with multicoloured decor on black background showing a mythological scene, the abduction of Proserpine by Pluto on his cart drawn by two white horses, the cart entering hell represented by flames, first half of the 16th Century, from the studio of Orazio Fontana Drouot-Paris. Such pieces are worth between 300,000 and 500,000 in general. This one came from a Rothschild collection and was beautiful enough to produce such an impressive bid. Meanwhile the sale of the Cotinat collection of Deruta and Faenza pieces at Drouot-Montaigne, Paris, on June 20th 1997, was quite successful with a 5,4 million FF (US $ 900,000) turnover. A Deruta bottle with polychrome decor executed around 1525 and showing Amphitrite on a dolphin went for 400,000 FF (US $ 66,666) and a rare Albarello decorated with a helmeted soldier executed in the Rouen studio of Masséot Abaquene, circa 1545, fetched 260,000 FF (US $ 43,333) |