Auction
RANDIER COLLECTION; SCIENCE, MARINE & CURIOSITIES
50 years of passion, 860 items, 3 days of sale

On May 15, 16, and 17, 2023, Maison Aguttes will auction the Randier Collection. The contents of this house located on Rue Oudinot in Paris, in the 7th arrondissement, comprise over 800 lots: objects related to Science, Marine, and Curiosities...

"Is it chance or a logical continuation? After the privilege of being entrusted with a wonderful sale of scientific instruments in 2021, followed by an equally captivating sale of antique watches the following year, we now have the opportunity to present the life's work of a great enthusiast. We look forward to showcasing it to you during the exhibitions and are certain you will take pleasure in discovering it."

Claude Aguttes, auctioneer

"My initial reaction was wonder at the uniqueness of the place: a house in the heart of Paris. Then the discovery of the objects happened gradually because they were everywhere, from floor to ceiling, in the drawers... We worked on-site for several weeks, out of time and step by step... The best way to immerse ourselves in the collector's world."

Sophie Perrine, auctioneer

Henri-Claude Randier, the quintessential old-school collector, has traveled the world in search of objects for five decades. This passionate and seasoned professional has amassed numerous scientific and marine objects, as well as ironwork, companion or Masonic objects, locksmithing, tobacciana, cutlery, trade tools, and a multitude of small and unique items. After 50 years of being a dealer and then an expert, he has entrusted Aguttes with the dispersal of his collection. Three sessions will be required to auction this ensemble, which will satisfy institutions, collectors, enthusiasts, as well as the curious, due to the diversity of objects gathered and estimates ranging from €30 to €30,000.

"When we crossed the doors of this address on Rue Oudinot, we discovered everything an auctioneer could dream of: an eclectic collection that literally extended from floor to ceiling, brimming with marvels related to science, the sea, and high curiosity. It was a pleasure to highlight a collection that, like its owner, exhibited a strong character. Antique measuring instruments are as fascinating as they are rare in the art market, and we were genuinely delighted to appraise hundreds of instruments from the greatest European manufacturers of the 16th to the 19th century."

François Rault, auctioneer

"Henri-Claude Randier's collection was, for me, the epitome of a cabinet of curiosities: one that balances aesthetics and erudition with finesse. All expressions of curiosity were present: natural specimens from the three kingdoms, scientific objects, and a variety of artificialia. There is no doubt that this collection will become a reference point at every stage of the life of the objects it comprises."

Grégoire de Thoury, Furniture & Art Objects Expert

Highlights


273
Rare Culpeper-type wooden and straw marquetry microscope with geometric decor of chevron friezes and alternating vertical bands.
France, 18th century Height: 49 cm
Estimate: €8,000 - €12,000


779
Pocket globe made of boiled cardboard and color engraving, with the inscription "A correct globe with the new discoveries" and tracing James Cook's voyage in red. In its spherical case covered in black shagreen with a celestial map of constellations and the inscription
"A correct Globe with new constellations of Dr Halley & C." England, second half of the 18th century Globe
diameter: 7 cm - Case diameter: 7.5 cm
Estimate: €2,000 - €3,000


322
Finely chiseled pierced military memorandum made of wrought iron with scrolls, foliage, and fantastical bird heads, forming the king's monogram (interlaced double LL) as well.Each plate is inlaid with yellow gold with decorations of military trophies.
The center of each plate features an inlaid gold medallion representing Louis XIV on horseback besieging a city on one side and receiving the keys to the city on the other. The back is adorned with a figure of Mars in inlaid gold. The plates are fastened by a partly gilded silver stylus. Probably Parisian work, second half of the 17th century.
Height: 11.4 cm - Width: 8 cm - Depth: 1 cm (Wear) Estimate: €6,000 - €8,000
Inside the memorandum, a handwritten note in English dated 1822 states that this precious object purportedly belonged to Louis XIV and was then given by Eugène de Beauharnais to the prefect of Mont-Blanc.


44
Oval copper devotional medallion, gilded and engraved, which opens up to reveal four panels successively:
1 - Engraved: a crucified Christ surrounded by the instruments of the Passion and surmounting a mystical Sacred Heart containing a devout soul lying within the wound. Engraved inscriptions: "Semper Agens"/"Semper Quietis"/EA.Tabernaculu.Ut.Requiescat.Inforaminib.Petrae.Elegit" Reverse engraving: emblem of Charity with the self-sacrificing pelican. Inscriptions: "Amore perfecto / Pert mort et tua vivo". 2 - Paperolle reliquary containing relics of the True Cross, St. Agatha, St. Thibaud, St. Gregory, St. Francis de Sales, St. Fiacre, St. Thérèse, St. Pétronille, etc. Reverse: a miniature gouache on vellum depicting the Evangelist St. Matthew.
3 - Engraved: St. Theresa of Avila stands upright with an angel at her feet, holding a rosary. Inscription around Psalm 42, verse 3. Reverse: relics and paperolles under glass (some lacking, not nominative).
4 - Engraved: phoenix emblem and inscription "Fortis ut mors dilectio/Post.Fu.Nera.Vivo".
Reverse engraving: St. Joseph and Our Lady of Sorrows at the foot of a Passion tree with the Child Jesus on a banner.
Top bail. France, 18th century
Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 cm (Wear)
Estimate: €2,000 - €3,000


549
Lustre "Lüsterweibchen"
with deer antlers and a suspended group carved in polychrome-painted wood representing a mermaid holding a child in her arms, with another child on her back offering an apple.
Southern Germany, 17th century
Height: 37 cm - Width: 50 cm (Restorations)
Estimate: €4,000 - €6,000


777
Brass half-circle with an alidade,
double graduation from 0 to 90°, the plate engraved on the front with the inscription "H. Schorf" in a medallion flanked by winged chimeras holding an armored shield, and on the reverse an allegory of Peace, signed in the decor "Jon Trinder Sculp."
Germany, 18th century
Dimensions: 12.3 x 20 cm
Estimate: €3,000 - €4,000


853
Thomas COOPER
Nocturnal in boxwood and brass, with rotating discs held by a central nut featuring an annual calendar divided into months and days, a hour disc, and a movable alidade signed and dated "Thomas Cooper 1701," with the back engraved with a compass rose.
The openwork grip features a heart carrying the inscription "Both Bears" for the Big and Little Dipper.
England, 1701
Height without the alidade: 20.5 cm - Total height: 26 cm (Wear, small cracks)
Estimate: €4,000 - €6,000


478
Sorcery spoon
with a circular copper alloy bowl graduated on the inside with esoteric symbols, reverse decorated with a witches' Sabbath scene and engraved esoteric inscriptions. The wooden handle is shaped like a dog on a leash standing on a medallion with a hooded couple.
Partly from the 17th century
Height: 13.5 cm (Wear, a hole in the bowl)
Provenance: Michel Meyer collection.
Estimate: €800 - €1,000


369
Masterpiece composed of a lock and its lantern key in wrought iron.
The striking plate is worked with piercings. The hidden keyhole is behind a discreet shutter representing Saint Michael defeating the demon against a blue background (activated by a push button) trapped in a temple with a triangular pediment.
Its lantern key in wrought iron has a double circular bit, a blade bit with seven holes and three wheels, and the muzzle is in a comb shape with twelve teeth. The rectangular cushion-shaped bow is pierced and topped with a moving rosette inscribed in a flowered ring with fleur-de-lis.
The lantern has four sides, is pierced, and is topped with a square doucine dome. The upper handle of the dome forms the body with the core of the lantern, made from a single turned metal piece. Wooden octagonal mount with inscriptions: "Masterpiece of Michel Duter Master Locksmith of the Aldermen of Lyon, his superior talent earned him the title in 1785.
He fell victim after the siege of the city in 1793. This memorial is erected in his memory by the gratitude of his godson M Vallansot 1815." Inclusions and turned finial above (with a seditious profile of Louis XVI). On the back is a copper plate engraved with Masonic symbols and inscriptions.
France, 18th and 19th centuries.
Height: 49.5 cm - Width: 28.5 cm (Posterior foot, losses)
Estimate: €40,000 - €60,000


191
Attributed to Johann Gottfried ZIMMER (Active in the mid-18th century)
Mechanical equinoctial sundial called a "minute" dial in gilded brass, silver, steel, and glass, engraved with a decorative motif of floral crowns, with four legs that rest on a square base with three screws containing a compass. The back of the plate displays the latitudes of major European cities.
Dresden, circa 1750
Dimensions: 16.5 x 10 x 10 cm (Oxidation)
Estimate: €20,000 - €30,000


127
Superb miniature town carriage
Quarter-scale model of Empress Eugénie's town coupe in mahogany veneer, steel, brass, and leather, with two doors adorned with the imperial eagle, and a checkered veneer interior with a caned seat. It bears the signatures of the coachbuilder "Morel Paris" (on the wheels), "C.Billy" (on the lanterns), and "P.Devilliard" (under the wheel shaft).
France,
Second half of the 19th century
Dimensions: 55 x 109 x 45 cm
Estimate: €25,000 - €35,000


194
Wolfgang HAGER in WOLFFENBÜTTEL
ilver and gilded brass compendium with a weather vane featuring a graceful horse, the plate signed "W Hager Wolffenbüttel" and dated "Anno 1690," a retractable sundial, and a four-direction compass. The hinged case is monogrammed.
Germany, 1690
Dimensions: 4.5 x 4.5 cm - Gross weight: 87.1 g
Estimate: €7,000 - €10,000


174
Domenicus LUSUERG (1669-1744) in ROME
Gilded and engraved brass level square, signed "Dominicus Lusuerg F. 1717." The two legs are widened at their base to stand vertically on the leveling plane, and they are decorated with finials and are connected by a circular hinge engraved with scrolls, pierced for suspending a plumb bob. The articulated and graduated transverse arm is adorned with rosettes.
Length: 19.2 cm
Estimate: €800 - €1,000


312
Joseph II ROUX (1725-1789) in MARSEILLE
Rare octant in ebony and gilded brass, signed "Joseph Roux à Marseille" between two fleurs-de-lis, with the limb graduated from 0 to 90°. 18th century
Height: 41 cm (Oxidation)
Note: Joseph Roux was the father of the famous line of marine painters.
Estimate: €700 - €900

Randier Collection SCIENCE, MARINE & CURIOSITIES

Auction Dates
May 15, 16, and 17, 2023

Auction Schedule

Sale I: Monday, May 15, at 2:30 PM
Lots 1 to 272

Sale II: Tuesday, May 16, at 11 AM & 2:30 PM
Lots 273 to 595

Sale III: Wednesday, May 17, at 11 AM & 2:30 PM
Lots 596 to 867

Public Exhibition Aguttes Neuilly, 164 bis Avenue Charles-de-Gaulle
From May 9 to May 12: 10 AM - 1 PM and 2 PM - 6 PM On May 15: 10 AM - 12 PM (partial exhibition)
Auctioneer Director of the Private Collections Department
Sophie Perrine
+33 (0)1 41 92 06 44 • perrine@aguttes.com