STOCKHOLM (AP) - September 29, 2009
The set, which had been valued at around 10,000-15,000 kronor
($1,430-$2,150), sold for 1 million kronor ($142,000), said
Charlotte Bergstrom, a spokeswoman at Bukowskis in Stockholm. It is
missing a white king and is believed to have been used in "The
Seventh Seal," one of Bergman's most famous films.
"In one part of the film, Max von Sydow sweeps his mantle over
the table and the (chess) pieces fall to the ground and you can see
that the white king breaks into pieces," Bergstrom said.
Bergstrom said the auction began Monday and lasted for more than
nine hours, ending in the early hours of Tuesday and garnering a
total of 17.9 million kronor ($2.6 million).
All 337 objects, including Bergman's wastebasket, writing desk
and Golden Globe awards, were sold. A red-painted, devil-shaped
jumping jack - given to Bergman by his grandson Ola - was auctioned
for 29,000 kronor ($4,100).
A wooden model of Stockholm's Royal Dramatic Theater with a tiny
model of the legendary director sitting inside it, scored the
highest bid: 1.03 million kronor ($147,500). Bergman headed the
theater for several years in the mid-1960s.
Bergstrom called the auction "historic," saying that even
though the hammer prices were expected to be higher than estimates,
they still exceeded expectations. "And because it's him, Ingmar
Bergman, it inflates the prices a bit, of course."
The proceeds will go to Bergman's family, Bergstrom said.
In the four days the objects were showcased before the auction,
Bukowskis received more than 8,000 visitors. The auction house's
Web site tallied more than 5,000 hits a day from 116 countries,
Bergstrom said.
According to the auction house, Bergman insisted in his will
that his assets be auctioned off to prevent them from being caught
up in "some kind of emotional hullabaloo."
Bergman died July 30 at age 89 in his home on the Baltic Sea
islet of Faro. His films won numerous international awards,
including best foreign film Oscars for "The Virgin Spring,"
"Through a Glass Darkly" and "Fanny and Alexander."
His 84-acre (34-hectare) Faro property is also up for sale in a
process managed by Christie's Great Estates in London.
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