The Collar of King Henry

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

Here, you can not say that I am not aware of the current auction news. In my tracking of August 24, I wrote:

"From the press of India (OneIndia) but I will seek confirmation on the site of Christie's: a chain of the Holy Spirit of King Henry VIII of England will be sold in December in London."

The press release has finally arrived: the sale will be held on November 6. The object is a collar of office made in gold. It dates from 1546-1547, and this time is confirmed by an expertise of materials. It is complete. The king gave this type of necklace to his advisers in charge of what is now a ministry. The necklace symbolized both the function of the minister and the confidence of the king. This one has been attached to the office of Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. A very famous painting by Holbein shows Sir Thomas More with a similar collar.

OneIndia spoke of £ 1 million. The press release gives Christie's estimate: 200 to 300 K£. Often, Christie's under-values the rating when their negotiations with the seller permit. For this collar, who is right?

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

We now have the answer. It is Christie's who was right, of course. The collar was sold £ 310 K including fees.