SOTHEBY'S TO SELL 1500 LOTS FROM THE ESTATE OF QUEEN JULIANA

IN THE SPRING SOTHEBY'S AMSTERDAM WILL OFFER 1500 LOTS FROM THE ESTATE OF QUEEN JULIANA ON THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE EXECUTORS ON BEHALF OF HER FOUR HEIRS, HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN AND THEIR ROYAL HIGHNESSES PRINCESS IRENE, PRINCESS MARGRIET AND PRINCESS CHRISTINA. THE TOTAL SUM REALIZED BY THE 1500 LOTS TO BE SOLD WILL GO TO CHARITY AND THE SALE WILL BE AT SOTHEBY'S AMSTERDAM ON 14-17.MARCH.2011. THE REALIZED AMOUNT WILL BE DIVIDED INTO TWO PORTIONS; THE FIRST PART WILL BE DONATED TO THE RED CROSS, CHOSEN BY THE FOUR HEIRS BECAUSE OF THE LONG TERM INVOLVEMENT OF QUEEN JULIANA IN ITS WORK. THE REMAINING PORTION WILL BE DIVIDED INTO FOUR EQUAL PARTS; THE PRINCESS BEATRIX FUND WHICH IS THE CHOICE OF QUEEN BEATRIX, PRINCESS IRENE CHOSE THE NETUURCOLLEGE, PRINCESS MARGRIET CHOSE THE RED CROSS AND THE PRINCESS CHRISTINA CONCOURS WAS CHOSEN BY PRINCESS CHRISTINA. WHILE MOST OF THE ITEMS ON SALE, WHICH INCLUDES FURNITURE, PORCELAIN, GLASS, SILVER, PAINTINGS AND SOME DRAWINGS, COME FROM THE PALACE SOESTDIJK WHERE QUEEN JULIANA LIVED FOR ALL HER MARRIED LIFE, SOME OF THE FURNITURE WAS IN THE STORES OR ATTICS AT OTHER ROYAL PALACES, AND MANY OF THE DRAWINGS AND PRINTS WERE HELD IN THE ROYAL ARCHIVE. FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF QUEEN JULIANA AN EXHAUSTIVE PROCESS OF CONSULTATION FOLLOWED. OFFICIAL GIFTS FROM THE ESTATE WERE TRANSFERRED TO VARIOUS FOUNDATIONS OF THE ROYAL HOUSE OF ORANGE-NASSUA AND NATIONAL MUSEUMS. AFTER THE EXHAUSTIVE PROCESS, WHICH HAS TAKEN OVER SIX YEARS, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THERE WAS A CONSIDERABLE VOLUME OF FURNITURE, PAINTINGS, PORCELAIN AND SILVER WHICH WAS BEYOND ANY REQUIREMENTS. THE HEIRS DECIDED THAT THE RESIDUAL PROPERTY SHOULD BE SOLD FOR CHARITY AND WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE SALE AT SOTHEBY'S AMSTERDAM. THE AUCTION WILL BE A REMARKABLE AND CERTAINLY UNIQUE EVENT. THE PROPERTY TO BE SOLD WAS ONLY IN PART ACQUIRED BY QUEEN JULIANA AND PRINCE BERNHARD, WHILE THE LARGER PART HAD BEEN ACCUMULATED OVER THE LAST ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS, HAVING BEEN PASSED BY INHERITANCE TO QUEEN JULIANA FROM KING WILLEM I, II AND III, QUEEN EMMA AND QUEEN WILHELMINA. THE INVENTORY MARKS AND LABELS ON MANY OF THE PIECES SHOW THAT OVER THE GENERATIONS THEY WERE USED IN FOURTEEN DIFFERENT PALACES AND ROYAL RESIDENCES THROUGHOUT THE NETHERLANDS. SOTHEBY'S WILL DONATE THE PROFITS FROM THE SALE OF THE CATALOG TO THE SAME FOUR CHARITIES THAT HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY THE HEIRS. THE CATALOG, WHICH WILL BE A PERMANENT RECORD OF THE MEMORABLE ROYAL EVENT, IS NOW BEING PREPARED AND WILL BE AVAILABLE IN FEBRUARY. IT WILL BE VERY DETAILED WITH ALL THE 1500 LOTS ILLUSTRATED IN COLOUR. ALSO, WHEREVER IT IS POSSIBLE, LINKS WILL BE MADE BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL LOTS, THE MONARCHS WHO OWNED THEM AND THE MANY ROYAL PALACES AND RESIDENCES WHERE THEY WERE USED OVER THE GENERATIONS.