Auction introduction: The London Exceptional Sale 2024 includes an unprecedented number of rare masterpieces with important provenances, many Royal and aristocratic, ranging from Louis XVI, the comtesse de Provence and Rothschild. All areas of the Classic arts are represented, French and English furniture, sculpture, silver, porcelain, antiquities, clocks, as well as items marking iconic moments in recent history. Though different, all of these pieces are united by their superlative quality, fine craftsmanship and exalted history.  Two mesmerising sculptures, conceived over 1500 years apart, are among the highlights of the sale: the Greek bronze head of Eros, quiet and serene, forms a dramatic contrast with the swirling Nessus and Deiniera group, attributed to the Mannerist artist Giovanni Francesco Susini and latterly in the fabled Rothschild/Rosebery Collections at Mentmore. Works of art with Imperial and Royal provenances include a gold and bejewelled casket for the court of Emperor Qianlong in Beijing, a giltwood pliant from the bedchamber of the comtesse de Provence at Versailles, and also a bridesmaid’s dress by Norman Hartnell, worn at the marriage of Queen Elizabeth II in 1947.   Exquisite quality and craftsmanship is evident in every lot in the sale and some of the greatest artists, workshops and ateliers are represented: furniture by Charles Cressent, Bernard van Risenburgh I, Jacques Dubois, Etienne Levasseur, Georges Jacob and Pierre Garnier, gilt bronze vases and objects by Pierre Gouthière, Francois Remond and Pierre-Philippe Thomire, porcelain from the Sèvres manufactory, silver from Augsburg, pietra dura from Florence and the Gobelins manufactory. Particularly noteworthy is a superb ensemble of Chinese clocks, gilt and bejewelled, studded with coloured stones and emblematic and the lively exchange between courts in Europe and Asia, resulting in some of the most luxurious and sophisticated works of art ever made. Explore Classic Week London auction series