The new rostrum unveiled by Christie's CEO Bonnie Brennan. It comes 260 years after James Christie held his first auction in London in 1766.
The original mahogany rostrum was designed by the celebrated cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale in the 1700s for the firm’s founder James Christie. It had a long innings, serving as the principal rostrum for sales until it was sadly lost in 1941 when a bomb struck Christie’s London headquarters during the Blitz, destroying the building’s interior and leaving only its stone facade standing.
Reproductions of the original rostrum have been in use since then.
During covid however, Christie’s introduced a white rostrum for many sales which were deemed more suitable for auctions being viewed on screen.
The new hand-made oak rostrum designed by Ive and his team at LoveFrom is somewhat sleeker and significantly lighter in colour than the original rostrum. Christie’s said it was “conceived fully in the round” to ensure it was well suited to the large number of viewers watching Christie’s livestreams from around the world, as to those seated in the saleroom itself.
It is designed to “acknowledge the integrity of the brand's history and values, while positioning Christie's perfectly for the future” said the company. “Inspired by the function of the rostrum as a stage, Sir Jony and his team at LoveFrom have taken great care in its design and engineering, working closely with the team at Benchmark in its development and construction.”
“Throughout, Sir Jony has shown reverence for the original design and worked with the Christie's team of auctioneers to understand the many practical considerations for a working tool of the trade which has to hold the auctioneer, be moved and stored easily and can command the saleroom during an auction.”
Benchmark, one of the UK's leading furniture makers, has made the new design with a team of craftsmen using sustainably sourced oak with stainless steel elements. The wood comes from the same forests that supplied the timber for the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral.
It is, in fact, made of end grain oak, chosen for its hardness as it shapes the tone when the gavel strikes as a lot is won. The gavel itself is made of end grain for the same reason.
Adrien Meyer, Christie’s global head of private sales and co-chairman of Impressionist and Modern art, prepares to bring the gavel down on Henry Moore’s King and Queen at £22.5m.
The new rostrum was unveiled at Christie’s King Street saleroom in London on March 5 and was first used by auctioneer Adrien Meyer for the evening sale of 20th and 21st century art – a sale that raised £114.2m including premium from 36 lots. Ive’s rostrum will now be rolled out globally over the course of this year, the firm’s 260th year anniversary.
When asked what will now happen to the old rostrums, a Christie’s spokesperson said: “We have been using reproductions of the original Chippendale rostrums in recent years for charity sales – we will continue to do so, where appropriate.”
‘Stage for authority’
Ive was born in London and moved to California in 1992 to join Apple. As chief design officer, he led projects designing the hardware, user interface and packaging for the firm’s key products including the iPod, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. In 2019 he founded the creative collective LoveFrom with his friend and fellow designer Marc Newson.
“Steve Jobs spoke about the great cabinet makers caring enough to finish the back of a drawer,” said Ive. “Caring about the unseen is a defining characteristic of our work.”
Regarding the new rostrum, he said: “This has been a wonderfully curious and challenging project requiring so much research and unexpected learning. The original Thomas Chippendale design is masterful and remains rather intimidating.
“We have designed a modest object that celebrates craft and material. The purpose of the rostrum is to literally and figuratively elevate the auctioneer, providing a stage for their authority and expertise that proudly carries the Christie’s mark.”
The rostrum unveiled in King Street is the first of five to be revealed over the coming six months across Christie’s global salerooms. Each will take the stage at Christie’s 20th and 21st Century Art sales in Paris in April, New York in May and Hong Kong in September, as well as Geneva Luxury Week in May.
Christie's chief executive Bonnie Brennan said: “The rostrum is at the heart of our business – live auctions – and I feel blessed that for our 260th anniversary we can unveil this remarkable object as our legacy for Christie's future. This is a very proud day for everyone at Christie's and I speak for us all in saying how honoured we are that Jony, the iconic designer of our time, and his team, agreed to work with us. I'd like to thank him for the care, passion and dedication he and his team have shown Christie's during this exciting project.”
