Sotheby's to present Vivian Leigh's entire collection for sale

Sotheby's to present Vivian Leigh's entire collection for sale

September 12, 2017: Auction house Sotheby’s is hosting an upcoming sale from Hollywood actress Vivien Leigh, the star of 'Gone with the Wind', slated to take place on September 26. 

The sale offers pieces from her personal collection comprising paintings, jewellery, couture, books, furniture, porcelain and objets d’art. Myriad pieces drawn from the city and country homes Vivien shared with her husband Laurence Oliver will give a new perspective on the beautiful actress, from her appreciation of art and patronage of Modern British artists, to her passion for books and fondness for entertaining and interior design.

Items on sale include the Notley Mirror, a superb 18th-century carved giltwood mirror (est. £10,000-15,000); first edition of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, the first James Bond novel, 1953 (est. £7,000-9,000); Vivien’s writing bureau, mid-18th century, acquired from Asprey in 1949 (est. £600-900) and Vivien’s desk box, early 19th century (est. £400-600); Vivien’s monogrammed luggage, all monogrammed V.L.O., and two black leather luggage labels with insert name cards printed ‘Lady Olivier’ (est. £800-1,200); a cartoon of “Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh” by Vicky (Victor Weisz), published around 1949 to accompany Alan Dent’s review of The School for Scandal at the Old Vic (est. £600-800); and a wedding present to Vivien Leigh and Laurence Oliver from Katharine Hepburn: an inscribed silver goblet by Georg Jensen (est. £8,000-12,000).

Also part of the assortment are Vivien’s diaries, comprising a black leather-bound Smythson appointment diary, dating from January 10, 1937 to November 25, 1939, giving a unique insight into Vivien’s personal and professional life at the time she was catapulted to fame in her mid-twenties and first fell in love with Laurence Olivier (est. £2,000-3,000), and Vivien’s small brown leather Fortnum & Mason diary from 1953, embossed with ‘Vivien’ in gold on the cover and listing contact details for all her favourite friends, hotels, restaurants, theatres, jewellers and couturiers (est. £1,000-1,500).