NEW YORK – Auctions at Showplace will present the estate of former Prime Minister of Peru Pedro Gerado Beltran and property from the former President of Venezuela Antonio Guzman Blanco on Sunday, May 8. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
During his long career, Pedro Gerado Beltran (1897-1979) served as Prime Minister of Peru, President of Peru’s Central Reserve Bank and Peruvian Ambassador to the United States. He was also publisher of the independent newspaper La Prensa of Lima. Until recently, the Beltran collection of antique Peruvian silver, continental furniture, French porcelain and Asian antiques was displayed at the Santa Fe Museum of Spanish Colonial Art.
Antonio Guzman Blanco (1829-1899) was a Venezuelan military leader, statesman, diplomat and politician. He was the president of Venezuela for three separate terms, from 1870 until 1877, from 1879 until 1884, and from 1886 until 1887. Featured are pieces of silverware as well as a set of miniature portraits in gold frames with precious stone inserts. Completing the sale are fine and decorative arts, including paintings, ceramics and silver from other New York metropolitan estates.
The May 8 sale includes an exciting collection of flatware and tableware. Of particular note is a 150-piece set of Emile Puiforcat French sterling silver cutlery stamped with the Minerva French sterling silver mark and monogrammed with the initials “G.B.” for President Antonio Guzman Blanco of Venezuela. It is estimated at $6,000-$8,000. Another standout in the category is a 72-piece set of Leon Lapar French vermeil sterling silver flatware, stamped with the Minerva sterling mark and monogrammed with the initials “M.M.” for Manuel Matos, the grandson of President Antonio Guzman Blanco of Venezuela. It is followed by a Mehun C.P. & Co. porcelain partial service of 150 pieces, monogrammed with initials “A.B.” for the Beltran family. The set was made in France and the design won the Grand Prix in 1900 at the universal exhibition. The set is from the Beltran-Kropp collection, which was formerly housed at the Santa Fe Museum of Colonial Art.
Other silver pieces that merit mention are a large circa-1930s Peruvian sterling silver jewelry box with Inca decoration and standing on four grotesque figural feet, estimated at $2,000-$4,000; and a Maison Odiot sterling trio consisting of a silver tea pot, coffee pot and sugar pot, which together are estimated at $4,000-$6,000.
Rounding out the highlights is a group of three portrait miniatures. The first depicts a young gentleman, likely the son of Antonio Guzman Blanco, President of Venezuela; the second shows Ana Teresa Ibarra Urbaneja Guzman Blanco (First Lady of Venezuela from 1870-1877, 1879-1884, and 1887-1888), and the third portrays President Antonio Guzman Blanco of Venezuela. This last carries an estimate of $2,000-$4,000. Each portrait is framed by 56 rose cut diamonds, four inset cushion cut natural sapphires, and four half cut natural pearls with a scrolled and finely engraved 18K gold foliate border.
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