This autumn the auction house Sotheby’s will hold a unique sale in the English stately house of Chatsworth in Derbyshire, which is probably best known as the home of Mr Darcy in the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Chatsworth: The Attic Sale will be a three-day auction and, according to Sotheby’s, will offer an Aladdin’s cave of items at all price levels, with estimates ranging from £20 to £200,000.
Estimated to realise a sum in the region of £2.5m, the sale will comprise some 20,000 objects in around 1,400 lots.
Among these sale items will be a number of rare architectural fixtures and fittings, such as carved fireplaces, architraves, doors and shutters, which were once part of the many great houses that have featured in the Devonshire family’s history, including Chatsworth itself, Chiswick House, Hardwick Hall, Lismore Castle, Compton Place, Bolton Abbey and Devonshire House on Piccadilly in London.
Also included in the sale will be a number of pieces chosen by the Georgiana, the 5th
Duchess of Devonshire - most recently portrayed by Keira Knightley in the film The Duchess - for her personal rooms, such as a set of eleven George III painted and caned chairs.
“When we moved into Chatsworth several years ago we found the attics filled with the contents of other family homes from generations past. With Sotheby’s, we embarked on the lengthy process of selecting a group of items for sale that would allow us to create much–needed space in several rooms throughout the house,” explained the current Duke of Devonshire.
“The proceeds from the sale will be used to further some projects both at Chatsworth and on our other estates,” he added.(BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP)
