In the 20th century, Romania experienced a tumultuous period from a historical point of view, experiencing different, even opposite, sometimes autocratic or radical political regimes, from the royal dictatorship of Carol II to the military Antonesian one, and then the regimes of communist oppression, from the Soviet to the nationalist, with different gradations . Each of these regimes had a significant impact on the social and economic evolution of the country, affecting individual communities or destinies.

Fragments of history and evidence of a tumultuous century are being put up for auction on May 19 under the title “A Century of History — From Monarchy to Communism.” Art-historical auction”, organized by the auction house A10 by Artmark. In addition, the auction on May 19 follows the chronology of historical events and in the first part presents things that belonged to King Charles I, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, Marshal Ion Antonescu or King Michael I.

From the period of Royal Romania, together with collectible evidence, from paintings to books and from ceremonial arms to awards and patents, objects that belonged to the royal family have been and will be auctioned. A truly spectacular sight is a silk fan painted by Queen Elizabeth in colloidal gold with nature scenes (finches among bluebirds!). The collector’s item, with a starting price of 500 euros, contains a kifar of King Charles I and Queen Elizabeth in a beautiful vintage frame. Also dating from the reign of King Carol and Queen Elizabeth is a silver spoon, probably part of a set that was presented to the royal couple on the occasion of their marriage by the then mayor of Bucharest, Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino. The rare piece, which starts at just €75, is embossed with the coat of arms of Bucharest and the monogram of King Charles I and Queen Elizabeth, as well as the inscription of the date of marriage (1869).

The first part of the auction on May 19 will also feature exhibits from the Second World War, from documents issued by political leaders of that time to their personal belongings. Thus, Adolf Hitler signs a patent issued to the chairman of the Council of the Accounting Chamber of the Transnistrian region, Ilye Chabrea, by facsimile method. The piece, dated May 24, 1943, has a starting price of 100 euros.

From the same historical period, when the monarchical regime in Romania was doubled by the government led by Ion Antonescu, comes a series of works that belonged to the marshal and were kept in the family of his cousin. The highest initial price that belonged to someone who accepted the title of head of state between January 1941 and August 1944 is a Marshall pocket watch. The starting price of the gold collector’s item, which was left to his wife, is 5,000 euros. Also, during the event on May 19, the last letters of Marshal Ion Antonescu will be put up for auction. The holographic letters, with an initial price of €650 each, were composed by the marshal with the consent of the authorities and sent on May 31, 1946 to the marshal’s wife, Maria (Rica) Antonescu (4 pages) and his mother, Litsa (1 page). Apart from the biography of the author of these letters, who was convicted of war crimes, these two works are unique historical documents that deserve to be known and researched (the project of accepting them for auction is not intended to embellish the biography and deeds of Marshal Ion Antonescu or to sweeten, although small, the decisions that led to the Holocaust, but the rescue of important historical documents that can be attributed to the national documentary heritage).

After a coup coordinated by the king on August 23, 1944, which removed from power Marshal Ion Antonescu, an ally of Hitler, the country was occupied by Soviet troops, who did not withdraw after the end of the war and supported the Sovietization of the country through and the Communist Party of Romania. In this context, democratic parties tried to organize opposition to the communists. Proof of this is the Manifesto of National Liberals and National Peasant Youth of October 1944, which called for resistance to communist paramilitary formations. The extreme rarity has a starting price of 100 euros. Another collector’s item in the same category is an illegal communist manifesto camouflaged in the program of the “Femina” cinema. The piece, with a starting price of €300, was printed by the Communist Party in the form of a movie theater flyer to disguise a propaganda manifesto. The content also talks about Stalin’s dissolution of the Third Communist International in Moscow.

Chronologically, after the defeat of Germany and the withdrawal of his troops from Romania, King Mihai I returns to the throne and establishes a democratic government. The film “The Monarchy Saves Romania” is a nostalgic work that presents the film dedicated to the presence in Romania for the first time since 1948 of King Michael I in April 1992. The starting price of a collector’s item is only 100 euros.

Until Friday, May 19, the historical works can be admired at the exhibition at Palatul Cesianu-Racoviță from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., as well as online at artmark.ro. “A century of history – from monarchy to communism. Art and History Auction” will be held in the new Timed Online Auction format, which provides for the auction procedure to be held exclusively online, without the presence of an auction commissioner, but controlled automatically by the algorithm of the Artmark Live 2.0 platform. More information about the limited time online auction format and the rules that apply to this type of auction can be found here.

Pocket watch with chain, gold, set with 15 rubies, workshop Joseph Resch Fils, Bucharest, ca. In 1940, it belonged to Marshal Ion Antonescu

Article supported by A10 by Artmark