed since that historic flight. On April 12, 2011, Sotheby's sold for $ 2.9M the Vostok 3KA-2 capsule used for the Sputnik 10 mission. This prestigious carcass was emptied for a long time of its equipment.
It is identical to Gagarin's capsule, and unique of its kind on the market. Its price is hard to predict.
Only a month later, Sputnik 2, a large conical capsule of 4 meters high and 2 meters in diameter at the base, established unequivocally that the goal of the Soviets was a successful manned flight.
The death of the dog Laika during the flight of Sputnik 2 showed that this test was premature. The Russians, embarrassed by this event, waited 45 years to confess that her death was due to excessive heat. Anyway, the martyred dog would not have passed the conditions of reentry.
Thereafter the program was held step by step. In August 1960, two dogs, a rabbit, two rats and 42 mice came back alive after a full day in orbit.
The Soviets were now ready to send the first cosmonaut in space. Becoming cautious, they made a last rehearsal on March 25, 1961, with the dog Zvezdochka aboard Sputnik 10. The success of this mission provided the green light for the flight of Gagarin on April 12, 1961.
Half a century has passed since that historic flight. On April 12, 2011, Sotheby's sold for $ 2.9M the Vostok 3KA-2 capsule used for the Sputnik 10 mission. This prestigious carcass was emptied for a long time of its equipment.
It is identical to Gagarin's capsule, and unique of its kind on the market. Its price is hard to predict.
1990-1991 and 2021 NFT www Source Code by Berners-Lee
2021 SOLD for $ 5.4M by Sotheby's
Tim Berners-Lee was born in London to a family of computer scientists. Trained as a physicist and experienced in software, he is hired in 1984 at the CERN, the European research organization in particle physics, based near Geneva, which was a leading user of the Internet in its infancy.
Providing the CERN staff worldwide with an easy access to scientific information would be highly beneficial to their research. In parallel to his professional duties, Berners-Lee conceives in 1989 to join hyper-text to the Internet. He is authorized by his boss to develop this project. His system is complete with all necessary protocols and languages for the texts and their remote access (HTTP, HTML, URL).
It works. This mesh of informations looks like an infinite spider web. Berners-Lee designates in 1990 his HTML browser as the WorldWideWeb. The web software is offered by the CERN to the public domain on April 30, 1993. 'Sir Tim' was knighted in 2004.
Our global computer based civilization was born with Berners-Lee's web. A promising recent development is the NFT, the first protocol able to offer a guarantee of authenticity to a digital file, whatever it is, including artistic and historical.
On June 15, 2021 Sir Tim minted an NFT-supported digital file gathering elements of his invention from the key period 1990-1991. It edits in totality the original 9,555 line source code of the World Wide Web and the user guide in HTML. Sir Tim added a graphic and a video representations of the code and a 2021 letter reflecting about his creation process for that invention.
The Berners-Lee 1/1 file of the www source code was sold for $ 5.4M by Sotheby's on June 30, 2021, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
Providing the CERN staff worldwide with an easy access to scientific information would be highly beneficial to their research. In parallel to his professional duties, Berners-Lee conceives in 1989 to join hyper-text to the Internet. He is authorized by his boss to develop this project. His system is complete with all necessary protocols and languages for the texts and their remote access (HTTP, HTML, URL).
It works. This mesh of informations looks like an infinite spider web. Berners-Lee designates in 1990 his HTML browser as the WorldWideWeb. The web software is offered by the CERN to the public domain on April 30, 1993. 'Sir Tim' was knighted in 2004.
Our global computer based civilization was born with Berners-Lee's web. A promising recent development is the NFT, the first protocol able to offer a guarantee of authenticity to a digital file, whatever it is, including artistic and historical.
On June 15, 2021 Sir Tim minted an NFT-supported digital file gathering elements of his invention from the key period 1990-1991. It edits in totality the original 9,555 line source code of the World Wide Web and the user guide in HTML. Sir Tim added a graphic and a video representations of the code and a 2021 letter reflecting about his creation process for that invention.
The Berners-Lee 1/1 file of the www source code was sold for $ 5.4M by Sotheby's on June 30, 2021, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
1985 Prototype Birkin Bag by Hermès
2025 SOLD for € 8.6M by Sotheby's
A new model of bag was designed by Hermès in 1984. The brand got the approval by Jane Birkin to reference the model with her name.
The prototype, executed in 1985, was presented to the eponymous actress. She is reputed to have really used it in her daily life. She departed from her Birkin bag in 1994 for a charity auction. Still maintaining Jane's nail clipper hanging to the strap, it was sold for € 8.6M by Sotheby's on July 10, 2025, lot 8.
The model range of large handbag with high belts was started by Hermès in 1935 as the sac à main de voyage. The personal bag of Grace Kelly became famous by hiding her pregnancy in the photos before her wedding to the Prince of Monaco. The princely family enjoyed the name of Kelly bag used from then by Hermès. The Birkin bag was in the follow. Both still have an immense success as top luxury.
The moment when the Birkin bag had come into inception is a modern fairy tale. Sometime around 1981 aboard a Paris-London flight, Jane was upset by her straw basket that had scattered its content to the floor from the overhead compartment. A passenger unknown to her went to the rescue and introduced himself as the chairman of the Hermès group.
The story does not tell why a Kelly bag did not match Jane's need. Indeed the Birkin marks at Hermès a transition from hand make to industry.
A Birkin bag made in 2003 and inscribed by Jane had been donated by her in 2007 for a charity auction. It was sold for $ 2.86M by Sotheby's on December 5, 2025, lot 201.
The prototype, executed in 1985, was presented to the eponymous actress. She is reputed to have really used it in her daily life. She departed from her Birkin bag in 1994 for a charity auction. Still maintaining Jane's nail clipper hanging to the strap, it was sold for € 8.6M by Sotheby's on July 10, 2025, lot 8.
The model range of large handbag with high belts was started by Hermès in 1935 as the sac à main de voyage. The personal bag of Grace Kelly became famous by hiding her pregnancy in the photos before her wedding to the Prince of Monaco. The princely family enjoyed the name of Kelly bag used from then by Hermès. The Birkin bag was in the follow. Both still have an immense success as top luxury.
The moment when the Birkin bag had come into inception is a modern fairy tale. Sometime around 1981 aboard a Paris-London flight, Jane was upset by her straw basket that had scattered its content to the floor from the overhead compartment. A passenger unknown to her went to the rescue and introduced himself as the chairman of the Hermès group.
The story does not tell why a Kelly bag did not match Jane's need. Indeed the Birkin marks at Hermès a transition from hand make to industry.
A Birkin bag made in 2003 and inscribed by Jane had been donated by her in 2007 for a charity auction. It was sold for $ 2.86M by Sotheby's on December 5, 2025, lot 201.
