For sale, £36m Swiss castle and treasures
AN opulent French-Swiss castle, which has been owned by the same family since 1760, is up for sale and is expected to fetch more than £36 million.
Château d’Hauteville contains a treasure trove of well-preserved antiques that are due to be auctioned next month.
Situated within 67 acres of orchards and woodlands, Château d’Hauteville sits above the picturesque town of Vevey in Switzerland and overlooks Lake Geneva.
Unconfirmed estimates suggest that bidding will reach £36 million, with
‘It’s unusual to find a home with objects accumulated over two and a half centuries’
the contents likely to add a further £675,000 to the final purchase price.
The aristocratic d’Hauteville family made the decision to sell their property after the matriarch, Baroness Edith d’Hauteville, died at the age of 83 last January. One of the baroness’s three heirs, Phillippe, said that the family had decided that the grounds and house were too costly to maintain.
The auction for the castle’s contents is due to take place from Sept 11 to 12.
“The castle has not changed owners since it was built,” said Bernard Piguet, the manager of the Hotel des Ventes de Genève, who is due to lead the auction. “All of the items for sale are related to the history of the family. It’s unusual to find a home with objects accumulated over two and a half centuries.”
While the most expensive items were already sold off in London last September – a Louis XV commode signed by master artisan Mathieu Criaerd fetched £140,500 – the next lot will include thousands of books and other, rarer items. It took more than a year to categorise and value each of the 1,600 items on sale. Period costumes and theatre sets made for aristocratic productions have been preserved in almost perfect condition. Also on sale will be a rare Civil War Confederate flag, as well as a gold medal presented by the US Congress to Gen Alexander Macomb – commander of the US army – whose daughter, Susan, married into the d’Hauteville family during the 19th century.