A vast collection of art, furniture, jewelry, and political memorabilia once owned by the late Dianne Feinstein, a former U.S. Senator from California, is set to be auctioned next month. The esteemed lawmaker, who passed away nearly a year ago at the age of 90, left behind an extensive array of personal items that will soon be up for sale at Bonhams, an international auction house.
The live auction is scheduled for October 8 at Bonhams’ Los Angeles location, while select pieces of jewelry will be available for online bidding from October 1 to October 8. In addition, works of art once owned by Feinstein and her late husband, Richard Blum—a prominent investor known for his significant collection of Himalayan art—will be available for online auction between October 14 and October 24. Earlier this year, portions of Blum’s Himalayan art collection were also sold at auction.
The collection features personal items from Feinstein’s residences in San Francisco, Aspen, Colorado, and Washington, D.C., including over 70 pieces of jewelry, some of which the senator wore to prominent events. Additionally, items Feinstein accumulated over her three-decade-long career in Congress will also be part of the sale.
“She cherished the items she collected and decorated her homes with,” said Katherine Feinstein, the senator’s daughter, in a press release from Bonhams. “She would be delighted to know that her treasured pieces will be just as cherished and cared for by those whose lives she touched, and who admired her as a pioneering woman in politics.”
Among the most valuable items to be auctioned is a 4.14-carat diamond ring, flanked by tapered baguette diamonds, estimated to be worth between $45,000 and $65,000. Another notable piece is an 18K white gold and diamond necklace, valued at between $12,000 and $18,000.
The auction will also feature 24 pieces of American art, many depicting iconic scenes of California. The standout artwork in the collection is Ships Sailing in the San Francisco Bay with Fort Point in the Distance, a 1907 painting by William Alexander Coulter, which is estimated to fetch up to $100,000.
Political memorabilia from Feinstein’s career is also on offer, including a framed letter from former President Jimmy Carter, written in 1990 after her loss in that year’s California gubernatorial race. A photograph of Feinstein taken at the White House in 2016, inscribed by then-Vice President Joe Biden, is also among the items expected to sell for up to $1,200.
Feinstein’s and Blum’s assets were at the center of a contentious legal dispute last year between Katherine Feinstein and Blum’s former business associates, Michael Klein, Marc Scholvinck, and Verett Mims. The three were co-trustees of a trust established by Blum. The legal battle, which revolved around control of the couple’s extensive estate, involved multiple lawsuits concerning financial assets and various trusts. Before Feinstein’s death, a California Superior Court judge ordered the parties to resolve their differences through private mediation.
This auction offers collectors and admirers of the late senator a rare opportunity to acquire pieces that reflect Feinstein’s legacy, both in her political career and personal life.
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