Results: The Michael and Judy Steinhardt Judaica Collection
Sotheby's 29 April sale brought over $8.5 million, an auction record for Judaica. The Mishneh Torah, the highlight of the Michael & Judy Steinhardt Judaica Collection, was purchased jointly by The Israel Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art prior to the sale for a price significantly in excess of the current record for Judaica at auction.
Many other works from the collection are also destined for prominent cultural institutions.
These include a large Italian parcel-gilt silver Torah crown, the top lot of the two session auction, purchased by The Metropolitan Museum of Art for $857,000 - well above a high estimate of $500,000. A North German bronze Aquamanile was acquired by The Jewish Museum in New York for $377,000. This piece is one of only four known aquamanilia bearing Hebrew inscriptions from the medieval era.
Also performing well was the ‘Rouchomovsky Skeleton.’ This fully articulated gold skeleton attracted competitive bidding, eventually reaching $365,000 over a high estimate of $250,000.
Full results can be found at http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2013/a-treasured-legacy-steinhardt-n08961/lots.list.1.html.
