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TUESDAY 21 SEPTEMBER 2010
AFTERNOON SESSION AT 2.00 P.M.
(LOTS 1-196)
PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF CHARLIE CHAPLIN
(Lots 1-50)
FROM THE MANSION OF A WORLD FAMOUS TRAMP
"A day without a laugh is a wasted day." - Charles Chaplin
Possibly the most recognized face from the silent-film era, winner of three Oscars over a period of 44 years, furnishings from Charlie Chaplin (1889 - 1977) are offered in this catalogue. Stemming from his splendid Swiss estate, the following lots offer collectors a chance to come very close to the Great Dictator who founded the United Artists studio, was knighted by Queen Elisabeth, composed the classic song 'Smile' and is known to all as the world's most endearing Tramp.
Le Manoir de Ban, the sixteen room Swiss mansion where Chaplin settled in 1953 with his wife Oona and their eight children, is set in the rural district of Corsier sur Vevey which counts a mere 3000 inhabitants. Situated in a magnificent wooded park of 40 acres, with a wonderful view of Lake Geneva and the Alps, this English colonially styled abode set the scene for Chaplin's last twenty years. It was the home where his heart lay, and the furnishings here offered were his very own home comforts.
Chaplin was renowned for mastering both physical and slapstick comedy, which he used to great effect to transform himself into 'The Tramp', his best-loved and most famous character. Playwright George Bernard Shaw called him "the only genius to come out of the movie industry", which was playfully mirrored in Chaplin's own words: "I am but one thing and one thing only - and that is a clown. It places me on a higher plane than any politician". And indeed Chaplin came to dominate his profession, turning his hand not only to acting but also directing, financing, producing, writing and composing his cinematographic oeuvre.
Having made his name in silent films, Chaplin took a particular attitude to the 'talkies' that came to dominate the screen from the late 1920's onwards. Chaplin felt that exactly the lack of sound was the premier quality of motion picture, revering action and pantomime over words in making a film accessible to all. But of course, the trend was set. And Chaplin, not a person to look back, eventually lent his voice to one of the masterworks of 20th century cinema: The Great Dictator.
Ironically, two men sharing a few dictator-like characteristics would drive Chaplin out of America after the war. In the witch-hunts of the McCarthy era, Chaplin was accused of "un-American activities" and branded a suspected communist. When Chaplin left the States, his home for over 40 years, for a quick visit to the UK in 1952, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover tried to revoke Chaplin's re-entry permit. Learning the news, Chaplin took matters into his own hand stating: "Since the end of the last world war, I have been the object of lies and propaganda by powerful reactionary groups who have created an unhealthy atmosphere in which liberal-minded individuals can be singled out and persecuted. Under these conditions I find it virtually impossible to continue my motion-picture work, and I have therefore given up my residence in the United States."
Chaplin found his new home in Le Manoir de Ban, where he would happily live until his death at Christmas Day, 1977. Five years before that date however, he and Oona would make a triumphant return to the United States in April 1972 to receive an Honorary Oscar and being awarded with the longest standing ovation in the history of the Academy awards. And so, the clown indeed triumphed over politics.
Christie's offers film-lovers the unique opportunity to bid for furniture the great man himself once used, reclined on or admired. Lot 23 is the Louis XVI style dining table, with a set of 24 matching chairs, that the Chaplins used for family dinners and entertaining guests (12.000-18,000). A bed in the same style (lot 39) is estimated 4,000-6,000. Lot 38 is a Chaplin gem accessible for all: a canvas of a Granada street by Menedos Perez Ahumada (200-400). The pretty picture, the sun and, as fate has it, a little man in dressed in black clothes in the background remind us of Chaplin's philosophy: "A day without a laugh is a wasted day".
AN ITALIAN PARCEL-GILT AND RED AND BLACK PAINTED ORGAN
20TH CENTURY, BY C. BARERA, VENICE
Details
AN ITALIAN PARCEL-GILT AND RED AND BLACK PAINTED ORGAN
20TH CENTURY, BY C. BARERA, VENICE
60 cm. high x 48 cm. wide x 33 cm. deep
20TH CENTURY, BY C. BARERA, VENICE
60 cm. high x 48 cm. wide x 33 cm. deep
Brought to you by
Sabine Dalmeijer
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