NEW YORK – The second installment of The Collection of Ann & Gordon Getty: Temple of Wings closed on June 15, 2023, achieving tremendous results over the course of three auctions: one live and two online. The live auction on June 14, 2023 was a fantastic event, with spirited bidding throughout the sale from around the world, with clients in the saleroom, on the phones, and tuning in online via Christie’s LIVE. The live sale achieved $19,005,864 with 100% of the lots sold and realizing 219% hammer above low estimate. The first online auction, The Ann and Gordon Getty Collection: Aesthetic Decoration from Temple of Wings achieved $985,194 with 100% sold by lot and 138% hammer against its low estimate. The second online auction, The Ann and Gordon Getty Collection: Early Modern Design from Temple of Wings achieved $1,941,156 with 100% sold by lot 200% hammer against its low estimate. In total, the three auctions realized $21,932,214. Combined with the exceptional results of Ann and Gordon Getty Collection sales of Fall 2022 – these sold-out sales bring the entire collection total to an excess of $170,000,000.

Gordon Getty says: “I am incredibly pleased with the results of the Temple of Wings sales at Christie’s. As with the Broadway sale held last October, proceeds will benefit charities designated by Ann and me.”

Jonathan Rendell, Christie’s Deputy Chairman – Americas, commented: “Once again Christie’s clients reacted enthusiastically to the eclectic mix of Paintings and Decorations from the Getty’s Temple of Wings. Covering a multitude of artistic movements from the Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries, from Arts and Crafts, Gothic and Classical revivals, to Aesthetic movement, and Art Nouveau liberally laced with extraordinary lamps and objects from Tiffany Studios proved irresistible. Christie’s is honoured, once again to help the charitable endeavors of Ann and Gordon Getty.”

The top lot of the series was Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema ‘A Coign of Vantage’, which sold for $7,068,000 against its low estimate of $2,500,000. Exceptional results in the live auction were also achieved for Tiffany Studios glass and lighting. A 'Wisteria' Table Lamp sold for $945,000 in addition to an important and rare ‘Butterfly’ Table Lamp which achieved $768,600, setting a record for the model. A Rare ‘Pond Dragonfly’ Table Lamp, one of three known in existence and previously in the collections of Walter Chrysler and Roy Warshawsky, achieved $302,400. Other impressive results for Tiffany Studios were seen by a ‘Cypress and Azalea’ landscape window for ‘Carmore’ which sold for $907,200, three times its low estimate.

Daphné Riou, Head of Design, Christie's Americas, said: “It was an honor to present these exceptional works by Tiffany Studios to the market. The Getty collection featured outstanding examples of Tiffany’s most celebrated models, such as the Wisteria, but also rare pieces, such as the magnificent Butterfly lamp and the impressive ‘Carmore’ window, a testimony of Mrs. Getty’s remarkable eye. We were thrilled to see the great depth of international bidding for this category and new collectors interested in Tiffany Studios.”

Laura H. Mathis, Head of Sale 19th Century European Paintings commented: "With more than half the paintings in the sale exceeding their high estimates and the highest price for Alma-Tadema achieved at auction in more than a decade, the success of Temple of Wings is a testament to the enduring quality and appeal of the 19th century and Victorian paintings in Ann and Gordon Getty's collection."

The top lot in The Ann and Gordon Getty Collection: Aesthetic Decoration from Temple of Wings was a 'Hammersmith' Carpet, circa 1886, attributed to William Morris, which sold for $81,900.

The top lot in The Ann and Gordon Getty Collection: Early Modern Design from Temple of Wings was a Tiffany Studios 'Geometric and Turtle-Back Tile' Chandelier, which achieved $163,800.