Travel
not including travel related painting.
not including Space.
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Ancient maps Incunabula Photos 1900s-1910s
Chronology : 1680-1699 1940
not including Space.
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Ancient maps Incunabula Photos 1900s-1910s
Chronology : 1680-1699 1940
1450 Liber Insularum Archipelagi
2012 SOLD for $ 1.76M by Christie's
The work of Cristoforo Buondelmonti is admirably typical of the spirit of the Italian Renaissance. This monk born in Florence lived in Greece for many years and traveled the islands. Hellenist, he studied the history and geography of the islands and collected manuscripts for the benefit of the bibliophile Niccolo Niccoli.
Around 1420, Buondelmonti draws a set of maps of this region, including comments judiciously arranged with the drawings, under the title Liber Insularum Archipelagi.
It indicates the monasteries, bridges, springs, ruins, monuments, and even the grave of Homer then located in Chios. This work includes the only known representation of Constantinople before the Ottoman conquest.
Executed about 1450, perhaps in Florence, the copy of the Liber Insularum Archipelagi for sale on April 10, 2012 by Christie's is probably the oldest that has survived. This Latin manuscript especially clean and fresh, size 25 x 16 cm on vellum, is a superb illuminated example, with maps in different colors of lines and washes. The period binding has been restored.
It was sold for $ 1.76M from a lower estimate of $ 800K, lot 155.
Around 1420, Buondelmonti draws a set of maps of this region, including comments judiciously arranged with the drawings, under the title Liber Insularum Archipelagi.
It indicates the monasteries, bridges, springs, ruins, monuments, and even the grave of Homer then located in Chios. This work includes the only known representation of Constantinople before the Ottoman conquest.
Executed about 1450, perhaps in Florence, the copy of the Liber Insularum Archipelagi for sale on April 10, 2012 by Christie's is probably the oldest that has survived. This Latin manuscript especially clean and fresh, size 25 x 16 cm on vellum, is a superb illuminated example, with maps in different colors of lines and washes. The period binding has been restored.
It was sold for $ 1.76M from a lower estimate of $ 800K, lot 155.
1493 Columbus Letter
2023 SOLD for $ 3.9M by Christie's
The legendary wealth of Cathay and Cipango is much tempting and the ambitions of Cristoforo Colombo are oversized despite his modest origins. When crossing the sea from east to west he would bypass the dangerous commercial roads through Asia, no one would contest him to take possession of the visited territories and he would be rich, noble and powerful.
Having become Cristobal Colon, he seeks protectors in Portugal and Spain without giving up his extravagant demands. In 1492 the treasurer of the house of Castile cleverly observes that the expected gain is much greater than the investment and Queen Isabella accepts the project.
The successful trip and return of two of the three ships of Columbus's fleet across the Atlantic Ocean, from August 3, 1492 to March 4, 1493, was an unprecedented feat in which the officers had to calm the sailors, panic-stricken after losing sight of the land. Six inhabited lands had been discovered and Columbus correctly recognized that all of them were islands.
Columbus writes a letter which is not at all an account of the many adventures of the trip but a resolutely appealing report intended to encourage the financing of a second and even more ambitious expedition. The natives from then named Indians are shy and easy to satisfy although it is recommended to be wary against some cannibals. There will be no obstacle to the exploitation of gold and spices.
Prepared in Spanish by Columbus himself, the original letter was addressed to Gabriel Sanchez, Treasurer General of the kingdom of Aragon. It was published in Barcelona as a two leaf folio in March or April 1493, possibly without the authorization of the author. The only surviving copy is held by the New York Public Library.
Translated into Latin, it was published in Rome around May of the same year. A quarto 4 leaves 20 x 14 cm of that Epistola resided for nearly a century in a private library. It was sold for $ 3.9M from a lower estimate of $ 1M by Christie's on October 19, 2023, lot 308.
Nearly ten years later Amerigo Vespucci will finally have the intuition that the islands and coasts discovered on the other side of the Atlantic were not the Indies but a New World.
Response by Grok :
Quote
bitckoni @bitckoni06930 Oct 11, 2023
An Early Edition of an ‘Unhinged’ Christopher Columbus Letter Outlining What He Discovered in America Could Fetch $1.5 Million at Auction | Artnet News General, America, Art News, Artnet, artnet-news, auction, auctions, christie's, Christopher, Christoph… https://ift.tt/OXJLr3P
Having become Cristobal Colon, he seeks protectors in Portugal and Spain without giving up his extravagant demands. In 1492 the treasurer of the house of Castile cleverly observes that the expected gain is much greater than the investment and Queen Isabella accepts the project.
The successful trip and return of two of the three ships of Columbus's fleet across the Atlantic Ocean, from August 3, 1492 to March 4, 1493, was an unprecedented feat in which the officers had to calm the sailors, panic-stricken after losing sight of the land. Six inhabited lands had been discovered and Columbus correctly recognized that all of them were islands.
Columbus writes a letter which is not at all an account of the many adventures of the trip but a resolutely appealing report intended to encourage the financing of a second and even more ambitious expedition. The natives from then named Indians are shy and easy to satisfy although it is recommended to be wary against some cannibals. There will be no obstacle to the exploitation of gold and spices.
Prepared in Spanish by Columbus himself, the original letter was addressed to Gabriel Sanchez, Treasurer General of the kingdom of Aragon. It was published in Barcelona as a two leaf folio in March or April 1493, possibly without the authorization of the author. The only surviving copy is held by the New York Public Library.
Translated into Latin, it was published in Rome around May of the same year. A quarto 4 leaves 20 x 14 cm of that Epistola resided for nearly a century in a private library. It was sold for $ 3.9M from a lower estimate of $ 1M by Christie's on October 19, 2023, lot 308.
Nearly ten years later Amerigo Vespucci will finally have the intuition that the islands and coasts discovered on the other side of the Atlantic were not the Indies but a New World.
Response by Grok :
Quote
bitckoni @bitckoni06930 Oct 11, 2023
An Early Edition of an ‘Unhinged’ Christopher Columbus Letter Outlining What He Discovered in America Could Fetch $1.5 Million at Auction | Artnet News General, America, Art News, Artnet, artnet-news, auction, auctions, christie's, Christopher, Christoph… https://ift.tt/OXJLr3P
- The image shows an early printed edition of Christopher Columbus's 1493 letter, likely from the Roman printer Stephen Plannck, which omitted details of his journey but claimed possession of the Indies, a strategic move later supported by the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas that divided New World territories between Spain and Portugal.
- Historical analysis, including the 1989 facsimile by Rumeu de Armas and 1993 translation by Zamora, suggests Columbus exaggerated discoveries (e.g., gold, spices) to boost Spanish support, with later trips revealing these claims were false, as noted in Christie’s auction essay.
- The letter’s $1.5 million estimate value reflects its rarity and role in early propaganda, challenging the sanitized "discoverer" myth, as DNA evidence (e.g., 2006 study in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology) confirms his remains but not his overstated legacy.
An Early Edition of an ‘Unhinged’ Christopher Columbus Letter Outlining What He Discovered in America Could Fetch $1.5 Million at Auction | Artnet News
— bitckoni (@bitckoni06930) October 11, 2023
General, America, Art News, Artnet, artnet-news, auction, auctions, christie's, Christopher, Christoph… https://t.co/CGEaRw74dp pic.twitter.com/9mbe1bqHKD
Bidding for our sale FINE PRINTED BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS INCLUDING AMERICANA starts today!
— Christie's Books (@ChristiesBKS) October 5, 2023
Open until October 19 □
You can browse the sale here: https://t.co/gFfwJXBciy pic.twitter.com/BchYvnV6Mv
The first illustrated edition, not located and undated, is identified as the first Basel edition because it anticipates the more ambitious edition realized in that city with six of the same woodcuts in 1494 by Johann Bergmann. In that second Basel edition, the Letter is an appendix to a prose drama reminding the capture of Grenada by the army of King Ferdinand.
The Basel editions confirm the political purpose of the letter. Four naive images illustrate the life on the islands and sketch their map beside a glorious portrait of King Ferdinand and the coat of arms of Spain, reinforcing the information of Columbus's allegiance to the Reyes Catolicos against the claims of recuperation by Portugal.
A copy of the second Basel edition identified as the Menzies copy was sold for $ 750K by Bonhams on September 26, 2017, lot 2. This small 4to 22 x 16 cm was bound in the 19th century. The Columbus letter is complete.
Another example known as the Huth and McCoy copy was sold for $ 1.65M by Christie's on October 16, 2025, lot 31.
The Basel editions confirm the political purpose of the letter. Four naive images illustrate the life on the islands and sketch their map beside a glorious portrait of King Ferdinand and the coat of arms of Spain, reinforcing the information of Columbus's allegiance to the Reyes Catolicos against the claims of recuperation by Portugal.
A copy of the second Basel edition identified as the Menzies copy was sold for $ 750K by Bonhams on September 26, 2017, lot 2. This small 4to 22 x 16 cm was bound in the 19th century. The Columbus letter is complete.
Another example known as the Huth and McCoy copy was sold for $ 1.65M by Christie's on October 16, 2025, lot 31.
1691-97 Kangxi Southern Tour by Wang Hui
Intro
The Manchu Qing Dynasty had first seized Northern China. By organizing and pacifying Southern China, the Kangxi Emperor became the great re-unifier of this vast country.
The Kangxi Emperor had a high opinion of his duties and responsibilities and his personal commitment was intense. The Qing Dynasty was still recent and it was challenged in the border provinces. The six inspection tours conducted by the emperor in the south between the 24th and the 47th year of his reign are intended for the assimilation of these reluctant regions.
Kangxi is not afraid to go to war but prefers peace. His tours are opportunities to link with the Four Occupations in their local particularities : gentry, peasants, craftsmen and merchants. The loyalty to the Emperor requires to understand and to be understood. Kangxi is a great statesman, lucid, responsible and effective.
The second trip took place during the 29th year of the reign, 1689 CE. It was fruitful and promising and they must preserve its memory. An imperial decree orders the execution of a scroll divided into twelve parts showing in a continuity the steps of the long journey.
Two years later, in order to mark the prestige of this operation, Kangxi required the imperial palace workshops to display this journey through a series of handscrolls. The management of the project is entrusted to the best landscape painter of that time, Wang Hui.
I do not know where Wang was during the 1689 Imperial inspection. It does not matter. A connoisseur of the Song and Yuan landscape art, he worked by copy and imagination, including in his work picturesque scenes with numerous figures caught in everyday life.
The landscape is depicted with realism all along the way in a graphic style inspired from the Yuan maps, enough detailed to be used for guiding a trip along thousands of kilometers.
For seven years from the 31st year of Kangxi, the team of artists applies strictly on a silk strip 68 cm high the detailed instructions of Master Wang concerning the topographic features, the more or less close distance to villages and mountains, the actions of the emperor and the daily life of the people. The style is magnificent.
The overall length of the twelve scrolls, completed around the 37th year of the reign, is 200 meters. Nine scrolls are complete and kept in various museums. The scroll number 6 was plundered by the French during the Boxer War and divided in or near Bordeaux, possibly in a deceased estate in the 1930s. The whereabouts of the scrolls 5 and 8 are not known.
The Kangxi Emperor had a high opinion of his duties and responsibilities and his personal commitment was intense. The Qing Dynasty was still recent and it was challenged in the border provinces. The six inspection tours conducted by the emperor in the south between the 24th and the 47th year of his reign are intended for the assimilation of these reluctant regions.
Kangxi is not afraid to go to war but prefers peace. His tours are opportunities to link with the Four Occupations in their local particularities : gentry, peasants, craftsmen and merchants. The loyalty to the Emperor requires to understand and to be understood. Kangxi is a great statesman, lucid, responsible and effective.
The second trip took place during the 29th year of the reign, 1689 CE. It was fruitful and promising and they must preserve its memory. An imperial decree orders the execution of a scroll divided into twelve parts showing in a continuity the steps of the long journey.
Two years later, in order to mark the prestige of this operation, Kangxi required the imperial palace workshops to display this journey through a series of handscrolls. The management of the project is entrusted to the best landscape painter of that time, Wang Hui.
I do not know where Wang was during the 1689 Imperial inspection. It does not matter. A connoisseur of the Song and Yuan landscape art, he worked by copy and imagination, including in his work picturesque scenes with numerous figures caught in everyday life.
The landscape is depicted with realism all along the way in a graphic style inspired from the Yuan maps, enough detailed to be used for guiding a trip along thousands of kilometers.
For seven years from the 31st year of Kangxi, the team of artists applies strictly on a silk strip 68 cm high the detailed instructions of Master Wang concerning the topographic features, the more or less close distance to villages and mountains, the actions of the emperor and the daily life of the people. The style is magnificent.
The overall length of the twelve scrolls, completed around the 37th year of the reign, is 200 meters. Nine scrolls are complete and kept in various museums. The scroll number 6 was plundered by the French during the Boxer War and divided in or near Bordeaux, possibly in a deceased estate in the 1930s. The whereabouts of the scrolls 5 and 8 are not known.
Qing imperial handscrolls : Compare Qianlong military parade ( 1 : lost ; 2 : Beijing Palace Museum ; 3 : sold by Sotheby's on October 8, 2008 ; 4 : sold by Marc Labarbe on March 26, 2011) to Kangxi Southern Tour (fragments sold by Sotheby's on April 7, 2010, lot 1824, by Sotheby's on September 14, 2016, lot 576, and by Briscadieu on April 27, 2013 and on March 8, 2014).
Overview of the Handscrolls
The Qianlong military parade handscrolls and the Kangxi Southern Tour handscrolls are both monumental Qing dynasty imperial commissions, created to document and glorify significant events during the reigns of these emperors. The Qianlong set commemorates a grand military review, emphasizing martial prowess and imperial authority, while the Kangxi set illustrates a civil inspection tour, highlighting governance, prosperity, and the emperor's benevolence. Both series are executed in ink and color, with meticulous detail in vast panoramic compositions viewed from right to left. However, they differ in artistic style, medium, historical context, and current status. The specific items mentioned in the query refer to the four Qianlong scrolls (a complete set with one lost) and fragments from Scroll 6 of the Kangxi series (which was divided but later reunited).
Kangxi Southern Tour Handscrolls (Focus on Scroll 6 Fragments)
The full series, The Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour (or Nanxun Tu), consists of 12 handscrolls painted from 1691 to 1697 by Wang Hui and his assistants, documenting the emperor's 1689 journey through southern China to inspect infrastructure like rivers and dikes. This set adheres to traditional Chinese orthodox landscape painting, with bird's-eye views, intricate urban and rural scenes, and symbolic depictions of harmony between ruler and subjects. Scrolls are approximately 67.8 cm high and 14–26 meters long, on paper. Several scrolls are in museums (e.g., Metropolitan Museum of Art), but Scrolls 5 and 8 are lost entirely.
Scroll 6, depicting the route from Guazhou across the Yangtze River to Mount Jinshan and Changzhou Prefecture, was cut into at least seven fragments by a French collector in the early 20th century. It features bustling river scenes, temples, and the imperial entourage amid vibrant city life. All fragments have since been reunited by private collectors over a decade of acquisitions.
The mentioned fragments and sales:
1689 southern inspection tour segment from Guazhou to Changzhou, focusing on river crossings, temples, and urban prosperity.
Purpose & Theme
Highlight civil administration, benevolence, and harmony with the people; symbolic of Manchu legitimacy in Han regions.
Artists & Style
Wang Hui and assistants; traditional Chinese landscape style with detailed, idealized topography.
Medium & Size
scroll 6 : Ink and color on paper; ~67.8 cm high, original scroll ~20+ m long (fragments vary, e.g., 4.75 m for one).
Condition & Status
scroll 6 : Fragmented into 7+ pieces in early 20th century, but all reunited by private collectors by ~2020.
Auction Highlights
Fragments sold piecemeal: 2010 lot ; 2016 lot US$9.5M ; 2013/2014 Briscadieu.
Significance
Iconic for Qing propaganda of unity; Scroll 6's fragmentation highlights 20th-century dispersal of Chinese art.
These works represent the pinnacle of Qing court painting, with the Qianlong scrolls leaning toward dramatic, militaristic spectacle and the Kangxi fragments offering a more serene, narrative travelogue. Their market appearances underscore the enduring value of imperial artifacts, often fetching multimillion-dollar prices due to rarity and provenance.
Wang Hui: Overview and Artistic Legacy
Wang Hui (1632–1717), one of the "Four Wangs" of the Qing dynasty, was a master landscape painter who revitalized orthodox traditions by synthesizing styles from ancient masters like Huang Gongwang and Li Cheng. Trained under Wang Shimin and Wang Jian, he emphasized meticulous brushwork, rhythmic textures, and harmonious compositions in ink and color. While best known for supervising the Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour scrolls, his independent works showcase personal innovation, often in handscroll or hanging scroll formats, depicting idealized nature with depth and vitality. Below are some of his other prominent masterpieces, selected for their historical significance, artistic merit, and representation in major collections. These highlight his versatility in emulating past styles while infusing Qing-era grandeur.
Overview of the Handscrolls
The Qianlong military parade handscrolls and the Kangxi Southern Tour handscrolls are both monumental Qing dynasty imperial commissions, created to document and glorify significant events during the reigns of these emperors. The Qianlong set commemorates a grand military review, emphasizing martial prowess and imperial authority, while the Kangxi set illustrates a civil inspection tour, highlighting governance, prosperity, and the emperor's benevolence. Both series are executed in ink and color, with meticulous detail in vast panoramic compositions viewed from right to left. However, they differ in artistic style, medium, historical context, and current status. The specific items mentioned in the query refer to the four Qianlong scrolls (a complete set with one lost) and fragments from Scroll 6 of the Kangxi series (which was divided but later reunited).
Kangxi Southern Tour Handscrolls (Focus on Scroll 6 Fragments)
The full series, The Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour (or Nanxun Tu), consists of 12 handscrolls painted from 1691 to 1697 by Wang Hui and his assistants, documenting the emperor's 1689 journey through southern China to inspect infrastructure like rivers and dikes. This set adheres to traditional Chinese orthodox landscape painting, with bird's-eye views, intricate urban and rural scenes, and symbolic depictions of harmony between ruler and subjects. Scrolls are approximately 67.8 cm high and 14–26 meters long, on paper. Several scrolls are in museums (e.g., Metropolitan Museum of Art), but Scrolls 5 and 8 are lost entirely.
Scroll 6, depicting the route from Guazhou across the Yangtze River to Mount Jinshan and Changzhou Prefecture, was cut into at least seven fragments by a French collector in the early 20th century. It features bustling river scenes, temples, and the imperial entourage amid vibrant city life. All fragments have since been reunited by private collectors over a decade of acquisitions.
The mentioned fragments and sales:
- Sotheby's Hong Kong, April 8, 2010, Lot 1824: A fragment showing the visit to Jiangtian Si temple on Mount Jinshan, with the emperor under a canopy amid ships and officials; (part of the reunification process).
- Sotheby's New York, September 14, 2016, Lot 576: The longest fragment (68 cm x 4.75 m), sold for US$9.5 million from a lower estimate of US$4 million.
- Briscadieu Bordeaux, April 27, 2013, and March 8, 2014: Additional fragments auctioned (confirmed as part of the dispersed pieces later collected).
1689 southern inspection tour segment from Guazhou to Changzhou, focusing on river crossings, temples, and urban prosperity.
Purpose & Theme
Highlight civil administration, benevolence, and harmony with the people; symbolic of Manchu legitimacy in Han regions.
Artists & Style
Wang Hui and assistants; traditional Chinese landscape style with detailed, idealized topography.
Medium & Size
scroll 6 : Ink and color on paper; ~67.8 cm high, original scroll ~20+ m long (fragments vary, e.g., 4.75 m for one).
Condition & Status
scroll 6 : Fragmented into 7+ pieces in early 20th century, but all reunited by private collectors by ~2020.
Auction Highlights
Fragments sold piecemeal: 2010 lot ; 2016 lot US$9.5M ; 2013/2014 Briscadieu.
Significance
Iconic for Qing propaganda of unity; Scroll 6's fragmentation highlights 20th-century dispersal of Chinese art.
These works represent the pinnacle of Qing court painting, with the Qianlong scrolls leaning toward dramatic, militaristic spectacle and the Kangxi fragments offering a more serene, narrative travelogue. Their market appearances underscore the enduring value of imperial artifacts, often fetching multimillion-dollar prices due to rarity and provenance.
Wang Hui: Overview and Artistic Legacy
Wang Hui (1632–1717), one of the "Four Wangs" of the Qing dynasty, was a master landscape painter who revitalized orthodox traditions by synthesizing styles from ancient masters like Huang Gongwang and Li Cheng. Trained under Wang Shimin and Wang Jian, he emphasized meticulous brushwork, rhythmic textures, and harmonious compositions in ink and color. While best known for supervising the Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour scrolls, his independent works showcase personal innovation, often in handscroll or hanging scroll formats, depicting idealized nature with depth and vitality. Below are some of his other prominent masterpieces, selected for their historical significance, artistic merit, and representation in major collections. These highlight his versatility in emulating past styles while infusing Qing-era grandeur.
1
2016 SOLD for $ 9.5M by Sotheby"s
The longest fragment of the sixth scroll, 68 cm x 4.75 m, was sold for $ 9.5M from a lower estimate of $ 4M by Sotheby's on September 14, 2016, lot 576.
In a bird's-eye view demonstrating a remarkable control of the topographic representation, boats travel around the many islands of a river. It depicts dense poulations in their daily life and may be the terminal end of the still incomplete sixth scroll.
The tweet below shows a detail. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
In a bird's-eye view demonstrating a remarkable control of the topographic representation, boats travel around the many islands of a river. It depicts dense poulations in their daily life and may be the terminal end of the still incomplete sixth scroll.
The tweet below shows a detail. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
Single-owner collection of Chinese paintings @Sothebys after 25 years off the market. https://t.co/eMYfycoQK2 pic.twitter.com/aWOpS6WtaM
— AntiquesTradeGazette (@ATG_Editorial) August 5, 2016
2
2010 SOLD for HK 36.5M by Sotheby's
A fragment 68 cm x 3.62 m of the sixth scroll surfaced in Hong Kong in 2009 and was sold for HK $ 36.5M from a lower estimate of HK $ 2.5M by Sotheby's on April 7, 2010, lot 1824.
It is depicting the visit of the Kangxi emperor to the towering Jiangtian Si temple on Mount Jinshan in the middle of the Yangtze River. It features on the far left the emperor himself, standing on a terrace under a yellow canopy and escorted by many officials dotting the island,
It is depicting the visit of the Kangxi emperor to the towering Jiangtian Si temple on Mount Jinshan in the middle of the Yangtze River. It features on the far left the emperor himself, standing on a terrace under a yellow canopy and escorted by many officials dotting the island,
3
2013 SOLD for € 3.36M by Briscadieu
A fragment 68 cm x 2.48 m including dock scenes was sold for € 3.36M by Briscadieu on April 27, 2013.
Two other fragments of the same scroll, 2.58 m and 3.28 m, were listed separately on March 8, 2014 by Briscadieu. One of them was sold for € 1.17M. The other fragment was sold for € 600K before fees.
Two other fragments of the same scroll, 2.58 m and 3.28 m, were listed separately on March 8, 2014 by Briscadieu. One of them was sold for € 1.17M. The other fragment was sold for € 600K before fees.
1869 The Transcontinental Spike
2023 SOLD for $ 2.2M by Christie's
In 1862, during the US Civil War, an Act of Congress decided to build a transcontinental rail road. Superseding the cart trails, it would increase the prosperity by creating a secure link between East and West. The terminus were to be Sacramento and Omaha for a total length of 3,075 km.
In 1869 the meeting of the Western and the Eastern rails was ready to be made at Promontory Summit in the Utah Territory. The ceremony scheduled for May 8 and performed on May 10 included a spike in copper alloyed gold to join the rails of the two rival companies.
Another spike was added so that the junction could be proceeded simultaneously by both companies. Amazingly both official hammers missed the spike and fell on its rail. After the ceremony the golden spike was replaced for security with an iron spike by a team of Chinese workers. The word DONE was sent by telegraph. Travel from coast to coast had been reduced from six months to just one week.
In addition the State of Nevada and the Arizona Territory had both supplied one ceremonial spike.
The 13.5 cm long Arizona spike was inscribed on the shaft: "Ribbed with iron, clad in silver and crowned with gold Arizona presents her offering to the enterprise that has banded a continent, dictated a pathway to commerce. Presented by Governor Safford."
This piece of history was presented in 1943 by the family of an official of the Union Pacific Rail Road to the Museum of the City of New York. After de-accessioning, it was sold for $ 2.2M from a lower estimate of $ 300K by Christie's on January 27, 2023, lot 15.
In 1869 the meeting of the Western and the Eastern rails was ready to be made at Promontory Summit in the Utah Territory. The ceremony scheduled for May 8 and performed on May 10 included a spike in copper alloyed gold to join the rails of the two rival companies.
Another spike was added so that the junction could be proceeded simultaneously by both companies. Amazingly both official hammers missed the spike and fell on its rail. After the ceremony the golden spike was replaced for security with an iron spike by a team of Chinese workers. The word DONE was sent by telegraph. Travel from coast to coast had been reduced from six months to just one week.
In addition the State of Nevada and the Arizona Territory had both supplied one ceremonial spike.
The 13.5 cm long Arizona spike was inscribed on the shaft: "Ribbed with iron, clad in silver and crowned with gold Arizona presents her offering to the enterprise that has banded a continent, dictated a pathway to commerce. Presented by Governor Safford."
This piece of history was presented in 1943 by the family of an official of the Union Pacific Rail Road to the Museum of the City of New York. After de-accessioning, it was sold for $ 2.2M from a lower estimate of $ 300K by Christie's on January 27, 2023, lot 15.
Woohoo! THE SPIKE hammers at 1.8 million, benefitting the Museum of the City of New York pic.twitter.com/y9ytegobRi
— Christie's Books (@ChristiesBKS) January 27, 2023
1907-1930 The North American Indian by Curtis
2012 SOLD for $ 2.9M by Christie's
he work of Edward S. Curtis, The North American Indian, should be part of the cultural heritage of humanity. Without him, two worlds would never have met: the authentic traditions of American Indians, and photography.
When Curtis began to visit the western America, the tribal populations had declined dramatically, and many of them were snapped up by other forms of civilization. This is the end of an era.
When Curtis began recording thousands of photographs, this technique was already fully mastered. The photographer is no more a chemist or an experimenter, he can concentrate on his subject. This is the beginning of another era.
Compare dates: the first issue of Camera Work is published by Stieglitz in 1903. The first delivery of The North American Indian by Curtis, sold by subscription, in 1907.
Tirelessly, Curtis visited the 80 most authentic tribes. His friendship with some chiefs was facilitated by his application to use their own language, opening to him the path for the other communities.
When the publishing venture of The North American Indian ends in 1930 because of financial difficulties, Curtis had managed the most extraordinary and unsurpassed photographic documentary of all time : 2,200 selected photographs distributed among twenty volumes of text and twenty portfolios.
The copy for sale by Christie's on April 10, 2012 is complete. Kept in excellent condition, it is certainly the finest surviving example of this unusual work. It was sold for $ 2.9M from a lower estimate of $ 1M, lot 38.
Started with enthusiasm in 1907 during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, the project had lasted too long. When it was finally completed in 1930, with its twenty portfolios of large size photogravures 58 x 24 cm and twenty volumes of text 31 x 24 cm also illustrated with photographs, it was already a failure. With 222 subscribers, Curtis was far from achieving the target of 500 copies given to him by his sponsor, the banker Morgan.
When Curtis began to visit the western America, the tribal populations had declined dramatically, and many of them were snapped up by other forms of civilization. This is the end of an era.
When Curtis began recording thousands of photographs, this technique was already fully mastered. The photographer is no more a chemist or an experimenter, he can concentrate on his subject. This is the beginning of another era.
Compare dates: the first issue of Camera Work is published by Stieglitz in 1903. The first delivery of The North American Indian by Curtis, sold by subscription, in 1907.
Tirelessly, Curtis visited the 80 most authentic tribes. His friendship with some chiefs was facilitated by his application to use their own language, opening to him the path for the other communities.
When the publishing venture of The North American Indian ends in 1930 because of financial difficulties, Curtis had managed the most extraordinary and unsurpassed photographic documentary of all time : 2,200 selected photographs distributed among twenty volumes of text and twenty portfolios.
The copy for sale by Christie's on April 10, 2012 is complete. Kept in excellent condition, it is certainly the finest surviving example of this unusual work. It was sold for $ 2.9M from a lower estimate of $ 1M, lot 38.
Started with enthusiasm in 1907 during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, the project had lasted too long. When it was finally completed in 1930, with its twenty portfolios of large size photogravures 58 x 24 cm and twenty volumes of text 31 x 24 cm also illustrated with photographs, it was already a failure. With 222 subscribers, Curtis was far from achieving the target of 500 copies given to him by his sponsor, the banker Morgan.
(1883)-1912 Watch from the Titanic sinking
2025 SOLD for £ 1.78M by Henry Aldridge and Son
The Titanic was a liner of high luxury and refined entertainment. She sank in her maiden voyage on April 14, 1912, taking the lives of 1,497 of the 2,209 people aboard.
The Waltham gold watch retrieved from the body of First Class passenger Isidor Straus was sold for £ 1.78M from a lower estimate of £ 800K by Henry Aldridge and Son on November 22, 2025, lot 359. It is illustrated in the post sale release of the auction house.
The First Class passenger John Jacob Astor IV was amidst the casualties. This US business magnate and real estate developer was one of the wealthiest people in the world. His corpse was recovered eight days after the sinking. His effects included his gold watch and cuff links.
That 14 karat Waltham pocket watch is engraved with his initials JJA on the case. It had been restored to working order after its restitution to the family. It was sold for £ 1.18M by Aldridge on April 27, 2024, lot 253.
Immediate post sale Grok thought about the Straus watch :
Quote
Meriadec Villers @MeriaRmsTitanic Nov 22
The gold watch that belonged to Isidor Straus (1st Class passenger on the #Titanic) was estimated between £800,000 & £1,000,000. It was sold at auction for £1,500,000.
Grok thought on the Astor watch :
Quote
Titanic New York @TitanicNewYork Apr 27, 2024
BREAKING! John Jacob Astor's Watch sells for £900,000 / $1,124,000 in an 'Internet Bid'. http://bid.henryaldridge.com/auctions/8886/henry-10054… #Titanic #RMSTitanic
The Waltham gold watch retrieved from the body of First Class passenger Isidor Straus was sold for £ 1.78M from a lower estimate of £ 800K by Henry Aldridge and Son on November 22, 2025, lot 359. It is illustrated in the post sale release of the auction house.
The First Class passenger John Jacob Astor IV was amidst the casualties. This US business magnate and real estate developer was one of the wealthiest people in the world. His corpse was recovered eight days after the sinking. His effects included his gold watch and cuff links.
That 14 karat Waltham pocket watch is engraved with his initials JJA on the case. It had been restored to working order after its restitution to the family. It was sold for £ 1.18M by Aldridge on April 27, 2024, lot 253.
Immediate post sale Grok thought about the Straus watch :
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Meriadec Villers @MeriaRmsTitanic Nov 22
The gold watch that belonged to Isidor Straus (1st Class passenger on the #Titanic) was estimated between £800,000 & £1,000,000. It was sold at auction for £1,500,000.
- Isidor Straus's 14-karat gold pocket watch, recovered from his body after the 1912 Titanic sinking, sold for a record £1.78 million at a UK auction on November 22, 2025, surpassing the post's £1.5 million figure and becoming the most expensive Titanic artifact ever auctioned.
- Straus, a 67-year-old Macy's co-owner, died alongside his wife Ida, who refused to board a lifeboat without him; their poignant story of devotion influenced the elderly couple's romance in James Cameron's 1997 Titanic film.
- The Waltham watch, engraved "February 6th 1883" inside—likely a wedding anniversary gift—highlights how personal relics from the disaster fetch premiums due to their emotional and historical resonance, with auction proceeds supporting Titanic preservation efforts.
Grok thought on the Astor watch :
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Titanic New York @TitanicNewYork Apr 27, 2024
BREAKING! John Jacob Astor's Watch sells for £900,000 / $1,124,000 in an 'Internet Bid'. http://bid.henryaldridge.com/auctions/8886/henry-10054… #Titanic #RMSTitanic
- The post announces the April 2024 auction sale of John Jacob Astor IV's 14-carat gold pocket watch for £900,000—six times its £100,000-£150,000 estimate—to an anonymous online bidder at Henry Aldridge & Son in Wiltshire, UK.
- Astor, the richest Titanic passenger at age 47 and worth $87 million (equivalent to $2.8 billion today), died in the 1912 sinking; his watch, recovered from his body and inscribed "J.J.A.," stopped at 2:20 a.m., the exact sinking time.
- Previously repaired and worn by Astor's son until the 1930s, the artifact underscores Titanic's cultural allure, with similar items like a violin fetching £1.2 million in 2013, per auction records.
TITANIC NEWS: The pocket watch of Isidor Straus sold for $2.3M at Henry Aldridge & Son, setting a new Titanic record. It continues to be displayed exclusively at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge. pic.twitter.com/lEdFwIFGpA
— Titanic Museum (@Titanic_Museum) November 24, 2025
1940 General Motors Futurliner
2006 SOLD for $ 4.3M by Barrett-Jackson
The Parade of Progress is an idea of the engineer and inventor Charles F. 'Boss Ket' Kettering, head of research at General Motors since 1920. He had conceived this great tour dedicated to technical progress when he visited the 1933 World Exposition in Chicago.
The first parade starts in 1936. The exhibitions are installed for two to four days in small towns in North America. They look like a circus. The lectures are made in a large tent with more than 1200 seats. The parade buses display the equipment.
The idea of Boss Ket was educational and generous. The themes were not limited to automobiles, but this great marketing operation enabled General Motors to meet in three years 12.5 million visitors in 251 towns in USA, Canada, Mexico and Cuba.
The Parade of Progress was a great success, which enabled GM to organize their sales network throughout North America. In 1940, the original eight buses are replaced by twelve huge vehicles 3.5 m high and 10 m long manufactured by GMC Trucks and bodyworked by Fisher : the Futurliners.
The war interrupted the operation, and the Futurliners waited until 1953 to go on parade. Communication techniques had changed in the meantime and the operation, now less efficient than the direct exhibition of cars in the GM Motoramas, was stopped in 1956.
The Futurliners were dispersed. GM offered two of them to the Michigan State Police, who used them for awareness of road safety under the name of Safetyliners.
A Futurliner was sold for $ 4.3M by Barrett-Jackson on January 21, 2006. This bus carefully restored in its original GM colors and inscriptions was sold at no reserve to benefit the Armed Forces Foundation by the same auction house on January 17, 2015, lot 2501. The total raised for this lot including additional charities was $ 4.6M. The hammer price was $ 4M with no fees applied.
The first parade starts in 1936. The exhibitions are installed for two to four days in small towns in North America. They look like a circus. The lectures are made in a large tent with more than 1200 seats. The parade buses display the equipment.
The idea of Boss Ket was educational and generous. The themes were not limited to automobiles, but this great marketing operation enabled General Motors to meet in three years 12.5 million visitors in 251 towns in USA, Canada, Mexico and Cuba.
The Parade of Progress was a great success, which enabled GM to organize their sales network throughout North America. In 1940, the original eight buses are replaced by twelve huge vehicles 3.5 m high and 10 m long manufactured by GMC Trucks and bodyworked by Fisher : the Futurliners.
The war interrupted the operation, and the Futurliners waited until 1953 to go on parade. Communication techniques had changed in the meantime and the operation, now less efficient than the direct exhibition of cars in the GM Motoramas, was stopped in 1956.
The Futurliners were dispersed. GM offered two of them to the Michigan State Police, who used them for awareness of road safety under the name of Safetyliners.
A Futurliner was sold for $ 4.3M by Barrett-Jackson on January 21, 2006. This bus carefully restored in its original GM colors and inscriptions was sold at no reserve to benefit the Armed Forces Foundation by the same auction house on January 17, 2015, lot 2501. The total raised for this lot including additional charities was $ 4.6M. The hammer price was $ 4M with no fees applied.
1953 Rolex Deep Sea Special
2021 SOLD for CHF 1.9M by Christie's
In 1931 the Swiss balloonist Auguste Piccard and his assistant were the first men to enter the stratosphere and watch the rotundity of the Earth. Piccard had invented for that purpose the pressurized capsule, which he later also applied to withstand the extreme pressure of the deep seas.
On September 30, 1953, accompanied by his son Jacques, Auguste travelled his Trieste bathyscaphe down to 3,150 m below sea level off the Italian coast.
Rolex had caught that opportunity to develop the Deep Sea Special model for depth pressure testing. This water resistant prototype is an Oyster Special in a 17 mm thick hemispherical stainless steel case, stripped of unnecessary components that could break under high pressure.
The No. 1 was fixed outside the Trieste during the travel. Jacques telegraphed to Rolex : ‘Watch performed perfectly. Depth 3,150 metres. Piccard’.
This No. 1 riveted with a Rolex gold bracelet was sold for CHF 1.9M by Christie's on November 8, 2021, lot 33. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The population of this experimental series was extended in period to 7. The No. 3 accompanied the 1960 10,900 m dive in the Mariana Trench. The Rolex Submariner is the commercial version of the Deep Sea Special.
In the 1960s, Rolex produced commemorative units of the Deep Sea Special with a new caliber. One of them, completed in 1966, was sold for CHF 1.06M by Phillips on November 7, 2021, lot 248.
On September 30, 1953, accompanied by his son Jacques, Auguste travelled his Trieste bathyscaphe down to 3,150 m below sea level off the Italian coast.
Rolex had caught that opportunity to develop the Deep Sea Special model for depth pressure testing. This water resistant prototype is an Oyster Special in a 17 mm thick hemispherical stainless steel case, stripped of unnecessary components that could break under high pressure.
The No. 1 was fixed outside the Trieste during the travel. Jacques telegraphed to Rolex : ‘Watch performed perfectly. Depth 3,150 metres. Piccard’.
This No. 1 riveted with a Rolex gold bracelet was sold for CHF 1.9M by Christie's on November 8, 2021, lot 33. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The population of this experimental series was extended in period to 7. The No. 3 accompanied the 1960 10,900 m dive in the Mariana Trench. The Rolex Submariner is the commercial version of the Deep Sea Special.
In the 1960s, Rolex produced commemorative units of the Deep Sea Special with a new caliber. One of them, completed in 1966, was sold for CHF 1.06M by Phillips on November 7, 2021, lot 248.
