As in life, so much about the Sotheby’s auction of “The Collection of Patricia Kluge” depends on context. Viewed from page 436 of the auction catalogue, the tuffet in what’s called the “Pink Bedroom,” for instance, does not convey how well-matched are its rope base and paisley seat to the rest of the bedroom, appointed with twin beds and resplendent in rosy tones.
But a visit to Albemarle House itself, where are on view the contents of the auction that will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday this week and that is expected to bank Mrs. K something in the vicinity of $9 million (on top of the $5 million that her jewelry fetched in a Sotheby’s sale in April), makes the case for looking at things from a fuller point of view. Read more after the photo.
A garden view of Albemarle House, home to the contents of Sotheby’s auction of "The Collection of Patricia Kluge"
The highlight of the auction, an Imperial Tribute clock from the Qing Dynasty that is expected to sell for anywhere between $600,000 and $1 million, looks regal but rather lonely in the middle of the 620-page catalogue. Up close, it’s regal and rather well positioned over a super comfy leather sofa in the library.
The big question for buyers later this week will be whether they can set their own appropriate stage for Mrs. Kluge’s precious stuff. (Unless, of course, you’re going for some of the evening wear, in which case the issue is: Do you have an occasion at which to wear a size 14 Christian Lacroix limestone sleeveless summer silk dress? It’s really nice and only a couple of hundred dollars.)
Albemarle House, the property now vacated by Kluge and her husband, William Moses and on the market for a reduced price of $48 million, is a study in mimetic English country living. Though only a couple of decades old, it aspires to baronial traditions. As such, it makes no grand statements about individual taste, though it certainly trumpets wealth. Provenance, as they say in the auction trade, is important here. Who owned what before? What collection did it come from?
It’s not easy to discern what Kluge might have liked to surround herself with, but it’s clear how much of it she once preferred. The rooms are jammed with one “important” piece after another, “important” being another key auction-house reference point. And it’s this context of chock-a-block possessions—crafted of history and rich ingredients—that gives unexpected life to Kluge’s things. Even the downright gaudy French and Portuguese eel plate ($8,000 – $12,000 for the set of six) earns a certain dignity when it looms from high atop the family kitchen wall that it just can’t command on page 340. But what will it look like once you take it home?
We’ll be at the auction on Wednesday, so check back for more on the great Kluge downsizing.
