By Antony Paone
PARIS (Reuters) – Two pieces of furniture formerly owned by France’s Queen Marie Antoinette are set to go to auction on November 22 in Paris.
The 250-year-old chest of drawers and chair are estimated to be worth 800,000 to 1.2 million euros ($832,000-1.25 million) and 100,000 to 200,000 euros ($104,000-208,000) respectively.
“These pieces have always been important and considered as such throughout the centuries, so even without their origin and royal dimension in mind, they were admired and liked,” said Christie’s France vice-president Simon de Monicault.
The chest of drawers with Chinese-inspired designs and rare metal parts was made for then queen-to-be Marie Antoinette in 1770, when she first arrived in France as a 15-year-old.
“We can imagine that she was still a rather lost future monarch. She would marry the soon-to-be Louis XVI that year.”
The chair was the last royal order placed by the then queen, before she was overthrown during the French Revolution and later executed at age 37.
Last year, a pair of diamond bracelets which also belonged to the former Queen were sold at auction in Switzerland for $8.18 million, several times the pre-sale estimate.
($1 = 0.9613 euros)
(Reporting by Antony Paone, Manuel Ausloos, Writing by Manuel Ausloos, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Editing by William Maclean)
