Art News

45-Carat Art Nouveau Dazzler the Centerpiece of Austin Auction’s Sale

AUSTIN, TX.- A superb circa-1900 gold necklace laden with 45 carats of fine Australian fire opals, diamonds and freshwater pearls – said to have been the property of legendary interior designer Elsie de Wolfe – leads an exceptional lineup of fine and decorative art and furniture to be sold April 18 at Austin Auction Gallery. The crown jewel of the company’s 430-lot Important Spring Estates Auction was purchased by the consignor in 1976, at an antiques show in Hillsborough, California. At that time, it was represented as having been de Wolfe’s personal jewelry. “While we cannot prove that the necklace belonged to Ms. De Wolfe, it certainly exhibits the quality that a woman of her social position would have demanded,” said Ross Featherston, president of Austin Auction Gallery. Elsie de Wolfe (1865-1950) was America’s first interior decorator to the rich and famous. Her high-profile clients included The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, as well as memb