Discoveries Of The Lost World At Christie’S South Kensington

7/31/2019 Discoveries Of The Lost World At Christie’S South Kensington

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/discoveries-of-the-lost-world-at-christies-south-kensington 1/3

For Immediate Release11 May 2012

Contact: Leonie Pitts +44 (0)20 7752 3121 [email protected]

DISCOVERIES OF THE LOST WORLD

AT CHRISTIE’S SOUTH K ENSINGTON

Highlights include:

The left leg of a Tyrannosaurid A pair of Mammoth tusks

One of the largest eggs ever to have existed, an Elephant Bird egg

A fish fossil recently discovered in the Wyoming desert, USA

Lot 143

An Elephant Bird egg

Estimate: £10,000-15,000

Lot 144

A Tarbosaurus leg

Estimate: £30,000-50,000

Lot 142

A pair of double curved Mammoth tusks

Estimate: £15,000-25,000

South Kensington - Christie’s is pleased to announce a number of rare, important and fascinating pre-historic

items to be offered within the Interiors: Style and Spirit Sale on 22nd May 2012 in South Kensington. Offering a broad

range of interior furnishings and decorative collectables the auction will comprise over 300 lots. Presenting

connoisseurs, interiors designers, and private collectors with the chance to buy wonderfully quirky and interesting

historic objects of natural history, the sale will also include items for decorating the home – from carpets, to

lighting, furniture and decorative objects.

mailto:[email protected]





Standing at over four and a half feet high, the enormous Tarbosaurus leg illustrated above centre comprises three main

bones, stretching from the three toes, up to the pelvis of the dinosaur. Pre-dating its famous North American

relative the Tyrannosaurus rex the two bear many similarities, despite roaming the earth around two to five million

years apart.

The sale also includes one of the world’s largest ever eggs illustrated above left that of the giant elephant bird

Measuring 27.5 inches in circumference and standing 12.5 inches tall the egg is over 160 times the volume of the

standard chicken egg. The elephant bird or Aepyornis maximus , is known to have become extinct during or prior to

the 17th century. Similar in appearance to the ostrich, yet with a height of up to three metres it remains the largest

species of bird to have ever existed.

A pair of double curved Mammoth tusks once belonging to a sub-adult Mammuthus primigenius measure 55 inches

from root to tip illustrated above right . Dark in colour, apparently due to the diet of this particular mammoth, a

complete pair has not been offered at Christie’s in recent memory. A single tusk sold at Christie’s South Kensington

in September 2011 for £7,500.

A large fish fossil, or Diplomystus dentatus, discovered in the Wyoming desert by a ‘fossil hunter’ is also on offer

(estimate: £3,000-5,000) illustrated above , alongside a selection of colourful ammonites illustrated below . Excavated by

the present owner the fossil is approximately 50 million years old and has never been sold before. It is offered with

full location information.# # #

High resolution images available upon request

Notes to Editors:

ON EXHIBITIONSaturday, 19 May: 11.00am – 5.00pmSunday, 20 May: 11.00am – 5.00pmMonday, 21 May: 9.00am – 7.30pm

AUCTION: Interiors: Style & Spirit - Tuesday, 22 May 2012 at 10am

ECATALOGUE: Please click HERE to view the full ecatalogue online

http://www.christies.com/eCatalogues/index.aspx?id=54669C7359972C348525793C00438135






Christie’s South KensingtonOpen seven days a week, Christie’s South Kensington is one of the busiest salerooms in the UK attracting over 200,000

visitors each year. With over 100 sales and offering more than 20,000 lots annually, estimates start from £300. Interiors salesdedicated to home furnishings are held three times a month alongside regular Sunday sales of single-owner collectionsSpecialised sales for the avid collector are scheduled throughout the year according to category, and include Film Posters, PopMemorabilia, Antiquities, Jewellery, 20th Century British Art and Chinese Works of Art, among others. In 2011 Christie’sSouth Kensington realised the highest ever total for the second successive year with sales of £115.9 million / $186.6 million.

About Christie’s

Christie’s, the world's leading art business, had global auction and private sales in 2011 tha t totaled £3.6 billion/$5.7 billionChristie’s is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and expertise, as well as internationaglamour. Founded in 1766 by James Christie, Christie's has since conducted the greatest and most celebrated auctions throughthe centuries providing a popular showcase for the unique and the beautiful. Christie’s offers over 450 auctions annually inover 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectibles, wine, and more. Pricesrange from $200 to over $100 million. Christie's also has a long and successful history conducting private sales for its clients inall categories, with emphasis on Post-War and Contemporary, Impressionist and Modern, Old Masters and Jewellery. Privatesales totaled £502 million / $808.6m in 2011, an increase of 44% on the previous year.

Christie’s has a global presence with 53 offices in 32 countries and 10 salerooms around the world including in London, New York, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Dubai, Zürich, and Hong Kong. More recently, Christie’s has led the market withexpanded initiatives in growth markets such as Russia, China, India and the United Arab Emirates, with successful sales and

exhibitions in Beijing, Mumbai and Dubai.*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium and do n ot reflect costs, financing fees or applicationof buyer’s or seller’s credits.

CHRISTIE’S SOUTH KENSINGTON 85 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3LD

OPENING SEVEN DAYS A WEEK Monday: 9.00am – 7.30pm

Tuesday – Friday: 9.00am – 5.00pmSaturday & Sunday: 11.00am - 5.00pm

WWW.CHRISTIES.COMPrices do not include buyers’ premium

Documents

Discoveries Of The Lost World At Christie’S South Kensington