Il Sogno will include almost 300 lots offered from Howard and Yvette Mimieux RubyÂ’s iconic Italian villa in Bel-Air
Los Angeles – WEBWIRE – Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Il Sogno
The Collection of Howard and Yvette Mimieux Ruby
21 Sep 2022
Los Angeles Â
The single owner sale from the European-inspired home of real estate mogul Howard Ruby and Hollywood star Yvette Mimieux, will be presented at Bonhams Los Angeles in just under 300 lots on September 21. Living the Italian dream in Bel-Air, their home, named Il Sogno, is a true homage to their love of the old world, which housed an incredible collection from a wide spectrum of disciplines including 16th century Italian maiolica, 17th century French bronzes, Old Master paintings, 18th century European furniture, silver, and other rare objects.
One of the Â’greatÂ’ true estates in Bel-Air, the property dates to the 1920s and took on its grandiose transformation when the couple bought it in 1979 and integrated their collection amassed over their decades traveling in Europe and Asia. With help from celebrity decorator Kalef Alaton, the 12,000 square foot home became a European retreat in the heart of Los Angeles – from fresco-painted walls to beamed ceilings and arched windows.
Highlights in the sale include:
• A Roman Grand Tour Marble Model of a Panther, carved in yellow mottled grey, from the second half of 18th Century, in the manner of Antonio Moglia or Francesco Antonio Franzoni. Estimate: $80,000-120,000.
• A set of twelve George II red and gilt-japanned dining chairs in the manner of Giles Grendey (c. 1740), each decorated with Chinoiserie scenes of figures in a landscape, surrounded by flora and fauna, with caned backs and seats. Closely resembling ’The Infantado Suite’ by Grendey (British, 1693-1780) for Spain’s Lazcano Castle commissioned by the Dukes of Infantado, the Lazcano furniture is represented in major museums, such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Temple Newsam House, Leeds, and the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia. Estimate: $40,000 – 60,000.
• A Neoclassicism painting of a woman seated with an open book, attributed to Jean Charles Nicaise Perrin in 1792 – a time when this style of painting was popular across Europe. Estimate: $20,000-30,000.
• French Rococo set of four canvases, arched at the top depicting figures in bucolic settings that is attributed to a follower François Boucher (French, 1703-1770). Estimate: $20,000-30,000.
• From 1535, a Deruta Maiolica ’Bel Uomo’ gold-lustered charger, with a painted portrait of a youth wearing a laurel crown and toga beside a scrolling banner inscribed. Estimate: $40,000-60,000.
• A French Patinated Bronze Figural Group (c. 1700) depicting the Greek myth when Pluto abducts Proserpine. The sculpture is attributed to after Francois Giarardon and similar pieces can be found in The Wallace collection in London, the Louvre, and the Getty Museum in Malibu. Estimate: $15,000-20,000.
• A 17th Century Italian Pietra Dura (hardstone) Tabletop shows the natural beauty of stones and is adorned with motifs derived from ancient Roman mosaics. Estimate: $40,000-60,000.
• Four Victorian Silver Figural Salt Cellars (1855) by Robert Garrard II (b. London, 1855-1858) depicting two ladies and two gentleman holding baskets with gilt-washed interiors, one woman holding a rose and a man holding grapes. Estimate: $4,000-6,000.
• Still life painting of fruits in classic style of the circle of Flemish painter Jacob van Hulsdonck. Estimate: $30,000-50,000.