'The Midas Touch': Sotheby's to hold first sale devoted to gold

From a sculpture of model Kate Moss to an elaborate elephant liqueur set, an array of items made with gold will go under the hammer next week in auction house Sotheby’s first ever sale dedicated to the precious metal.

From antiquities to contemporary pieces, “The Midas Touch” sale on Oct. 17 in London features jewelry, art, furniture - and even a Ferrari car.

“It’s the first time we’ve had a sale totally devoted to gold,” Constantine Frangos, senior director at Sotheby’s, said.

“We’re looking at gold objects that are pure gold, objects that are gilt gold, which means that there is gold leaf on them or the color gold. So we’ve kept it pretty open to cover all types of gold.”

Among the highlights is an 18 carat gold sculpture of Moss’ head made by British artist Marc Quinn, estimated to be worth between 300,000 and 400,000 pounds ($395,000-$527,000).

An artwork with gold leaf by Yves Klein, “Monogold Sans Titre”, is seen fetching 800,000 pounds - 1.2 million pounds, while a Baccarat gilt-bronze and frosted cut-crystal liqueur set in the shape of an elephant is estimated at 250,000 pounds - 400,000 pounds.

The 1977 Ferrari 512 BB model, whose paintwork boasts a rare shade of gold, is priced at 350,000 pounds - 450,000 pounds

“It’s the rarity of gold,” Frangos said of the metal’s popularity. “Gold is extremely rare, and it’s one of the few materials that can’t be reproduced. There’s no such thing as manmade gold.”

Reporting by Sarah Mills; Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Hugh Lawson