Christie’s London will offer the Blaquier-Arrieta Collection in two live auctions on 1 and 2 December during Classic Week. Estimates range from £800 to £6,000,000 across 50 lots in Part I and approximately 280 in Part II.
Formed by Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier (1931-2020) and Carlos Pedro Blaquier (1927-2023), it is described as Argentina’s largest private collection. The highest estimate belongs to a Louis XV silver soup tureen by Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier: £4,000,000-6,000,000.
The Meissonnier Tureen Leads the Blaquier-Arrieta Collection
A carrot’s leaves form the handles. Beneath the stylised shell of Christie’s Meissonnier silver tureen are bunches of celery and onions, while the cover carries cast models of a duck and crab. There are fish and snails, too. An oyster sits amongst an artichoke and other leafy vegetables. The whole weighs over 20 kilograms.
The body is chased with swirling flutes; the stand has radiating rocaille and an undulating border of asymmetric scrolls, with a bunch of salsify supporting one side.
The tureen is signed by goldsmith-sculptor Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier (1695-1750), one of the few surviving works by him.
The catalogue records the Louis XV silver soup tureen, cover and stand as Paris, 1735-40, with maker’s marks of Henry Adnet and Perre-François Bonnestrenne.
It was commissioned in Paris between 1734-36 by Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston, as one of a pair. An 18th-century etching shows both tureens flanking a centrepiece that was probably never produced.
The Meissonnier tureen auction history includes a record: offered together at Christie’s Geneva in November 1977, the pair sold for CHF 2.79 million, then the world auction record for any piece of silver. The buyer divided the pair. This tureen entered the collection of Baron Heinz Thyssen-Bornemisza; the other is in the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, which has a current exhibition dedicated to Meissonnier.
Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier and the Blaquier-Arrieta Collection
Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier began collecting silver with guidance from dealer Jacques Helft (1891-1980). The collection focuses on Nicolas Besnier, Thomas Germain, Claude Ballin, Pierre Balzac and Robert-Joseph Auguste.
Her patronage extended beyond collecting. Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier served on the Asociación Amigos del Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes from 1977 until 2011, then as Honorary President until her death. The Frick Collection honoured her at its autumn dinner in 2010. She also supported the National Academy of Fine Arts and the Fundación Teatro Colón, as well as the Fundación Fondo para el Patrimonio Argentino.
In the prologue of Vida de Mecenas (2017) by Carmen María Ramos, collector Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier said: “Before I die, I would like to know that during the years I have spent in this world, I have done something valuable to bring thought, art and beautiful things closer to a greater number of people…”
Charles Cator, Deputy Chairman, Christie’s International, said: “It was a joy accompanying Nelly on her journey as a collector over more than twenty years.”
Other Highlights of the Blaquier-Arrieta Collection
Silver and Gold Snuff-boxes
The silver spans the reigns of Louis XIV to Louis XVI, with an English 18th-century group that includes pieces from the Warrington Service. A pair of Louis XV silver wine-coolers, marked by Claude Ballin II, Paris, 1744, carries an estimate of £800,000-1,200,000.
The gold snuff-boxes have estimates from £1,200 to £350,000.
Many of the gold snuff-boxes came from collections dispersed in her lifetime, including the Jaime Ortiz Patiño sales at Christie’s London in 1973-1974. Others came from dealers Kenneth Snowman and S.J. Philips.
One example in the Blaquier-Arrieta Collection is a Louis XV gold and enamel table snuff-box bearing the mark of Jean Formey, Paris, 1763. Its bezel is signed George à Paris; the estimate is £250,000-350,000.
French Furniture
A pair of Louis XV giltwood pliants by Nicolas-Quinibert Foliot leads the French 18th-century furniture, with an estimate of £200,000-300,000. Martin Carlin’s Louis XVI table en chiffonnière, circa 1771-76, combines ormolu mounts, Sèvres porcelain, tulipwood, kingwood and end-cut marquetry; its estimate is £150,000-200,000.
Impressionist Works
Paul Signac is represented by eighteen works on paper from the Ports de France series, with estimates of £10,000 to £35,000. A port scene of Bordeaux by Eugene Boudin sits alongside drawings by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and bronzes by Auguste Rodin, Edgar Degas and Emile-Antoine Boudelle.
Rodin’s Méditation, Taille Originale, Version Type I is estimated at £300,000-500,000.
Signed and numbered ‘A. Rodin No. 4’, it was conceived before 1887 and cast in bronze by Fonderie Rudier, Paris, in 1927, in an edition of 13.
Devotional Works and a Floral Still Life
A boxwood group of The Virgin and Child is estimated at £80,000-120,000; Saint Agnes by Francesco Traini is estimated at £60,000-80,000.
The floral still life by Flemish artist Jan Brueghel II brings together roses, tulips, lilies, irises and peonies, with an estimate of £300,000-500,000.
A circular parcel-gilt Limoges enamel plaque depicting St. Martin and the lame beggar is attributed to Pierre Reymond and dates to the mid-16th century. Its estimate is £30,000-50,000.
Viewing and Sale Dates
Part I and Part II of the Blaquier-Arrieta Collection go on public view at Christie’s London on 23 November. The pre-sale exhibition runs until 1 December.
A selection from the collection will be on view in Paris from 29 October until 3 November. Part III will be offered in an online Paris silver sale in 2027, with details to follow.
*Images: Christie’s
