Summer 2023 Claims Yet Another Celebrity Marriage

Plus, Revisiting Freddie Mercury's Stuff!

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the big Freddie Mercury auction happening at Sotheby’s this summer, and I’m pleased to report that the rest of the items have come online for preview and are plentiful and delightful. They include a variety of beautiful house- and kitchenwares, antique furniture, some costumes, a piano or two, a surprising amount of what I’ll refer to as “regular clothing,” a bunch of proper art (like this Picasso), a smattering of jewelry, various Queen-related milestone markers like gold records and awards, rando stereo equipment, a cavalcade of items related to Japanese art and culture (including some gorgeous ceramics¹ and a robust collection of kimonos), and what I can only describe as countless deliciously pricy doodads. Going through all 2,349 lots, you truly get a sense for what Mercury’s house must have looked like: Maximalist to the extreme and full of, as Sotheby’s promised, “oddments, curios and beloved objects.” It’s a pleasure. Bidding opens on Friday,…