Magna Carta Up for Sale

Purchaser says he'll lend it to National Archives

(NEWSER) - A 1297 copy of the Magna Carta, the founding document of constitutional law, sold at auction for $21.3 million last night. Ross Perot's foundation put the document up for sale at Sotheby's in New York, where it was bought by David Rubenstein, a private equity magnate who served in the Carter administration. Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, has said he'll lend the copy to the National Archives in Washington. More»

Pear-shaped jewel worn at 1610 French coronation

(NEWSER) - The diamond Marie de Medici wore when she was crowned queen of France in 1610 has been sold at auction in Geneva for an eye-popping $9.7 million. The 35-carat pear-shaped "Beau Sancy" diamond has been passed down by royal families through the centuries. The buyer is anonymous, reports the BBC . "It's extremely rare for a diamond of this importance to come on the market," said a Sotheby's spokesman. "It's never been out of royal hands, it's of immaculate provenance, and it's in all the history books of famous stones." The diamond was pawned by Mary Stuart to fund the fight by her brother, the future Charles II, for the English throne. It was later the centerpiece in the crown of the first king of Prussia. More»

Lichtenstein's 'Sleeping Girl' brings in $45M

(NEWSER) - Another strong day for Sotheby's, though maybe not on the scale of the The Scream :

• Andy Warhol's silkscreen Double Elvis sold for $37 million. One of 22 made by Warhol, it's based on a movie still and shows Elvis as a gun-toting cowboy, notes the Guardian .
• Roy Lichtenstein's Sleeping Girl sold for $45 million, setting a record for the artist.
• A one-ton porcelain sculpture by Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei, Sunflower Seeds, sold for $782,500.
• Francis Bacon's Figure Writing Reflected in Mirror sold for $45 million.

Sotheby's sale is biggest ever for a painting at auction

(NEWSER) - The experts thought Edvard Munch's The Scream would bring in a princely sum, but not this much: $119.9 million. That's the most ever paid for a painting at auction, reports the New York Times . (The previous record was $106.5 million for a Picasso, notes AP .) No word yet on who bought the 1895 painting at Sotheby's. Five bidders were in contention, and the winning bid came via the telephone. More»

Oddsmakers expect icon to bust records

(NEWSER) - One of the most recognizable painting in human history is now expected to fetch up to $200 million—well beyond Sotheby's early $80 million estimate —when it goes on the auction block this week. British oddsmakers are betting a Russian is most likely to scoop up Edvard Munch's The Scream, offered by a Norwegian businessman whose father was a friend of the artist's. Other famous works by Rothko, Warhol, Cezanne, and Picasso are also coming up for sale in the next two weeks, but The Scream is considered possibly the most famous painting after the Mona Lisa. Several collectors are putting works on the auction block after a dry spell, hoping avid, wealthy buyers from Russia, Asia, and the Middle East will pay record prices. More»