Silverware and Goldware
not including Coin.
Except otherwise stated, all results below include the premium.
See also : Old silverware Judaica Ancient England Italian sculpture Time pieces Clocks
Chronology : 1700-1709 1770-1779 1902 2016
Except otherwise stated, all results below include the premium.
See also : Old silverware Judaica Ancient England Italian sculpture Time pieces Clocks
Chronology : 1700-1709 1770-1779 1902 2016
Tang Gilt Silver Bowl
2019 SOLD for $ 3.5M by Christie's
At the very beginning of the Tang dynasty, the Silk Road brings to the Chinese through the Sogdian merchants the dishes and jewels in precious metals. Persia thus exports its techniques for the processing of hammered, parceled, mercury gilded and incised silver. Silver could become a substitute with an acceptable healthiness facing bronze, jade and ceramics.
A Tang bowl 24.5 cm in diameter and weighing 1.05 Kg was sold by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008 for £ 1.14M, lot 54, and for $ 3.5M by Christie's on September 12, 2019, lot 551.
The technique is foreign but the refinement is Chinese. The bowl has the shape of an opened lotus flower, decorated on its outer wall with three overlapping rows of lotus petals. Each frieze is composed of eight elements. A narrow garland separates the upper frieze from the rim of the bowl. The interior is centered with a gilt medallion showing a round dance of eight birds in blooming branches.
Each petal is a cartouche that was made in repoussé before being gilded and very finely chiseled with motifs of peonies and pairs of birds. This illustration is perhaps more decorative than symbolic although the repetition of the eight is certainly not a coincidence. The shape of the petals takes into account the curvature of the wall, more flared at the bottom.
This piece was made with a thick silver sheet rounded on a mould. It is a feat with regard to the regularity of its repoussé. The experts observed two tiny reworks made by the artist to correct the hammering.
In the same 2008 sale and coming from the same collection, a lobed bowl of similar diameter and technology was sold for £ 1.6M. This piece has retained its original cover. Its foliated iconography is less dense.
These extremely rare bowls are also known in pure gold and pure silver. This type did not survive the Tang, probably because of the development of the porcelain.
A Tang bowl 24.5 cm in diameter and weighing 1.05 Kg was sold by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008 for £ 1.14M, lot 54, and for $ 3.5M by Christie's on September 12, 2019, lot 551.
The technique is foreign but the refinement is Chinese. The bowl has the shape of an opened lotus flower, decorated on its outer wall with three overlapping rows of lotus petals. Each frieze is composed of eight elements. A narrow garland separates the upper frieze from the rim of the bowl. The interior is centered with a gilt medallion showing a round dance of eight birds in blooming branches.
Each petal is a cartouche that was made in repoussé before being gilded and very finely chiseled with motifs of peonies and pairs of birds. This illustration is perhaps more decorative than symbolic although the repetition of the eight is certainly not a coincidence. The shape of the petals takes into account the curvature of the wall, more flared at the bottom.
This piece was made with a thick silver sheet rounded on a mould. It is a feat with regard to the regularity of its repoussé. The experts observed two tiny reworks made by the artist to correct the hammering.
In the same 2008 sale and coming from the same collection, a lobed bowl of similar diameter and technology was sold for £ 1.6M. This piece has retained its original cover. Its foliated iconography is less dense.
These extremely rare bowls are also known in pure gold and pure silver. This type did not survive the Tang, probably because of the development of the porcelain.
On September 12 in #NewYork our Masterpieces of Early Chinese Gold and Silver sale will take place. Comprised of over 100 exquisite objects the collection, formed by Dr. Johan Carl Kempe, includes gold and silver works from the Tang period #AsianArtWeek https://t.co/Qt2FX4BOnJ pic.twitter.com/oZwbgmOVLB
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) September 5, 2019
11th - 12th century CE Khurasan Kiddush Cup of Joy
2025 SOLD for $ 3.95M by Sotheby's
At the time of the Silk Road, Khurasan was a wealthy region of central Asia, with a mixed Persian and Turkic culture, under Arab control from the 1st century AH. A religious tolerance enabled to maintain altogether Islam, Judaism and Buddhism at the time of the devastating Christian Crusades.
A silver cup of the highest luxury has survived. Made from a single silver sheet, it has been carved into the surface and inlaid with niello. Its auspicious Arabic inscriptions combining naskh and kufic are typical of Khurasan in the 11th and 12th century CE with a terminus ante quem during a severe silver shortage. It is dedicated in Hebrew to a Simchah ben Salman to whom a life of eternity is wished.
This wine vessel is a kiddush cup, easy to fit into the palm of a hand for a Jewish Sabbath blessing use. Further decorations include birds and vine scrolls. Wine is forbidden by Islam. By chance simchah is also a Hebrew word for 'joy'. It is hemispherical with twelve flutes and with a concave foot, 9 cm high overall, 12.5 cm in rim diameter.
This ceremonial Cup of Joy was sold for $ 3.95M from a lower estimate of $ 3M by Sotheby's on October 29, 2025, lot 1.
Pre sale thought by Grok :
Quote
AIJAC @AIJAC_Update Apr 8
Famed auction house Sotheby’s is showcasing the ‘Cup of Joy,’ an 11th-12th-century silver Kiddush cup from Khorasan, a region in central Asia along the historic Silk Road. Bearing Hebrew and Arabic inscriptions, including its owner’s name, it is the oldest known silver Kiddush
A silver cup of the highest luxury has survived. Made from a single silver sheet, it has been carved into the surface and inlaid with niello. Its auspicious Arabic inscriptions combining naskh and kufic are typical of Khurasan in the 11th and 12th century CE with a terminus ante quem during a severe silver shortage. It is dedicated in Hebrew to a Simchah ben Salman to whom a life of eternity is wished.
This wine vessel is a kiddush cup, easy to fit into the palm of a hand for a Jewish Sabbath blessing use. Further decorations include birds and vine scrolls. Wine is forbidden by Islam. By chance simchah is also a Hebrew word for 'joy'. It is hemispherical with twelve flutes and with a concave foot, 9 cm high overall, 12.5 cm in rim diameter.
This ceremonial Cup of Joy was sold for $ 3.95M from a lower estimate of $ 3M by Sotheby's on October 29, 2025, lot 1.
Pre sale thought by Grok :
Quote
AIJAC @AIJAC_Update Apr 8
Famed auction house Sotheby’s is showcasing the ‘Cup of Joy,’ an 11th-12th-century silver Kiddush cup from Khorasan, a region in central Asia along the historic Silk Road. Bearing Hebrew and Arabic inscriptions, including its owner’s name, it is the oldest known silver Kiddush
- The post spotlights the "Cup of Joy," an 11th-12th-century silver Kiddush cup from Khorasan on the Silk Road, featuring rare bilingual Hebrew-Arabic inscriptions that highlight medieval Jewish-Islamic cultural exchanges in Asia amid European persecution.
- As the oldest surviving silver Kiddush cup, it was likely used during Genghis Khan's era and is set for display at Sotheby's London from April 25–29, 2025, before auction in New York on October 29, with estimates of $3–5 million based on Sotheby's catalog.
- The artifact's ornate designs and owner's name inscription provide tangible evidence of vibrant Jewish trade-route communities, contrasting sharply with the era's documented expulsions and pogroms in Europe, per historical analyses in auction provenance reports.
1619 Ewer by Adam van Vianen
2018 SOLD for $ 5.4M by Christie's
The Union of Utrecht gathers in 1579 the seven Protestant provinces of the northern Netherlands decided for a republican split against Spain. This region becomes extremely wealthy through the international trade of its harbors.
Sons of a silversmith in Utrecht, Adam and Paul van Vianen are artists. Paul travels and transfers the Dutch taste to Rudolf II in Prague. Adam remains in Utrecht. They create complex shapes by chasing a silver plaque of very high purity, shaping the surface into lobes that have identified their style as "auricular". The figures are modeled on wax.
The covered baluster ewer 23 cm high sold for $ 5.4M by Christie's on April 20, 2018 as lot 21 is dated 1619. It is clearly signed A. DE VIANA rather than stamped with a logo, confirming that Adam claimed the status of an artist. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Beyond a Mannerist accumulation including masks, dolphins, monsters and a beetle apparently without an overall coherence, the main theme of this ewer is the story of Marcus Curtius divided into three large roundels. The van Vianen brothers also used the themes of Mucius Scevola and Horatius Cocles for other pieces in an obvious desire to make a praise of the Republican sacrifice.
One of the greatest admirers and collectors of auricular silverware will be Rembrandt, attesting to the important influence of that style on the decorative art of the Dutch Golden Age.
Sons of a silversmith in Utrecht, Adam and Paul van Vianen are artists. Paul travels and transfers the Dutch taste to Rudolf II in Prague. Adam remains in Utrecht. They create complex shapes by chasing a silver plaque of very high purity, shaping the surface into lobes that have identified their style as "auricular". The figures are modeled on wax.
The covered baluster ewer 23 cm high sold for $ 5.4M by Christie's on April 20, 2018 as lot 21 is dated 1619. It is clearly signed A. DE VIANA rather than stamped with a logo, confirming that Adam claimed the status of an artist. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Beyond a Mannerist accumulation including masks, dolphins, monsters and a beetle apparently without an overall coherence, the main theme of this ewer is the story of Marcus Curtius divided into three large roundels. The van Vianen brothers also used the themes of Mucius Scevola and Horatius Cocles for other pieces in an obvious desire to make a praise of the Republican sacrifice.
One of the greatest admirers and collectors of auricular silverware will be Rembrandt, attesting to the important influence of that style on the decorative art of the Dutch Golden Age.
1639 Inkstand by Christiaen van Vianen
2021 SOLD for £ 1.94M by Christie's
Christiaen van Vianen was the talented son and follower of Adam van Vianen and the nephew of Paul van Vianen who exported their early Baroque style at the court of Prague.
Christiaen made his early career in London. His technique was of chasing silver which he considered as superior to molding and his art was much prized by King Charles I. In the 1640s he had prepared by the engraver Theodor van Kessel a book illustrating the highly original designs of his father.
On July 8, 2021, Christie's sold a inkstand for £ 1.94M from a lower estimate of £ 1M, lot 15. This silver piece is bearing the mark of the assayer Alexander Jackson, London, 1639. This one of a kind masterpiece is 42 cm long, 40 cm wide and 26 cm wide and weighs 5.3 kg. The design and chasing are matching the extreme skills of Christiaen van Vianen.
The front and back compartments have hinged covers and detachable containers including the ink pot and a sander. The walls are intricately chased with allegories of the seven liberal arts and with grotesques and scrolls. The feet are made of reclining leopards and lions in the round. At both ends of the stand, addorsed standing putti are holding a candle socket. Two coats of arms are nearly one century later.
Christiaen made his early career in London. His technique was of chasing silver which he considered as superior to molding and his art was much prized by King Charles I. In the 1640s he had prepared by the engraver Theodor van Kessel a book illustrating the highly original designs of his father.
On July 8, 2021, Christie's sold a inkstand for £ 1.94M from a lower estimate of £ 1M, lot 15. This silver piece is bearing the mark of the assayer Alexander Jackson, London, 1639. This one of a kind masterpiece is 42 cm long, 40 cm wide and 26 cm wide and weighs 5.3 kg. The design and chasing are matching the extreme skills of Christiaen van Vianen.
The front and back compartments have hinged covers and detachable containers including the ink pot and a sander. The walls are intricately chased with allegories of the seven liberal arts and with grotesques and scrolls. The feet are made of reclining leopards and lions in the round. At both ends of the stand, addorsed standing putti are holding a candle socket. Two coats of arms are nearly one century later.
#AuctionUpdate An incredibly rare silver inkstand designed by King Charles I's silversmith, Christian van Vianen, realised £1,942,500 in The Exceptional Sale: https://t.co/NwqwsKsylx □ pic.twitter.com/hOow9TEzzA
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) July 8, 2021
1700-1710 Punch Bowl for the Use of New York
2010 SOLD for $ 5.9M by Sotheby's
In North America, the Anglo-Dutch War terminated Nieuw Nederland in 1674, but wealthy Dutch merchants remained influential in New York City and Albany. Abraham de Peyster was mayor of New York City from 1691 to 1694. His brother and then his brother-in-law were mayors from 1698 to 1700.
Cornelius Kierstede belonged to the same community. He was a silversmith in New York City from 1698 to 1722 except for a brief stay in Albany from 1704 to 1706. He ended his career in New Haven. He specialized in chased silver tankards, mugs and bowls.
The Dutch are crazy about brandewijn, an eau de vie of wine drunk with water. Their New York community maintains this tradition. At family celebrations, the guests serve themselves with a silver spoon in a bowl containing the delicious liquid and raisins.
A New York-style bowl with six embossed silver panels surfaced in 2009 in England in the descent of a Loyalist officer of the Revolutionary War.
This piece made between 1700 and 1710 is marked CK for Kierstede. Measuring 32 cm in diameter and 44 cm overall with handles, it weighs 2,065 g and is the largest known piece of colonial silverware from before 1750.
Its first owner was necessarily one of the richest Dutch merchants in New York City or Albany. Several pieces marked by Kierstede belonged to the de Peyster family. Abraham is the best candidate : in 1634 his will listed nearly 50 kg of silverware including a large punch bowl which may be the recently found piece.
This bowl was sold by Sotheby's on January 22, 2010 for $ 5.9M from a lower estimate of $ 400K, lot 443.
Cornelius Kierstede belonged to the same community. He was a silversmith in New York City from 1698 to 1722 except for a brief stay in Albany from 1704 to 1706. He ended his career in New Haven. He specialized in chased silver tankards, mugs and bowls.
The Dutch are crazy about brandewijn, an eau de vie of wine drunk with water. Their New York community maintains this tradition. At family celebrations, the guests serve themselves with a silver spoon in a bowl containing the delicious liquid and raisins.
A New York-style bowl with six embossed silver panels surfaced in 2009 in England in the descent of a Loyalist officer of the Revolutionary War.
This piece made between 1700 and 1710 is marked CK for Kierstede. Measuring 32 cm in diameter and 44 cm overall with handles, it weighs 2,065 g and is the largest known piece of colonial silverware from before 1750.
Its first owner was necessarily one of the richest Dutch merchants in New York City or Albany. Several pieces marked by Kierstede belonged to the de Peyster family. Abraham is the best candidate : in 1634 his will listed nearly 50 kg of silverware including a large punch bowl which may be the recently found piece.
This bowl was sold by Sotheby's on January 22, 2010 for $ 5.9M from a lower estimate of $ 400K, lot 443.
1705-1706 Cooler by Rollos
2010 SOLD for £ 2.5M by Sotheby's
The piece is enormous, all in silver : oval, 1.30 m overall in its greatest diameter including the handles in the shape of half lions, 80.8 kg. Manufactured in 1705-1706 in London by Philip Rollos, it is a cooler, where the bottles could be placed within mountains of ice.
This silverware had been created on an initiative by Queen Anne. Seeking to ensure the standing of her ambassadors, she allocated to them a weight of silver with which they could have made an object enabling them to dazzle in society.
The ambassador in Berlin, from the Wentworth family, exceeded his quota and had to share the expenses. In any other country than England, this enormous bucket would risk a thousand times to be melted during the three centuries of its existence.
Still in the family of its first owner, it was sold for £ 2.5M from a lower estimate of £ 1.5M by Sotheby's on July 6, 2010. A photograph in the catalog shows some fifteen bottles of champagne prepared for an immediate use. The catalog names it a "cistern"!
This silverware had been created on an initiative by Queen Anne. Seeking to ensure the standing of her ambassadors, she allocated to them a weight of silver with which they could have made an object enabling them to dazzle in society.
The ambassador in Berlin, from the Wentworth family, exceeded his quota and had to share the expenses. In any other country than England, this enormous bucket would risk a thousand times to be melted during the three centuries of its existence.
Still in the family of its first owner, it was sold for £ 2.5M from a lower estimate of £ 1.5M by Sotheby's on July 6, 2010. A photograph in the catalog shows some fifteen bottles of champagne prepared for an immediate use. The catalog names it a "cistern"!
1733-1734 Tureen by Germain
1996 SOLD for $ 10.3M by Sotheby's
Appointed orfèvre du roi in 1723, Thomas Germain is the master of Rococo silverware. He carves on his pieces a plethora of meal elements, vegetables, artichokes, crayfish, shellfish, birds, entangled in the style of still life paintings. His realism suggests that he made casts from nature, according to a technique that he would have learned during his apprenticeship in Rome.
One of his masterpieces, made in 1733-1734, is a pair of covered soup tureens, with two handles in boar's head and six hog's feet, weighing more than 13 kg each including liner and stand.
This pair belonged to Henry Janssen, an English naturalized French in 1741 who was a courtier of the comte d'Eu, grandson of Louis XIV by Montespan. Janssen had a large collection of silverware, a symbol of opulence in his day.
In 1759 all French silverware is requisitioned to finance the Seven Years' War. Eu takes the opportunity to recover the Janssen collection which thus avoids being melted. This set constitutes the major part of the collection of the duc de Penthièvre, Eu's cousin and heir, which gathered 370 kg of silverware by the greatest silversmiths of the Louis XV period : Germain, Ballin, Balzac, Auguste, Durant.
230 kg are melted down after confiscation during the Révolution. The remainder constitutes after restitution to the future King Louis-Philippe, grandson of Penthièvre by his mother, the Penthièvre-Orléans service, restored and increased by Odiot and dispersed in the 20th century.
One of the boar-headed soup tureens is kept at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The other was sold for $ 10.3M by Sotheby's on November 13, 1996.
One of his masterpieces, made in 1733-1734, is a pair of covered soup tureens, with two handles in boar's head and six hog's feet, weighing more than 13 kg each including liner and stand.
This pair belonged to Henry Janssen, an English naturalized French in 1741 who was a courtier of the comte d'Eu, grandson of Louis XIV by Montespan. Janssen had a large collection of silverware, a symbol of opulence in his day.
In 1759 all French silverware is requisitioned to finance the Seven Years' War. Eu takes the opportunity to recover the Janssen collection which thus avoids being melted. This set constitutes the major part of the collection of the duc de Penthièvre, Eu's cousin and heir, which gathered 370 kg of silverware by the greatest silversmiths of the Louis XV period : Germain, Ballin, Balzac, Auguste, Durant.
230 kg are melted down after confiscation during the Révolution. The remainder constitutes after restitution to the future King Louis-Philippe, grandson of Penthièvre by his mother, the Penthièvre-Orléans service, restored and increased by Odiot and dispersed in the 20th century.
One of the boar-headed soup tureens is kept at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The other was sold for $ 10.3M by Sotheby's on November 13, 1996.
1902 The Rothschild Egg by Fabergé
2007 SOLD for £ 9M by Christie's
Each imperial egg prepared by Fabergé had to bring an innovation. In 1900 the egg offered by Tsar Nicholas II to the Empress Maria Feodorovna was a clock. The surprise is an automaton cockerel that appears for striking the hours.
Fabergé is an entrepreneur who knows how to satisfy the richest customers around the world, eager to find the most sumptuous gifts for their wives. Two non-imperial variants from the cockerel egg are known, one made in 1902 for the French branch of the Rothschild family, the other in 1904 for a Russian nobleman.
The Rothschild egg was an engagement gift by Béatrice de Rothschild to Germaine Halphen who will become her sister-in-law in 1905. Stayed with that family, it surfaced in a sale by Christie's on November 28, 2007. It was sold for £ 9M, lot 55. Please watch the post sale video shared by Russia Today.
This piece 27 cm high in closed position is made of solid silver enamelled in transparent pink on a guilloche background and weighs 3,645 g. To mark the hours, the lid opens to let rising a multicolored chantecler in enamelled gold set with small diamonds. For 15 seconds, the bird flaps its wings, sings while moving its head, opens and closes its beak and ends the movement by banging a bell before descending back to its original place.
This egg is dated, signed by Fabergé and stamped by the workmaster Perchin. A photo taken during its make features Perchin with his assistant Wigström who will succeed him in 1903.
Fabergé is an entrepreneur who knows how to satisfy the richest customers around the world, eager to find the most sumptuous gifts for their wives. Two non-imperial variants from the cockerel egg are known, one made in 1902 for the French branch of the Rothschild family, the other in 1904 for a Russian nobleman.
The Rothschild egg was an engagement gift by Béatrice de Rothschild to Germaine Halphen who will become her sister-in-law in 1905. Stayed with that family, it surfaced in a sale by Christie's on November 28, 2007. It was sold for £ 9M, lot 55. Please watch the post sale video shared by Russia Today.
This piece 27 cm high in closed position is made of solid silver enamelled in transparent pink on a guilloche background and weighs 3,645 g. To mark the hours, the lid opens to let rising a multicolored chantecler in enamelled gold set with small diamonds. For 15 seconds, the bird flaps its wings, sings while moving its head, opens and closes its beak and ends the movement by banging a bell before descending back to its original place.
This egg is dated, signed by Fabergé and stamped by the workmaster Perchin. A photo taken during its make features Perchin with his assistant Wigström who will succeed him in 1903.
Surtout connu pour ses œufs, le légendaire joaillier #Fabergé a également été un pionnier dans le travail de l’email https://t.co/jX2LfcNu0D pic.twitter.com/w2yPxpTyd4
— Christie's Paris (@christiesparis) May 23, 2017
Quick trip down memory lane - Christie’s currently holds the #record for the most expensive #RussianWorkofArt sold in the category, the #Rothschild #Fabergé Egg which sold for US$18,576,214 in 2007: https://t.co/qF6ZxJv7RA pic.twitter.com/ONoxXplZcx
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) April 9, 2019
1967 Silver Plates by Picasso and Hugo
2014 SOLD for $ 3.5M by Christie's
All shapes and all materials that can be used for graphic arts interested Picasso. On holidays near Cannes in August 1946, he discovered the art crafts of Vallauris. His collaboration with Madoura, the artistic identification of Georges and Suzanne Ramié, lasted two decades. Picasso became a ceramist.
In 1956, Picasso shows his ceramic plates to the art historian Douglas Cooper. Both regret the fragility of the ceramics and raise the idea to copy them into silver. Silver and terracotta have in common that they can be worked by a craftsman in repoussé.
Cooper introduces the silversmith François Hugo to Picasso. Hugo had worked for many artists including Max Ernst and Cocteau. He used their designs for creating jewelry, silverware and gold pieces. Picasso selected 24 plates in unglazed biscuit, suitable for being transferred in silver. In a purely artistic approach, Picasso enjoyed his silver pieces made by Hugo without foreseeing a commercial exploitation.
In 1967, Picasso finally allows Hugo to make other copies of that set in silver, starting with 19 models. For each model this issue is in 20 copies numbered 1 to 20 plus 2 "exemplaires d'artiste" (artist's proof) and 2 "exemplaires d'auteur" (author's proof). The 6 HC (hors commerce) are a later non commercial issue for the personal use of the artist.
Diameters are ranging from 39 to 42 cm, excepted three smaller. The themes are from their models in ceramics, including faces, with the stylized power of Picasso's art from the mid 1950s.
The exemplaire d'artiste 2/2 was still complete of its 19 plates when it was sold for $ 3.5M from a lower estimate of $ 1M by Christie's on May 6, 2014, lot 20. Some of them were later included in composite collections.
A re-composed complete set of the 19 original plates was sold for £ 1.27M by Christie's on February 28, 2017, lot 35.
Some collectors gathered re-composed complete sets based on the regular edition of 20 numbered copies and the extra 2 + 2 + 6 copies of the 24 plates.
A collection of 25 plates was sold for £ 1.47M by Sotheby's on October 13, 2021, lot 7. It adds to the complete regular set the 1957 proof of the Visage aux mains (empreinte originale de Picasso) which was in the collection of Marina Picasso until it was sold for £ 75K by Sotheby's on February 5, 2020, lot 342.
A collection of 24 plates was sold for HK $ 20M by Sotheby's on June 23, 2016, lot 539. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. This set includes the 1959 proof of the Visage géométrique aux traits, identified on the reverse as "exemplaire avant la lettre".
Another set of 24 was sold for £ 1.47M by Sotheby's on March 25, 2021, lot 144.
In 1956, Picasso shows his ceramic plates to the art historian Douglas Cooper. Both regret the fragility of the ceramics and raise the idea to copy them into silver. Silver and terracotta have in common that they can be worked by a craftsman in repoussé.
Cooper introduces the silversmith François Hugo to Picasso. Hugo had worked for many artists including Max Ernst and Cocteau. He used their designs for creating jewelry, silverware and gold pieces. Picasso selected 24 plates in unglazed biscuit, suitable for being transferred in silver. In a purely artistic approach, Picasso enjoyed his silver pieces made by Hugo without foreseeing a commercial exploitation.
In 1967, Picasso finally allows Hugo to make other copies of that set in silver, starting with 19 models. For each model this issue is in 20 copies numbered 1 to 20 plus 2 "exemplaires d'artiste" (artist's proof) and 2 "exemplaires d'auteur" (author's proof). The 6 HC (hors commerce) are a later non commercial issue for the personal use of the artist.
Diameters are ranging from 39 to 42 cm, excepted three smaller. The themes are from their models in ceramics, including faces, with the stylized power of Picasso's art from the mid 1950s.
The exemplaire d'artiste 2/2 was still complete of its 19 plates when it was sold for $ 3.5M from a lower estimate of $ 1M by Christie's on May 6, 2014, lot 20. Some of them were later included in composite collections.
A re-composed complete set of the 19 original plates was sold for £ 1.27M by Christie's on February 28, 2017, lot 35.
Some collectors gathered re-composed complete sets based on the regular edition of 20 numbered copies and the extra 2 + 2 + 6 copies of the 24 plates.
A collection of 25 plates was sold for £ 1.47M by Sotheby's on October 13, 2021, lot 7. It adds to the complete regular set the 1957 proof of the Visage aux mains (empreinte originale de Picasso) which was in the collection of Marina Picasso until it was sold for £ 75K by Sotheby's on February 5, 2020, lot 342.
A collection of 24 plates was sold for HK $ 20M by Sotheby's on June 23, 2016, lot 539. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. This set includes the 1959 proof of the Visage géométrique aux traits, identified on the reverse as "exemplaire avant la lettre".
Another set of 24 was sold for £ 1.47M by Sotheby's on March 25, 2021, lot 144.
2016 America by Cattelan
2025 SOLD for $ 12M by Sotheby's
America was edited by Maurizio Cattelan in 2016 as a declared edition of 3 plus 2 artist’s proofs. The number 2, 47 x 37.5 x 63.5 cm, weighing 101.2 kg of 18-karat gold, was sold for $ 12M by Sotheby's on November 18, 2025, lot 109. The video is shared by Euronews.
Grok thought :
Quote
Artprice.com @artpricedotcom Nov 22
Record at Sotheby’s: Maurizio Cattelan’s gold toilet “America” sold for $12.1 million @Sothebys #Artmarket #Artprice #ArtpriceNews https://artprice.com/artprice-news/12173/record-at-sotheby-s-maurizio-cattelan-s-gold-toilet-america-sold-for-12-1-million?utm_medium=artprice-news&utm_source=X&utm_campaign=news&utm_content=12173…
Asking Grok for the inspiration and purpose of the artist.
Maurizio Cattelan's "America" (2016) is a fully functional toilet sculpted from solid 18-karat gold, weighing over 100 kilograms. The piece draws direct inspiration from Marcel Duchamp's iconic readymade "Fountain" (1917), but subverts it by restoring the object's practical utility rather than removing it from everyday function—allowing viewers to interact with it intimately as a working fixture in public restrooms during installations.
The title references Franz Kafka's novel "Amerika," evoking themes of the American dream, while also nodding to Donald Trump's well-known affinity for gold-plated bathroom fixtures, adding a layer of political satire.
Cattelan's purpose with the work is multifaceted, serving as a sharp critique of wealth inequality, excess, and the commodification of art. It juxtaposes the toilet's universal, egalitarian function—accessible to all regardless of status—with its extravagant material value, highlighting how art can both democratize and underscore societal divides.
The artist has described it as a commentary on excess wealth, stating in a 2018 interview: “whatever you eat, a $200 lunch or a $2 hot dog, the results are the same, toilet-wise.”
More broadly, it winks at the art market's absurdities while reminding us of shared human physicality, breaking down barriers between artwork and audience through direct, bodily engagement. As Cattelan expert David Galperin notes, it "confronts the most uncomfortable questions about art, and the belief systems held sacred to the institutions of the market and the museum," unraveling a century of art history with humor and conceptual depth.
Asking Grok : America by Cattelan is an edition of 3 plus 2 artist’s proofs. Were they assembled simultaneously ? What did happen to each of them afterwards ?
Grok thought :
"America" by Maurizio Cattelan is declared as an edition of 3 plus 2 artist's proofs, all dated 2016.
However, only two versions have been fabricated to date.
Each was produced at a foundry in Florence, Italy, where it was molded, cast in several parts from 18-karat gold, and then welded together.
While not explicitly stated in sources, given that both extant versions were executed in 2016 and produced at the same foundry, they were likely assembled around the same time, if not simultaneously—though the first one experienced production delays before its installation.
As for what happened to each afterward:
It became part of the museum's permanent collection.
In September 2019, it was loaned to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England, for the exhibition "Victory is Not an Option," but was stolen on September 14, 2019, by thieves who ripped it from the plumbing, causing significant flooding.
The piece has never been recovered and is presumed to have been melted down for its gold value. In June 2025, two men were convicted and sentenced for the theft.
This version is currently being offered for sale at Sotheby's The Now & Contemporary Evening Auction on November 18, 2025, with an estimate available upon request (starting around $10 million based on gold value).
In contemporary art editions like this, additional pieces are often produced only as they are sold or requested.
Pre sale Grok thought :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys Oct 31
Fashioned from just over 100 kilograms of solid 18k gold, ‘America’ has become one of the century’s most influential—and infamous—artworks.
Grok thought :
Quote
Artprice.com @artpricedotcom Nov 22
Record at Sotheby’s: Maurizio Cattelan’s gold toilet “America” sold for $12.1 million @Sothebys #Artmarket #Artprice #ArtpriceNews https://artprice.com/artprice-news/12173/record-at-sotheby-s-maurizio-cattelan-s-gold-toilet-america-sold-for-12-1-million?utm_medium=artprice-news&utm_source=X&utm_campaign=news&utm_content=12173…
- Maurizio Cattelan's "America" (2016), a fully functional 18-karat gold toilet weighing 101.2 kg, fetched $12.1 million at Sotheby's November 18, 2025, auction, exceeding its gold value of approximately $8 million and marking a record for the artist.
- The sculpture, a satirical critique of American excess originally proposed as a White House gift to Donald Trump in 2018, was stolen in 2019 from England's Blenheim Palace and recovered in 2021; this edition's sale underscores sustained demand for provocative conceptual art.
- Acquired by Ripley's Believe It or Not! for public display, the purchase highlights how quirky cultural artifacts can command premium prices in the contemporary art market, where symbolic value often surpasses material worth.
Asking Grok for the inspiration and purpose of the artist.
Maurizio Cattelan's "America" (2016) is a fully functional toilet sculpted from solid 18-karat gold, weighing over 100 kilograms. The piece draws direct inspiration from Marcel Duchamp's iconic readymade "Fountain" (1917), but subverts it by restoring the object's practical utility rather than removing it from everyday function—allowing viewers to interact with it intimately as a working fixture in public restrooms during installations.
The title references Franz Kafka's novel "Amerika," evoking themes of the American dream, while also nodding to Donald Trump's well-known affinity for gold-plated bathroom fixtures, adding a layer of political satire.
Cattelan's purpose with the work is multifaceted, serving as a sharp critique of wealth inequality, excess, and the commodification of art. It juxtaposes the toilet's universal, egalitarian function—accessible to all regardless of status—with its extravagant material value, highlighting how art can both democratize and underscore societal divides.
The artist has described it as a commentary on excess wealth, stating in a 2018 interview: “whatever you eat, a $200 lunch or a $2 hot dog, the results are the same, toilet-wise.”
More broadly, it winks at the art market's absurdities while reminding us of shared human physicality, breaking down barriers between artwork and audience through direct, bodily engagement. As Cattelan expert David Galperin notes, it "confronts the most uncomfortable questions about art, and the belief systems held sacred to the institutions of the market and the museum," unraveling a century of art history with humor and conceptual depth.
Asking Grok : America by Cattelan is an edition of 3 plus 2 artist’s proofs. Were they assembled simultaneously ? What did happen to each of them afterwards ?
Grok thought :
"America" by Maurizio Cattelan is declared as an edition of 3 plus 2 artist's proofs, all dated 2016.
However, only two versions have been fabricated to date.
Each was produced at a foundry in Florence, Italy, where it was molded, cast in several parts from 18-karat gold, and then welded together.
While not explicitly stated in sources, given that both extant versions were executed in 2016 and produced at the same foundry, they were likely assembled around the same time, if not simultaneously—though the first one experienced production delays before its installation.
As for what happened to each afterward:
- First version (likely edition 1/3 or an artist's proof, owned by the Guggenheim):
It became part of the museum's permanent collection.
In September 2019, it was loaned to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England, for the exhibition "Victory is Not an Option," but was stolen on September 14, 2019, by thieves who ripped it from the plumbing, causing significant flooding.
The piece has never been recovered and is presumed to have been melted down for its gold value. In June 2025, two men were convicted and sentenced for the theft.
- Second version (edition 2/3):
This version is currently being offered for sale at Sotheby's The Now & Contemporary Evening Auction on November 18, 2025, with an estimate available upon request (starting around $10 million based on gold value).
- Third edition and two artist's proofs:
In contemporary art editions like this, additional pieces are often produced only as they are sold or requested.
Pre sale Grok thought :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys Oct 31
Fashioned from just over 100 kilograms of solid 18k gold, ‘America’ has become one of the century’s most influential—and infamous—artworks.
- Sotheby's thread announces the auction of Maurizio Cattelan's 2016 sculpture 'America', a functional 101kg 18-karat gold toilet valued as a satirical commentary on excess, with bids opening at its fluctuating gold weight price—approximately $6.5 million as of October 31, 2025—during the November 18 Contemporary Evening Auction in New York.
- For the first time, viewers can experience 'America' privately in a bathroom installation at Sotheby's new Breuer Building headquarters starting November 8, emphasizing its interactive absurdity amid the auction's high-stakes contemporary art scene.
