Bonhams to Offer Sandy Lerner Cat Collection in September
NEW YORK, N.Y. — July 22, 2025 —
Bonhams has announced The Sandy Lerner Collection, a four-part sale series featuring one of the most significant private collections of cat-related art and collectibles ever assembled. The live auction opens with The Sandy Lerner Cat Collection sale on September 30 at Bonhams’ new U.S. flagship at 111 West 57th Street in New York.
Among the top lots is a Fabergé Hardstone Model of a Recumbent Cat, St. Petersburg, circa 1900, estimated at $12,000-$15,000. Finely carved to capture the animal’s poised animation and individual character, the model showcases Fabergé’s masterful use of natural hardstone coloration and texture, with striking green eyes contrasting against the polished stone body. Also notable is a Chinese White Jade Cat Form Snuff Bottle, Qing Dynasty, circa 1730-1850, estimated at $30,000-$40,000, carved from evenly colored white jade in the form of a crouching cat with carefully rendered ears, whiskers, alert eyes, a curled tail, and incised fur markings, a subject that appears with unusual rarity in Chinese decorative art.
Further highlights include a Rare Meissen Porcelain Model of a Cat with a Bird in Its Mouth, circa 1740, estimated at $1,500-$2,000, depicting a slender prowling cat carrying its prey in a vivid example of early Meissen naturalistic animal sculpture, and an English Delftware Model of a Seated Cat, possibly London, mid-18th century, estimated at $10,000-$15,000, with closely related examples held in the Victoria and Albert Museum. A George II Silver Tureen by Richard Gosling, London, 1747, estimated at $10,000-$30,000, rounds out the feline-themed highlights with its distinctive leopard finial and richly chased rocaille ornament.
Beyond the cat collection, property from Lerner’s celebrated Virginia estate, Ayrshire Farm, will be offered across two additional sales in October, encompassing fine interiors, paintings, and silver. Collectors and dealers may contact Bonhams at 111 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019, or visit bonhams.com for complete cataloguing and bidding information.
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