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Lot 1
A JEWELLED AGATE MODEL OF A CAT
BY FABERGÉ, ST PETERSBURG, CIRCA 1900
Closed29 November 2021
Price Realised
GBP 137,500
More Information
Specialist note
Poet, designer and patron of the arts, Edward James (1907-1984) was a passionate supporter of the Surrealist movement. He built one of the finest private collections of Surrealist works by Salvador Dali, René Magritte and Max Ernst. His collection also included a number of works by Fabergé, which Christie's sold in June 1986.
Edward James inherited considerable wealth from his parents William James, an American railroad magnate, and Evelyn Forbes, a Scottish socialite. This allowed him to become patron of a number of artistic projects. From the late 1940s James dedicated much of his resources to building an extraordinary number of surrealist buildings and waterfalls in Xilitla in Central Mexico. He also established the Edward James Foundation at his property in West Dean to teach and keep crafts traditions alive.
Edward James inherited considerable wealth from his parents William James, an American railroad magnate, and Evelyn Forbes, a Scottish socialite. This allowed him to become patron of a number of artistic projects. From the late 1940s James dedicated much of his resources to building an extraordinary number of surrealist buildings and waterfalls in Xilitla in Central Mexico. He also established the Edward James Foundation at his property in West Dean to teach and keep crafts traditions alive.