Maltese gradenza fetches world record price at auction

A Maltese chest of drawers (gradenza) fetched a world record hammer price of €100,000 during the auction on Sunday at the Sliema residence of former Prime Minister George Borg Olivier. The auction, by Obelisk Auctioneers, included the late Prime Minister's personal belongings as well as private entries. The chest of drawers belonged to a private collector and did not form part of the Borg Olivier collection.

When contacted, the buyer, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed it was a world record price, recalling that some time ago there had been another gradenza sold in Guernsey, Channel Islands to a foreign bidder for around £60,000.

Auctioneer Pierre Grech Pillow of Obelisk said: "This is the second item that has fetched a record price during one of our auctions. A 17th century painting of St John the Baptist in the Wilderness by Jeronimo Jacinto D'Espinosa had sold for another record price of €116,000."