Christie’s, the renowned auction house, has announced the cancellation of the second auction featuring jewels from the collection of an Austrian billionaire, citing “intense scrutiny.” The decision was made public on Friday.
Earlier, Christie’s conducted the initial and notably controversial sale of these jewels, both online and in-person in Geneva, back in May. A second round of auctions had been planned for November. However, in an official statement, Christie’s declared, “Christie’s has taken the decision not to proceed with further sales of property from the Estate of Heidi Horten.”
While only a portion of the extensive collection was sold during the first auction, it still managed to surpass previous records established by Christie’s. Notable instances include the sale of properties from actress Elizabeth Taylor’s collection in 2011 and the “Maharajas and Mughal Magnificence” collection in 2019, both of which exceeded $100 million in total sales.
