On 22 September 2010 Sotheby’s Paris will host the auction of furniture, silver and old saster paintings formerly from the collection of Madame Antenor Patiño. The collection - divided between La Quinta, her principal residence in Portugal, and her Paris flat - affords Sotheby’s the opportunity to once again pay tribute to the renowned Patiño taste and style, in particular to that of Beatriz Patiño (Madame Antenor Patiño), the guardian of this legacy until her death in 2009. 
The story begins with the mythical figure of Simon Iturri Patiño (1860-1947), the mining pioneer known as the Rey del Estaño (King of Tin), who discovered the most important tin mine in Bolivia. The family art collection was expanded by his son, Antenor Patiño (1894-1982), a collector and connoisseur of the French Grand Siècle and major donor to Versailles. He had a penchant for the Louis XV period and the Oriental influence on the decorative arts, and Sotheby’s sale in September will include a number of works collected by him. 
The story begins with the mythical figure of Simon Iturri Patiño (1860-1947), the mining pioneer known as the Rey del Estaño (King of Tin), who discovered the most important tin mine in Bolivia. The family art collection was expanded by his son, Antenor Patiño (1894-1982), a collector and connoisseur of the French Grand Siècle and major donor to Versailles. He had a penchant for the Louis XV period and the Oriental influence on the decorative arts, and Sotheby’s sale in September will include a number of works collected by him. Madame Patiño lent a feminine touch to his taste for majesty, imbuing it with a unique charm and refinement that is instantly recognizable in her collection and the decoration of her homes. Such taste and style were found in all of her residences, starting with La Quinta, her sumptuous home in Estoril (Portugal) completed in 1990, where every detail contributed to the subtle harmony between the Baroque and more intimate decor. Madame Patiño lavished similar care on decorating her Paris flat and New York apartment. 
Many pieces have a prestigious provenance, with former owners including Tsarinas Elizabeth I and Catherine II of Russia, the Duchess of Rutland, and Elisabeth Auguste, Electress Palatine & Electress of Bavaria, not to mention the famous service made for Simon Patiño by Chaumet.
