It seems that the mischievous spirit of Benvenuto Cellini lives on in his mysterious €107 million self-portrait that 500 years later continues to stir up trouble for everyone who comes in contact with it.
Explore this fascinating story of money, betrayal, and prestige in our exclusive interview with Prof. Mikhail Tamoikin, the man who appraised and put the now-famous self-portrait of Benvenuto Cellini on the map.
It’s a saga worthy of Cellini himself!
This Tachi sword belonged to one of the most famous warlords in Japanese history – the great Fukushima Masanori (1561–1624).
He is known as one of the Seven Spears of Shizugatake for his actions in the Battle of Shizugatake, where he had the honor of first blood.
Throughout his life, he fought in many campaigns, including the Battle of Ch’ungju during the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592.
The sword is currently in the Tamoikin Art Fund and is considered to be one of their most valuable assets. It has been appraised at over $105 million and was featured in the prestigious Forbes 400.
Stone is demanding in its application to art and architecture, requiring great effort and discipline to procure, move, and fashion. It is a subtractive process, where any mistake can prove fatal to the intended product, requiring meticulous care and attention to detail. The inherent properties of stone are that it is insulative, with generally low heat conductivity, and durable, with high compressive strength. As with all things in life, while it retains varying degrees of vulnerability to weathering and deterioration, stone is generally considered to be one of the most resistant materials in existence. These properties lend themselves to a compelling philosophical argument, that those who wish to live a life or build a world of enduring strength and beauty, should not only employ the use of stone in their craft, but model themselves after it as well.
Imagine for a moment, that you are a miner in Siberia at the end of the nineteenth century, slogging with your colleagues through the moss-laden, muck-infused waters of the mire in search of gold, only to stumble upon something far more rare. This is precisely what occurred in 1890, within the Sverdlovsk region of Russia’s Ural Mountains, when a team of laborers who were busy excavating a peat bog inadvertently discovered a strange and ornate wooden figure featuring an eerie human face. Resting at an approximate depth of four meters beneath the surface of the acidic, oxygen-low, and therefore anti-bacterial conditions of the bog that had preserved it, the mysterious object that would come to be known as the “Shigir Idol” (named after the Shigir bog it was found within) was discovered in a series of 10 fragments.
With this article it is my desire to reach as many owners of legally acquired gold artifacts and through our example show that you don’t have to be in hiding anymore.
With proper documentation and safety measures you can let your treasure shine without fear of theft or confiscation.
This is what this article all about; inspiring legal owners, responsible investors and collectors of ancient aurum to step into the light.
The art market needs you, investors crave for you, the world heritage depends on you.
