EFTA02660397.pdf

From: Richard Kahn < Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2017 12:23 AM To: Jeffrey Epstein Subject: Fwd: Mr. Epstein's Boulle desk Richard Kahn HBRK Associates Inc. 575 =exington Avenue, 4th Floor New =ork NY 10022 tel fax cel Begin forwarded message: From: qb>"Igelbrink, Anne" < Subject: =/b>Mr. Epstein's =oulle desk Date: February 15, 2017 at 7:18:32 PM EST To: =/b>Richard Kahn < Cc: "Igelbrink, Anne" < Richard Here is a recap of our conversation yesterday. When Mr. =pstein bought his desk, it checked all the boxes for a great piece of =rench furniture: top maker, great quality, grand scale and important =rovenance. Since about 2000, another box has been added: =ondition. The market now employs experts and advisors to evaluate =he ormolu mounts and cabinetry, and now their age and authenticity has =ecome crucial in determining value. Knowledge has advanced to the =oint where we can tell the difference between a mount cast in 1710, the =ate 18th century, the early 19th century or later, when or =f it has been regilt and how it was done. Original mounts =re essential for Boulle furniture; he was renowned for the quality and =reativity of his mounts and was one of the few cabinet-makers who =esigned and cast them himself. When we =xamined the desk in our warehouse, the cabinetry was as expected from a =iece of Boulle furniture from around 1715. There was a bit of =eveneering to the ebony at the short ends and to some sections of the =egs. However, when we took off and studied the mounts, their =onstruction dated from 1715 through the second half of the 19thcentury. Specifically: The =order mounts on the top and the applied clasps at the corners are =riginal to the desk. EFTA_R1_01907999 EFTA02660397  * The =ions masks were made later in the 18th century (we knew this and =entioned it in our proposal). However, the crying mask mounts and =11 the handles were also made in the late 18th century and were recast =rom original Boulle models. All =he leg mounts are 19th century recasts from =arlier Boulle models. One top mount may be second quarter 19th century but the rest are =ater. This is not a case where there was an intent to deceive as =ntil recently, there was a totally different attitude towards =ounts. Boulle desks have always been incredibly expensive and =rized by collectors. As early as the late lath century, some mounts were =eplaced to give the piece a fashionable update (like the lions masks on =he sides of your desk) or replaced entirely with recasts from original =ounts, sometimes as a result of condition or damage, with no difference =n value. This was a common practice in the 19th century and in fact all of =hese later mounts were on your desk when JP Morgan bought it from =eorges Hoentschel. So, now we have a market where original =ondition is a crucial determinant of value. =ith these replaced mounts, which are an essential part of Boulle =urniture, we need to lower the estimate from from $400,000-600,000 to =200,000-300,000. Although your desk is the same as it was when =ou bought it thirty years ago, the rules for evaluating it are =ifferent and unfortunately, that is not going to change. Regardless,=this desk remains a great object with important provenance that will =trongly appeal to collectors. We are still delighted to offer it =n the Exceptional Sale; with its exposure to an international group of =ollectors, it is the desk's strongest chance to achieve a =aximum price. I'd=be happy to speak with Mr. Epstein about the desk and to answer any =uestions or concerns he may have. Please do not hesitate to give =im my contact details. Anne Anne Igelbrink Vice =resident, Specialist Head of European Furniture CHRISTIE'S w) f) Visit www.christies.com to explore special =ulti-media sale promotions, browse our illustrated catalogues and leave =bsentee bids through LotFinder(R), Christie's online search engine, and =egister for Internet bidding with Christie's Live(TM). This message and any attachment are =onfidential. If you are not the intended recipient, please telephone or =mail the sender and delete the message and any attachment from your =ystem. If you are not the intended recipient you must not copy this =essage or attachment or disclose the contents to any other =erson. 2 EFTA_R1_01908000 EFTA02660398 EFTA_R1_01908001 EFTA02660399