The highlight was this tiara worn by Sarah Bernhardt in the role of Oriental princess Melissinde in Edmond Rostand's play La Princesse Lointaine, premiered in Paris in 1895 and seen right. The tiara, in gilded and silvered metal adorned with pearls and semi-precious stones, was once owned by Sacha Guitry, and thought to have been designed by Alphonse Mucha (who designed the play's sets) in collab-oration with Bernhardt herself. Although a handful of pearls and stones were missing, the tiara sold for €15,500 (£10,335).
The Princess of the Orient
THE 523-lot collection of theatrical souvenirs amassed by French actor and director Jean Darnel was 89 per cent sold by value at Piasa (20.33% buyer’s premium) on June 28, en route to a premium-inclusive €247,000 (£164,665). Thirteen lots were pre-empted by the Comédie Française and nine by the Bibliothèque Nationale.