Cambridge Collective draws on nearly a decade of experience advising private collectors, family offices, and institutions across North America and Europe. Our expertise spans the full spectrum of the market from Old Masters and fine decorative arts to leading contemporary voices such as Banksy, Yoshitomo Nara, Yayoi Kusama, and Nicolas Party. Today, our work extends to access at the very highest level, including blue-chip museum-grade works that rarely surface on the private market. Positioned within transactions in the tens to hundreds of millions of dollars, we bring a rare combination of market fluency, historical scholarship, and direct relationships with the world’s foremost auction houses, estates, and dealers.
Members of our team directly advised a private collector in the 2015 acquisition of King Ferdinand VII of Spain (1784–1833), full-length, in the uniform of Capitán General by Vicente López y Portaña at Christie’s London for £18,750. We facilitated the international relocation of the work from Europe to North America and, a decade later, guided the client’s heirs in its successful consignment through Christie’s New York, where it sold for $52,000 to a European institution. The engagement spanned the full lifecycle—from strategic acquisition and provenance review to resale positioning. Leveraging the painting’s royal subject, its exhibition history in early 20th-century Madrid and Barcelona, and noble provenance via the Duke of Sotomayor, we developed a compelling historical narrative and collaborated closely with auction specialists to ensure optimal placement and visibility.
Drawing on prior experience, the Cambridge Collective, LLC team facilitated the 2024 consignment and sale of An Academic Nude, Traditionally Identified as The Sleeping Hector, a French School oil painting circa 1760, through Christie’s New York. The team’s role included provenance research, market positioning, and direct coordination with Christie’s specialists to secure a no-reserve listing and maximize visibility. The work’s distinguished provenance, including a connection to ballet icon Rudolf Nureyev, was strategically emphasized to elevate collector interest. The piece ultimately sold for 10x its high estimate, reflecting the effectiveness of a curated, full-service approach from private holding to auction block.
The Cambridge Collective, LLC team supported the sale of Portrait of Shaftesbury, a significant work by Sir Thomas Lawrence depicting his childhood friend. Originally acquired by the client in 1997, the painting had been framed and restored by Simon Gillespie and evaluated by an appraiser in 2018. We oversaw all aspects of the sale, including shipping, condition reporting, and both pre- and post-sale services. Drawing on extensive provenance research, we emphasized the painting’s direct descent from the sitter through successive Earls of Shaftesbury and its exhibition pedigree, including the Royal Academy of 1811. By curating a compelling narrative and coordinating with Christie’s teams in London and New York, we positioned the work for a prestigious placement and a strong sale outcome, with the piece evaluated at $650,000.
Our team advised on the successful consignment and sale of a pair of Empire giltwood fauteuils attributed to François‑Honoré‑Georges Jacob (Jacob‑Desmalter), completed circa 1804–06. Commissioned for Prince Louis Bonaparte and Hortense de Beauharnais’s Hôtel de la Rue Cerrutti and later held by the Torlonia family, the chairs carried an exceptional imperial provenance. We curated a tailored narrative underscoring their historic and technical value, managed full provenance documentation, and worked closely with Christie’s on condition review and digital presentation. The result was a high-visibility listing in Christie’s online-only auction platform, where the pair realized nearly 7x their high estimate, exemplifying our refined approach to decorative arts brokerage and digital placement.