Fans sink their teeth into a treasure trove of Anne Rice’s personal possessions in a hauntingly memorable auction.
Famed American author Anne Rice (1941-2021) left an enduring literary legacy with her supernatural and Gothic historical fiction novels, among them her wildly popular The Vampire Chronicles series, which includes her 1975 debut novel, Interview with the Vampire, that fixated readers’ attention on the undead long before Twilight.
A purple crushed velvet oversized shirt by Sutton Studio, black
Land’s End turtleneck and a gilt medal Roman coin-style necklace, $1,408.
Like the characters in her novels, Rice loved to entertain in her iconic Greek Revival home in New Orleans and acquired a large number of flatware services for these occasions, many of which matched the gothic aesthetic of her life and home.
Collectors and fans of Rice got the opportunity to buy over 200 items from her private home and library, including some of those flatware services, at Bonhams’ auction, “Elegance of the Eternal: The Anne Rice Collection,” Oct. 21-31, 2024.
flatware service, late 19th century, $19,200.
Over 75 percent of the lots sold above their estimates. Among these were several sterling silver flatware services, including the two top lots: a service by Gorham and a partial one by Tiffany & Co., each bringing $19,200. The Gorham service from the 19th century sold for four times its estimate and has Mythologique patterns derived from ancient Greek mythology. Because of the pattern’s intricate details, each piece took hours to produce, and collectors celebrate them as pieces of art.
Chrysanthemum pattern, late 19th or early 20th century, $19,200.
The Tiffany pieces from the late 19th to early 20th century are in the Chrysanthemum pattern. Its ornate design blends traditional Baroque elements with a modern, natural motif of the elegant, blossoming flowers that give the service its name. Its sweeping foliage and flowing lines are evocative of Art Nouveau stylings, and collectors prize it today.
Rice’s legacy was particularly evident in the success of the 87 lots of books from her library, which achieved white glove results and included signed copies of her works, heavily annotated novels, and groupings of books used for research.
Annotated copy of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire
marked in preparation for a radio interview, $7,040.
The top seller was an annotated copy of Interview with the Vampire–the first book in her famed Vampire Chronicles series featuring the vampire Lestat–that sold for $7,040, more than five times its estimate. The 20th-anniversary edition from 1996 is tabbed and annotated in pen and silver sharpie, “For the Radio Reading” and “Revisiting July 1, 2013” on the front flyleaf.
Other book lots that blew out estimates include a group of 18 books on witchcraft that fetched $5,120, over 25 times the estimate, and a copy of Gone with the Wind from 1936 by Margaret Mitchell, heavily annotated and tabbed by Rice, which sold for $3,328 – 11 times its estimate.
In addition to reading and writing, Rice was also an avid chess player. Throughout her life, she amassed a large collection of antique chess sets with themes that match her distinct style, all of which surpassed their estimates.
Guiseppe Vasari’s gilt metal and onyx chess set and board depicting French and Spanish armies cost $4,352.
The top seller was a Guiseppe Vasari gilt metal and onyx set and board from the second quarter of the 20th century, depicting French and Spanish armies, that brought $4,352. Others included a Piero Benzoni gilt and silvered bronze chess set that sold for $4,096 and an Anri Knights of the Round Table chess set for $2,816.
For more results, visit Bonham’s website.
Photos are courtesy of Bonhams.
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