Designer’s sideboard cabinet auctioned for $1.8M
Jean Royère piece goes for six times initial estimate
In the world of furniture auctions, one particular cabinet shuffle is making headlines. A sideboard crafted by Jean Royère recently sold for US$1.8 million at Sotheby’s Important Design sale in New York — six times its high estimate, reports Architectural Digest.
It was a record-breaking amount for a piece from the French designer.
Made in straw marquetry with an oak interior and speckled with stars, the Étoile piece was commissioned in 1958 for the high-profile Dumont family. It was one of six Royère pieces Sotheby’s was offering from the family ’s home; the others were a polar bear sofa and set of chairs in white alpaca wool, high and low Étoile tables, and a set of six dining chairs.
Royère is most known for his Ours Polaire (polar bear) seating, which often sells for six figures at auction. Celebrity fans include Jennifer Aniston, Ellen DeGeneres and Kanye West.