Kitsch ceramic farm animals and an enamel miniature of the third Duke of Norfolk went under the hammer alongside Versace pillows and gold discs on Tuesday in Sir Elton John's "everything must go" house clearance auction.
The Sotheby's sale of the contents of the singer's Holland Park home in Queensdale Park raised £1.4 million. Many of the 500 pieces up for grabs were collected in a 1992 shopping spree, embarked upon after he bought the house while still recovering from drugs and alcohol abuse problems.
Elton's massive clear out of his crammed London property was prompted by a desire to create a home for his extensive collection of photographs and modern art. "I wanted to display more contemporary work in one of my UK homes, but as my house in Windsor has a very traditional style, the obvious choice was to remodel my Holland Park home," he explained prior to the auction.
And trade was brisk on the day with most lots selling for well over their reserve price in a salesroom packed with collectors and fans. One birchwood grandfather clock, for example, sold for £12,000 – three times the sum it was predicted to raise.
The sale was not a first for veteran shopper Sir Elton. Five years ago he held a similar retail jamboree featuring nearly 2,000 lots of artworks and jewellery.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
