“The World of Heidi Horten” Presents: Bulgari, A History of Style

Overview

In celebration of the upcoming jewellery auction of “The World of Heidi Horten”, Christie’s Education is delighted to offer a complimentary half-day programme on Mrs. Horten’s very important selection of Bulgari creations that spans from the 1970’s to present day. Retracing more than five decades of the firm’s signature Italian craftsmanship, the programme includes a lecture on Bulgari’s history, an overview of the Heidi Horten collection, and a handling session on its key pieces.

Well-known for its Serpenti snake-motif pieces, Bulgari was founded by the Greek jeweller Constantine Sotirios Boulgaris in 1884. Based in Rome, it became synonymous with jet-set celebrity in the 1960s: Sophia Loren was photographed wearing an important diamond necklace at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival and Gina Lollobrigida wore the firm’s emerald and diamond jewellery at the premiere of The Sound of Music. One of the most famous jewels from the period was Bulgari’s magnificent emerald and diamond necklace that Richard Burton bought for Elizabeth Taylor as a wedding present in 1964. When sold by Christie’s in 2011, it fetched US$6,130,500.

The Collection of Heidi Horten

The exquisite jewellery collection of the late Mrs. Heidi Horten (1941-2022)  is the largest and most valuable collection ever to come to auction, poised to join and eclipse the previous record sales at Christie’s for The Elizabeth Taylor Collection (2011) and the Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence auction (2019), which are the only two jewellery collections to date to achieve more than US$100 million.

Consigned by the Heidi Horten Estate, and offered this May in Geneva, the Collection will be devoted to philanthropy, per Mrs. Horten’s wishes: all of the Estate’s proceeds will benefit The Heidi Horten Foundation, established in 2020 to support the museum of modern and contemporary art she founded in Vienna, Austria— The Heidi Horten Collection as well as medical research, which has been supported by her for many decades.

Speakers: 

Max Fawcett, Head of Jewellery Department, Christie's Geneva

Sara Mao, Director, Christie’s Education Asia Pacific

Date: Thursday 6^th April 2023

Time: 2:30 – 5:00pm HKT

Register

Schedule

• Lecture | Evolution of a House: History of Bulgari
  Sara Mao, Director, Christie’s Education Asia Pacific

• Lecture | The Art of Collecting: The Collection of Mrs. Heidi Horten
  Max Fawcett, Head of Jewellery Department, Christie's Geneva

• Handling Session | Bulgari Gems and Jewels from the Collection of Mrs. Heidi Horten
  Max Fawcett, Head of Jewellery Department, Christie's Geneva

Speakers

A recognized auctioneer across sales in London, Geneva, Hong Kong and New York, he has held the gavel for many record breaking sales including Maharajas and Mughal Magnificence in 2019 which grossed $109.3 million dollars, the highest total for any auction of Indian art and Mughal jewelled objects.

Having started out in Munich as an apprentice to an antique jeweller, he soon moved to New York and from there to Geneva where he is based today.

Sara Mao
Director, Christie’s Education Asia Pacific

Sara Mao is the Director for Christie’s Education in Asia Pacific, overseeing the development of programmes across Hong Kong, China, and South East Asia. Sara joined Christie’s in 2008 as a Junior Specialist Trainee.

Sara has curated over ten seasons of auctions for some of the most iconic paintings and important collections in the field. Sara is also an auctioneer for Christie’s, and supports numerous charity auctions, including Save the Children, Ronald McDonald House, Make a Wish Foundation, The National Kidney Foundation (SNG), and others.

After receiving her B.A. in Philosophy & English Literature at the University of York (UK), Sara acquired her Graduate Diploma in Law from BPP Law School (UK) and a Master of Letters in History of Art and Connoisseurship, with a concentration in Chinese art, from Christie’s Education and the University of Glasgow.