Top 5: the most expensive furniture in the world
There is a huge difference between buying furniture in a vintage shop and antiques. While vintage and ordinary furniture from the store begins to depreciate over time and lose its importance, the antique, on the contrary, every year only grows in price. The cost of antique furniture is directly dependent on its age, condition, uniqueness, craftsman and historical value, for example, belonging, in the past, to members of the royal family, or a reflection of any historically significant events.
Some antiques, in principle, are available to a wide range of connoisseurs, but there are those that cost fabulous sums and only the wealthiest people in the world can afford them. Such furniture, most often, is of great interest to true collectors who collect artifacts of a certain period or style. In fact, such collectors are specially collected at one auction and they, in the struggle for what they want, notably increase the price of certain items, trying to win the auction.
Today we have prepared the top 5 most expensive pieces of furniture that have ever been sold.
1. Badminton Cabinet - $ 36.7 million
Badminton Cabinet is the most expensive piece of antique furniture ever sold. This intricate carved wardrobe was made by hand in Florence and encrusted with precious stones. Many consider this wardrobe a work of art, because once it belonged to the III Duke Beaufort. The cabinet was auctioned by its descendants in 2004. Everyone waited, holding their breath, who would get the prize, because even the most enthusiastic experts were in shock when the lot was sold for 36.7 million dollars. Moreover, his further fate is also not quite normal - instead of replenishing the private collection of some rich man, the wardrobe was transferred into the possession of the Liechtenstein Museum, where its employees take good care of it.
2. The Dragon’s Chair - $ 26.6 million
The Dragon's chair is a unique and outstanding piece of furniture made by hand from leather and carved wood. This is an example of how a piece of furniture demonstrates the true craftsmanship of designer Eileen Gray. The design of this chair can be called classic, it will look appropriate in almost any setting, which is another of its undoubted advantage and explains the excitement around it. Although both factors influenced the selling price of this chair, the key point was that it belonged to the genius and the fashion icon of Yves Saint Laurent. But, despite all of the above, it was still a shock for the public when the armchair was sold at Christie's in 2009 for 1.9 million pounds, or about 26.6 million dollars.
3. Antique Secretary Desk - $ 11.4 million
The secretarial bureau of Goddard and Townsend was created in the 1760s. Such a design was due not only to elegant aesthetics, but also to its multifunctionality, since it was designed for use in the home. In total, 9 copies of such furniture were produced, which explains the current high cost and uniqueness of the lot. In 1989, one of these bureaus was sold to Christie's for a huge amount of $ 11,480,675. At that time, it was the most expensive American-made furniture, which was auctioned off.
4. The Harrington Commode - $ 5 million
This chest of drawers differs from previous pieces of furniture in its fairly simple design and moderate pretentiousness. Harrington Commode was a piece of English furniture from the 18th century, created by the famous master Thomas Chippendale. His works are always in demand when they appear at auctions. And this household item with a hammer at Sotheby's in 2010, brought 3,793,250 pounds sterling. This is more than 5 million dollars at the current exchange rate.
5. George II Parcel Gilt Padauk Cabinet - $ 3.9 million
In 2008, an incredible wardrobe with the golden decor of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, George II, was sold in the auction house Christie. This luxurious and artsy piece of furniture was created by a famous designer, but this is only one of the reasons why this table is sold at such a high price. At the auction, it was sold for a staggering £ 2,729,250. In terms of a dollar, it amounts to just under 4 million. Henry House, head of Christie's furniture company, was delighted with such revenue and explained such an incredibly high price that this fact reflects the market demand for high-quality goods.
And how do you feel about antiques? Do you like pompous and expensive furniture or do you keep to modern minimalism? In any case, we suggest to look in our catalog and choose the upholstery for your furniture according to your taste.