Sold for $4,375

Provenance:
Estate of Otto R. Erker, St. Louis, Missouri
Selkirk's, St. Louis, Property from the Estate of the Late Otto R. Erker: The Contents of No. 1 Portland Place, St. Louis, 15 April 1986;
acquired from the above auction by the present owner

Note:
The Italian Renaissance style mansion located at 1 Portland Place in St. Louis is among the city's most important landmark residences on one of the most exclusive private streets in the city, just northwest of Forest Park. The 20,000 square foot, 51-room mansion was built by Edward and Anna Busch Faust in 1912 with money purportedly gifted to them by Anna's parents, Adolphus and Lilly Busch of the Anheuser-Busch brewing company, in celebration of their own 50th wedding anniversary. Designed by architect Tom P. Barnett, the interior and exterior of the home were crafted to resemble the great Italian palazzos built by the Medici family in the 16th century.

The Faust Mansion remained in the family for over thirty years before it was acquired by Otto R. Erker, a prominent St. Louis attorney, in 1955. Under his stewardship, Erker maintained continuous renovations of the property and quickly developed a passion for furnishing the home with an expansive collection of fine furniture, rugs, paintings and decorative arts, including the present lot. Upon Erker's death in 1985, his collection was sold on-site at auction.