The Collection of Prof. Jack C Richards | A Summary

1 Mar

Worldly possessions: Global reach

On the final auction of Jack C. Richards’s collection

February 2024 marked the momentous finale of a daringly eclectic, four part auction of a single owner collection we have had the honour of being deeply involved with since early 2022: The Collection of Jack C. Richards.

Richards, who has had a globetrotting, academic career in the fields of applied linguistics, language teaching and educational publishing — developed a passion for travel and a very singular strategy for collecting fine and decorative arts from amazing corners of the world. Textiles from Guatemala and Korea, glass art from France, woodblock prints from Japan and further treasures from Laos, China, and beyond served as exquisite mementoes for a mind deeply engaged with the cultures he came into contact with.

Four Successful Auctions

Here at Webb’s we began the process of auctioning this awe-inspiring collection with à la poursuite de la beauté, a July 2022 sale presenting his internationally significant trove of glass by French, Art Nouveau design maestro René Lalique.

The result — from nearly 74,000 catalogue views by highly competitive buyers and institutions from as far afield as the UK, France, Milan, and Zurich — was a white glove sale with a price tag totalling over $1 million.

The competition for each piece made for an exhilarating auction, with prices for the fine glass escalating to new records.

The piece Perruches (Parakeets) for instance, exceeded $50,000, having only held the high estimate of $12,000. Fever pitch was reached with the sale of Palestre (Palaestra), a grey-glass mould blown piece, displaying intricate acid-etched figures standing in classical poses. The vase blitzed the high estimate of $35,000 to reach $71,700 including BP.

à la poursuite de la beauté: The Jack C. Richards Collection of Lalique Glass was monumental in New Zealand auction history and it has set a benchmark for the global sale of Lalique glass on the secondary market.

Highlights

A 19th Century Chuba Robe, Tibet
Est $5,000 — $10,000
Price realised incl. bp $53,775

A Korean Lacquered Box
Est $300 — $600
Price realised incl. bp $35,850

A French Gallé Cameo Glass Vase
Est $400 — $800
Price realised incl. bp $1,553.50

René Lalique Palestre (Palaestra)
Est $32,000 — $35,000
Price realised incl. bp $71,700

Webb’s and Richards then embarked on three further auctions titled Worldly Possessions, which displayed the breadth of this collector’s acumen for other areas of the decorative arts.

Worldly Possessions II, III and IV sales brought together textiles (including rare Chinese, Japanese, and Korean robes, handwoven silk textiles and ikats); ceramics including Ming dynasty Chinese porcelain as well as more contemporary works; large scale artworks from around the world; Richards’ collection of rare Paul Jacoulet woodblock prints; lacquered boxes from Korea, and much more.

We saw fierce bidding on the floor, online, and through international avenues as buyers — from as far as France, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Guam, Korea, China, England, Malaysia, Singapore and the the US — vied to purchase a piece of Richards’ remarkable collection and with it, a reminder of his unique perspective and impeccable ability to recognise beauty across geographic divides.

Through a concerted, omni-channel and global marketing approach, the entire Richards’ collection attracted well over 200,000 auction views, an average sell-through rate across the whole collection of 89% and realised a final hammer price of nearly $2 million.