September 26 in the London branch of Sotheby's will host an auction of personal belongings of the famous British actress Vivien Leigh (1913-1967), timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of her death. The lots will be personal books, dresses and jewelry from the collection of the Hollywood diva, art and antiques purchased by her, a collection of furniture and porcelain, as well as numerous photographs from a private collection. More than 250 lots with estimates ranging from £ 100 to £ 100,000 provided by the actress's family. “We hope that other people, like all our relatives, will enjoy this collection immensely,” commented Vivien Leigh's descendants.
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The items for sale cover all periods of the actress's life - from childhood and life in pre-war London to the period of her brilliant career in Hollywood and her death in 1967. “This is a chance for us to discover the real, unexpected Vivien Leigh, who has always been overshadowed by her portrayal of the heroines Scarlett O'Hara and Blanche Dubois,” says Sotheby's UK President Harry Delmeny. The Hollywood star was passionate about reading and interior design, collecting art and patronizing many British artists.
Among the top lots are the author's copy of the book "Gone with the Wind", presented to the actress Margaret Mitchell, with a poem written on the flyleaf (estimated at £ 5000 - £ 7000), a personal copy of the famous film script (estimated at £ 2500), Georg Jensen silver cups, a wedding gift Katharine Hepburn (estimated at £ 8,000-12,000), a commemorative silver cigarette case donated by Lawrence's agent Olivier Myron Silsnick (£ 400-600) - in fact, thanks to this man, Vivien Leigh got a role in Gone with the Wind, as well as Asprey's suitcase, wrapped in crocodile leather, for storing jewelry. The latter was presented to the actress on the day of the premiere of Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire at the Oldwich Theater (£ 800–1200).
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Vivien Leigh's jewelry collection itself deserves special attention - pearl necklaces, a brooch with a monogram, a diamond brooch of the 19th century, Etruscan-style jewelry, an enamel brooch-pendant with a clock from the mid-19th century, estimated at £ 5000-7000. At the auction, you can see a gold ring Eternally ring, donated by husband Laurence Olivier, with an engraving imitating his handwriting Laurence Olivier Vivien Eternally (£ 400-600), and a jewelry watch, presented by him for Christmas 1940 (£ 800-1200). The set of a corsage brooch in the form of a bow and a pair of chrysoberyl earrings (£ 4,000-6,000) dates back to the 18th century - in this pair Lee liked to be photographed. Each of the six charms of the bracelet (1940, £ 1000-1500) marked an event in her cinematic biography. One hides a photograph of Vivien as Lady Hamilton,the other is a tiny gold book "Gone with the Wind" - the names of the actress and her heroine are engraved on the "page" - she won an Academy Award for her role as Scarlett O'Hara Lee.
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