The Codex Sassoon, 10th century
Sotheby’s, New York, 17 May
Estimate: $30m-$50m
One of the world’s greatest treasures, this Hebrew Bible is one of the earliest and most complete in existence and is coming to the market this week with the highest auction estimate of any book ever - not even top Impressionist or Modern works rival it.
The Sassoon Codex comprises twenty-four books divided into three parts: the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Writings. The Bible has been named after Judaica and prominent scholar and bibliophile David Solomon Sassoon, born in Baghdad in 1880, who, through the course of his lifetime, intended to build a complete religious library. The Bible had its pride of place in Sassoon’s collection and is the last entry in his 1932 collection. The codex, Sotheby says, “stands as a monument to religious faith and human devotion to the divine word.”
Image: Courtesy of Whitford Fine Art
Cissie Kean, Pins and Needles (1925)
Eye of the Collector, London, 17-20 May
£12,000
The Eye of the Collector fair has done an excellent job at kicking off the London art and design season this May. The fair takes collectors on a journey of artistic discovery in a historic London location.
The fair includes a small presentation by London-born artist Cisse Kean (1871-1961), who was born into a family of German coffee merchants. Kean had a passion for art from a young age, but her family discouraged her from pursuing art. Nevertheless, she continued pursuing her passion, became an important figure in the London and Paris art scenes, and was a founding member of the Three Arts Club. The geometric composition of Pins and Needles epitomises a distinct period for Kean, which was created among the influences of André Lhôte, Fernand Léger and Amédée Ozenfant in Paris. The work has been consigned from the artist’s estate and is being sold alongside two of her other pieces at Whitford Fine Art for the same price.
Andy Warhol, O.J. Simpson, 1977
20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale, Phillips, New York, 16 May
Estimate: $300,000-$500,000
The former American football star who was convicted of murdering his ex-wife in 1994 is one of several athletes who Warhol captured for a series of photographs. Eleven prints of Simpson holding a football exist, with one selling at Christie’s in 2021, for $500,000. This same work, signed by the artist, is now being offered this May at Phillips. Phillips’ Head of Day Sales, Annie Dolan, says “What Warhol could never have imagined is how the image would later be viewed and the fact that it would be the subject of so much controversy today. Almost five decades after its creation, those who view the image of Simpson staring directly at the camera are likely to immediately recall the other notorious picture of the celebrity—his mugshot.”
Main Image: Courtesy of Sotheby’s