At long last, the season of giving has arrived, and so has Sotheby’s annual gift guide. To kick off the festivities we have curated a selection of distinctive items for the people in your life who deserve star treatment. Where else will you find a custom Rolls Royce, George Harrison’s guitar, a Stormtrooper helmet, a portable Louis Vuitton cocktail bar, Marie-Antoinette’s fan and more one-of-a-kind treasures? We invite you to explore and place your bids, before the final hammer comes down on the season.
Gifts for travel and adventure enthusiasts
For those looking to travel in style, Sotheby’s sales have the perfect gifts, including a Louis Vuitton wardrobe, Gucci saddle and Leica x Hermès MP Camera. Items range from small – the first book on surfing – to large – a Rolls-Royce Phantom that will be custom wrapped by Contemporary artist Mickalene Thomas – to the purely experiential – an exclusive stay at Belmond le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, one of the UK’s most cherished manor house hotels.
Gifts for collectors of diamonds and designers
All the top designers feature in Sotheby’s auctions of handbags, accessories, jewelry and watches, but if Chanel and René Boivin aren’t for you, perhaps items with exceptional star-studded provenance are. On offer are Carrie Fisher’s watch, John Lennon’s sunglasses and even a fan gifted to Queen Marie-Antoinette.
Gifts for homebodies
For those who find joy in curating their own domestic sanctuary, examples of exquisite 19th and 20th century design will prove the perfect gift. Sculptural masterpieces from Alberto Giacometti, François-Xavier Lalanne and others are not only sought-after by collectors – these works are the key to transforming any abode into a welcome home.
Little things with big impact
Despite being small in scale, miniature items are known to bring a wealth of happiness and delight. Whether gifting a gilded compact, a gem-set lipstick holder or Charles Dickens’s personal mother-of-pearl fruit knife – these small but precious cadeaux will be treasured for years to come.
Gifts to display
In the Baroque era, cabinets of curiosities (or Kunstkammers) were ubiquitous across Europe. Rulers, artists and nobility alike delighted in exotic discoveries – and accumulated wondrous objects to revere at home. The Kunstkammer of artist Albrecht Dürer displayed an assortment of exotica, including animal horns, coral, artworks and other scientific curiosities. Follow Dürer’s lead and accumulate your very own cabinet of wonders.
Flora and fauna-themed gifts
In search of a manageable menagerie? Here, find a panoply of animals to suit your every zoological desire – from Audubon fauna that rule the sky – to towering bears that make your heart beat a bit faster; no matter the species – the below creatures will enliven your habitat. So, step out into the great outdoors and uncover the world’s most extraordinary wildlife with these natural selections.
Gifts for games rooms
Discover the ideal gifts for that one person on your list who always plays to win. Odes to the history of sport, rare modern design works and coveted pop culture memorabilia – including select works from a galaxy far, far away – will bring any game room to the next level.
A toast to the New Year
Toast to the new year with a case of wine from Sotheby’s Own Label Collection, or chic champagne that lasts forever, courtesy Anne-Marie of France. Further impress guests with coasters and a François-Xavier Lalanne rhinoceros condiment holder, both from the collection of Marc Jacobs, or take your party on the go with a Louis Vuitton cocktail bar and humidor customised trunk.
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