Tweet Christies: The Collection of Elzabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor's Collection of jewelry, couture, art, and memorabilia is being auctioned by Christie's. Sparkly...(drool)...shiny...
http://www.christies.com/elizabethtaylor/the_sales.aspx" target="_blank

and highlights of the sale:

http://www.christies.com/elizabethtaylo ... ights.aspx" target="_blank

That Pisarro landscape is gorgeous....

That Pisarro landscape is gorgeous....

I found the art surprising. La Liz spent most of her life profitably marketing her own "living large" persona, and that's reflected in the jewelry (sparkly! shiny! big!). But if the art examples shown are reflective of her own interests, then her taste in fine art was subdued and conservative. I liked the Valentino dress and Versace jacket, but even assuming I could afford them, I couldn't wear them--she was 5' nothing.

Those rocks are so big I don't even know if they qualify as jewelry.

Taylor's father was an art dealer.

That Pisarro landscape is gorgeous....

I found the art surprising. La Liz spent most of her life profitably marketing her own "living large" persona, and that's reflected in the jewelry (sparkly! shiny! big!). But if the art examples shown are reflective of her own interests, then her taste in fine art was subdued and conservative. I liked the Valentino dress and Versace jacket, but even assuming I could afford them, I couldn't wear them--she was 5' nothing.

Those rocks are so big I don't even know if they qualify as jewelry.

Architectural Digest had a spread on her home a few issues back. Surprisingly sedate, it was obviously her haven and the home was tasteful and beautiful. I really envied the gardens, which were spectacular, serene and gorgeous.

Taylor's father was an art dealer.

AHA! That explains much. One thing I've noticed about her taste, in jewelry as in art, is that she was not particularly adventurous but she had an unerring eye for pieces that that were both beautiful and would accrue in value. The jewelry served a dual purpose, too. Having men fall at her feet and shower her with expensive, storied, HUGE pieces of jewelry added a legendary quality to the publicity surrounding her often over-the-top life. That the jewelry served as an excellent investment I'm sure didn't escape her--underneath all that hoopla and her breathtaking face, she was a very sharp woman.

GRACIOUS. The jewelry alone fetched $115 million.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/ ... story.html" target="_blank

GRACIOUS. The jewelry alone fetched $115 million.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/ ... story.html" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

That was simply the MAIN pieces. The second day, I was home and bored so I watched a good deal of the auction streaming live, everything and I do mean everything was selling for upwards of 10 or more times the high estimated value (1000 estimate meant 10-20k and up) So many piece that were worth if they belonged to anyone else, 1200 sold for 50k. Astonishing to watch.

I'm going to be very interested in seeing what the fine art sells for in London in February (I think). The Van Gogh should go BIG