Christie’s New York will present The Collection of Benjamin F. Edwards III, to feature a selection of silver, English furniture, delft, Chinese Export, as well as rugs & carpets totaling more than 400 lots, on January 26.
Benjamin F. Edwards III is a prominent collector and former Chairman, CEO, and President of A.G. Edwards & Co., a leading American financial services holding company. Finding an affinity for collecting, he amassed over 3,000 pieces of Chinese export art by 1995, according to a press release.
Edwards had a special interest in armorial objects that were passed down through Europe’s great families. A featured item in the collection is a very rare pair of verte-imari candelabra, circa 1725. The candelabra are in European silver form and is estimated to sell at $80,000 to $120,000.
Benjamin F. Edwards also created a collection of English silver that has high historical significance. Items to be auctioned include eleven pieces by celebrated silversmith Paul de Lamerie. Of special note is a George II silver cake basket circa 1739 from London, estimated at $200,000-300,000. In addition, four Regency silver-gilt candlesticks by another famous silversmith, Paul Storr and owned by William, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, circa 1811/1812, (estimate $100,000-150,000) will also be sold.
A silver piece from an earlier period is a rare Charles II parcel-gilt silver porringer and cover, circa 1670, marked by Jacob Bodendick, a celebrated German-born silversmith. Also included in the collection is a Queen Anne silver chocolate pot by Pierre Harache, 1703.
A pair of English delft models of shoes, dated 1727 from London or Bristol, highlights more whimsical items in the collection. The shoes are “molded with a left and right buckle, signifying that they were truly intended as a pair. As shoes were considered symbols of good luck and often given as a token of affection, the initials and date inscribed on the soles of the pair indicate that it may have been commissioned as a betrothal or wedding gift,” according to the press release.
Further highlights include a Dutch delft thirteen-nozzle flower holder or ‘vase with spouts’, 1686-1701 (estimate: $40,000-60,000) and an English delft posset-pot and cover, circa 1685-90 (estimate:$30,000-40,000).
Edwards’s collection also features a series of expertly-woven rugs and carpets, from a largely, ornate Heriz carpet from Northwest Persia from the last part of the 19th century, to an Eagle kazak rug from South Caucasus circa 1880, estimated at $8,000-12,000.
Viewings for The Collection of Benjamin F. Edwards III will be held at Christie’s Rockefeller Galleries at 20 Rockefeller Plaza, January 16-26.