A spectacular George I cabinet decorated with Japanese motifs has seen the highest bids in the auction of Property from the Estate of Bob and Dolores Hope, held by Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills on September 21.
 Georgian furniture is incredibly popular on the present market, with pieces frequently achieving superb increases on estime |
The parcel-gilt bureau cabinet, an imposing piece that once belonged to the couple's Palm Springs home, was expected to sell for between $75,000-85,000, but topped this estimate by 97.6% to make $168,000.
The cabinet was boosted by provenance from Mallett & Sons, one of London's oldest fine antique dealers.
Bringing the second highest bids of the sale was a late 19th century Viennese enamel ewer and charger, which is decorated with multiple handpainted panels of classical and mythological figures. Valued at $4,000-6,000, it sold for an outstanding $22,500 - a 275% increase.
With the comedian and his wife both being passionate collectors of art and antiques, these items made up the majority of the sale, though it was also dotted with memorabilia from Bob Hope's remarkable career.
 Hope faces an unidentified man while Kennedy looks on in the background |
A signed and inscribed photograph of Hope's meeting with president John F Kennedy sold for $6,080, a price matched by a lot comprising signed copies of Lyndon Johnson's book My Hope for America and Gerald Ford's A Time to Heal.
Julien's also hosted the sale of Property from the Estate of Phyllis Diller this weekend, with the comedian's collection topped by a personally inscribed Andy Warhol print.
See our fantastic range of signed celebrity memorabilia for sale.
