Isabelle Cecchini
2014-10-27 08:34:52 UTC
While admiring the works of art coming up for auction at Sotheby's in
New York I started wondering about the various ways the auctioneers are
safeguarding the sellers' anonymity.
Some collectors are "important", others "distinguished", one is
"prominent". There might be a geographical indication, "American",
"European","New England", "Italian", or "continental". I'm puzzled about
the last one. Is it another way of saying "American"?
I can't help feeling that there's a hidden code here known only to
serious amateurs.
What puzzles me most is the "Noblewoman" mentioned as the owner of the
Magritte here:
<http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2014/impressionist-modern-art-evening-sale-n09219/lot.68.html>
Is she really a noblewoman? Would that still matter in the United States
if she were? I couldn't find any "nobleman" to keep her company in the
remainder of the catalogue.
The two paintings I'm really interested in are
<http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2014/impressionist-modern-art-evening-sale-n09219/lot.17.html>
and
<http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2014/impressionist-modern-art-evening-sale-n09219/lot.29.html>
As soon as the nice Nigerian gentleman has confirmed the deal about the
late Libyan leader's rather considerable assets, I'll be able to place
my bid!
New York I started wondering about the various ways the auctioneers are
safeguarding the sellers' anonymity.
Some collectors are "important", others "distinguished", one is
"prominent". There might be a geographical indication, "American",
"European","New England", "Italian", or "continental". I'm puzzled about
the last one. Is it another way of saying "American"?
I can't help feeling that there's a hidden code here known only to
serious amateurs.
What puzzles me most is the "Noblewoman" mentioned as the owner of the
Magritte here:
<http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2014/impressionist-modern-art-evening-sale-n09219/lot.68.html>
Is she really a noblewoman? Would that still matter in the United States
if she were? I couldn't find any "nobleman" to keep her company in the
remainder of the catalogue.
The two paintings I'm really interested in are
<http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2014/impressionist-modern-art-evening-sale-n09219/lot.17.html>
and
<http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2014/impressionist-modern-art-evening-sale-n09219/lot.29.html>
As soon as the nice Nigerian gentleman has confirmed the deal about the
late Libyan leader's rather considerable assets, I'll be able to place
my bid!
--
Isabelle Cecchini
Isabelle Cecchini