Bonhams

Auction previews and sale reports from Bonhams, covering paintings, decorative arts, jewellery, books and collectors’ objects. Follow the works offered, published estimates, reported results and the histories attached to notable lots.

Max Verstappen’s Championship-Winning F1 Race Suit to be Sold by Bonhams for Red Bull Charity Auction

Front upper-body view of Max Verstappen’s signed navy Oracle Red Bull Racing suit on a mannequin.

The dark blue Oracle Red Bull Racing overalls worn by three-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen over the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix weekend will be offered in the Bonhams | Cars Abu Dhabi Auction Online from 17 – 30 November. Driving his Red Bull RB19, Verstappen finished in 1st position at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix weekend in Zandvoort, in front of his home crowd, marking his 46th Grand Prix race victory. Signed by the World Champion with a Certificate of Authenticity from the Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula One Team, and estimated at £60,000 – £70,000, the overalls will be sold to benefit Red Bull’s Wings for Life charity. Verstappen is only the fifth driver in the sport’s history to win three consecutive championships, as well as joining an elite club of drivers who have won three or more World Championships.

Record-Breaking Sale: Magnificent World Map Fetches £1.86 Million at Bonhams, Setting New Benchmark for Islamic Scientific Instruments

17th-century Safavid brass Mecca-centred world map with raised rings above an engraved circular base.

A magnificent and extremely rare Islamic Mecca-centred world map, a masterpiece from Safavid Persia, sold for £1.86 million at Bonhams Islamic and Indian Art Sale today (Tuesday 14 November). It had an estimate of £1,500,000-2,000,000. The map, formerly on display at the Harvard Museum of Art, and dating from the last quarter of the 17th century, is the finest and most complete Mecca-centred world map of only three surviving examples (the other two were discovered in 1989 and 1995) and is the most important Islamic scientific instrument ever offered at auction.

High-End Ceramics: Timeless Masterpieces by Hans Coper, Lucie Rie, and Jennifer Lee from an Exquisite Private French Collection at Bonhams

Selection of ceramic works by Hans Coper, Lucie Rie and Jennifer Lee.

A selection of 15 exceptional ceramics by Hans Coper, Lucie Rie, Jennifer Lee, Ewen Henderson, Colin Pearson, Duncan Ross and Walter Keeler from a private French collection will be offered at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris on Wednesday 6 December 2023. Hans Coper (1920-1981) was a leading figure in the field of studio pottery — the production of unique ceramic wares made by individual artist-potters in small batches. Together with Lucie Rie (1902-1995), he was instrumental in revolutionising British ceramics, adopting a style which was increasingly sculptural.

Art With A Bite: CoBrA Sale Returns To Bonhams Auction

Mon canal chante (1949) by Corneille, overlapping geometric shapes and red and black lines on a dark green background.

Following the success of the first CoBrA sale last year in Copenhagen, where several records were set, notably for Corneille and Stephen Gilbert, the Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen, part of the Bonhams network, presents a new CoBrA sale on 5 December at its new premises in Lyngby. A touring exhibition featuring a selection of paintings will begin in Amsterdam from 14 to 15 November, then travel to Brussels from 17 to 19 November at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr, before concluding in Copenhagen with the auction on 5 December. An online sale will take place from 29 November to 12 December.

Bonhams to Showcase the Helen and David Milling Collection of Arts and Crafts Ceramics and Glass

Decorated ceramic vases displayed before a large iridescent glass plate and a gold-toned mosaic panel from the Helen and David Milling Collection.

The Helen and David Milling Collection, featuring the finest British and American art pottery and glass from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, will be showcased at Bonhams this December. Over the span of half a century, the Michigan couple meticulously assembled an exceptional collection from some of the era’s most renowned potters, designers, and artists. This distinguished assortment comprises more than 350 lots, to be presented across three sales this December: 20th Century Decorative Arts and Ceramics on December 5 in London, Modern Decorative Art & Design on December 12 in New York, and the dedicated Helen and David Milling Online auction from December 8–18 at Bonhams Skinner.