Four remarkable lots that impressed bidders in recent auctions are featured in this month’s Look Section: legendary tiara shines anew; Basquiat’s bold street cred appreciated; architect’s table lamp in spotlight & sculpture of despair yields joy

Astor Revisited

A Bonhams London auction this summer brought back to light one of Cartier’s most storied creations – the Astor Turquoise and Diamond Tiara. Purchased by Waldorf Astor in 1930 for his wife, Nancy Astor, the first woman to sit in the British Parliament, this masterpiece blends political history with exquisite craftsmanship. The tiara showcases vibrant turquoise carved into elegant plumes and foliage, framed by brilliant-cut and rose-cut diamonds that shimmer with period charm. Its Eastern-inspired motifs reflect Cartier’s flair for opulent design during the Art Deco era.

More than just ornamentation, this tiara symbolised the American-born Viscountess Astor’s groundbreaking role in British society. It hadn’t surfaced publicly since then, making its £889,400 (HK$9.3 million) sale a landmark event for collectors and historians alike. A beacon of female empowerment and artistic vision, it remains an enduring testament to Cartier’s legacy – and to a woman who dared to redefine her place in history.

Whether worn, displayed or admired in auction catalogues, the Astor Tiara reminds us that high jewellery isn’t just about sparkle; it’s about stories carved in stone and precious metal.

Untitled Youth

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Untitled (1981) is a frenetic portrayal of a mythical figure seemingly entering battle, scrawled in oilstick on paper. Created when the American artist was just 20 years old, the piece channels his graffiti roots and neo-expressionist style into a raw meditation on race, mortality and identity, reflecting his experience as a young Black man navigating the elite art world. It marked the beginning of a two-year period when Basquiat moved from street artist to mainstream. Many critics judge this early period to be his best, and these Untitled works have achieved high prices at auction.

Having been secured in a private collection since 1989, this particular piece re-entered the market with a bang – selling at Sotheby’s in New York for a staggering US$16.4 million (HK$128.7 million). Remaining a cultural flashpoint, its chaotic lines and vibrant palette speak to the urgency of Basquiat’s vision. His early works, including the record-breaking Untitled skull of 1982, aren’t just paintings; they form a collective manifesto daring viewers to confront the beauty and brutality of existence.

Enlightened Wright

A new benchmark for design history was set earlier this year when Frank Lloyd Wright’s Double-Pedestal Table Lamp sold for a record-breaking US$7.5 million (HK$58.9 million) at Sotheby’s in New York. Originally created around 1903 for US philanthropist Susan Lawrence Dana’s house in Springfield, Illinois, the lamp is one of only three ever made – and the only one ever offered at public auction.

Crafted from iridised and opalescent glass, brass-plated zinc and bronze, the lamp’s architectural silhouette echoes Wright’s Prairie style. Its geometric shade, inspired by the sumac plant, shifts in colour from green to amber depending on the light. Hinged side panels evoke Japanese shoji screens, reflecting Wright’s admiration for Eastern design.

More than a lighting fixture, the lamp embodies Wright’s philosophy of total design, in which architecture, furniture and décor form a unified whole. Commissioned by Dana with a “blank cheque”, the lamp was part of a radical reimagining of domestic space. This sale not only crowned Wright’s most valuable object at auction, but also reaffirmed his enduring influence on American design and modernist aesthetics.

Rodin Reaction

A white marble sculpture by Auguste Rodin, long dismissed as a copy, sold for €860,000 (HK$7.8 million) in west-central France this summer, stunning the art world. Le Désespoir (Despair), sculpted in 1892-93, channels the intensity of emotional suffering into a quietly powerful form. It portrays a nude woman seated with her torso collapsed inward, holding her foot out in one arm. The posture radiates tension and isolation, as if her entire body were weighed down by grief. Though modest in size, at 28.6cm high, the anatomical precision and emotional depth give it tremendous presence.

The piece was originally intended to be part of Rodin’s epic work, The Gates of Hell, inspired by Dante’s Inferno, yet it stands alone as a haunting meditation on despair and human vulnerability. For decades, it sat unrecognised atop a piano in France. But in June, after authentication by the Comité Rodin, it was thrust into the spotlight and sold at auction at Château de Villandry. The winning bidder was a young US banker, captivated by the sculpture’s quiet power and remarkable story of rediscovery.