THE ESTATE OF LEGENDARY ENTERTAINERS SIEGFRIED & ROY COMES TO AUCTION AT BONHAMS
Costumes from their four-decade Las Vegas career to custom luxury gifts and home decor from their two estates, Jungle Palace and Little Bavaria, offered on June 8-9, 2022
From humble beginnings in war-torn Germany to international fame and a record-setting run at The Mirage in Las Vegas, Siegfried & Roy were unparalleled as entertainers and personalities. On June 8-9, 2022, Bonhams will present more than 500 personal items from Siegfried & Roy’s professional and personal lives in two days of live sales with Siegfried & Roy: Masters of the Impossible at Bonhams Los Angeles. All proceeds will go towards the SARMOTI Foundation, Siegfried & Roy’s personal charity.
Helen Hall, Director of Pop Culture at Bonhams commented: “We are thrilled to offer the astounding and magical collection of Siegfried & Roy at Bonhams in Los Angeles. Siegfried & Roy dreamed a life for themselves and then made it a reality, whether on stages around the world or their homes in Las Vegas. This is a unique opportunity to acquire a little bit of magic from the life of these incredible entertainers and humanitarians.”
The combination of Siegfried’s mastery of illusions with Roy’s natural rapport with exotic animals created a 50-year performance partnership that set unparalleled attendance and box office records. Along with their extensive animal family – more than 75 white tigers, white lions, leopards, jaguars, and cheetahs and more – Siegfried & Roy became famous worldwide.
In 2003, their performance career come to end when Roy was injured on stage. Over the next 17 years, Roy defied all medical experts by surviving the incident and enjoying a life of philanthropy and creativity until his death in 2020. Siegfried passed away one year later after a brief illness. The lights of the famed Las Vegas Strip were dimmed and flags across Nevada were lowered to half-mast in honor of the two entertainment trailblazers.
The Bonhams sale will exemplify the artful way Siegfried & Roy blended the fantasy worlds of their live performances with their personal lives. Their two residences in Las Vegas, the renowned “Jungle Palace” and personalized retreat, “Little Bavaria”, were quite extraordinary and unique, filled with treasures and mementos of their storied lives and travels around the world. The duo amassed a collection of jewelry, furniture, and decorative objects – ranging from Victorian English clocks to Japanese bronzes. Cartier necklaces, Breitling wristwatches, and other custom jewelry adorned with tigers or lions are also featured, along with one-of-a-kind artwork and collectables from their adventurous lives.
Highlights offered in the sale include:
- Electric blue satin stage costumes worn on stage by Siegfried & Roy, c. 1980s. Embellished with blue bugle beads to the collar and lapels and embroidered all over in a foliate pattern with silver sequins, rhinestones and faux pearls, the tailcoat was worn by Siegfried and the cropped jacket by Roy. Estimate: $2,000-3,000
- 18 Karat gold tiger head pendant with numerous round brilliant-cut diamonds and a ruby eye. Estimate: $4,000-6,000
- Yellow Diamond and Diamond Ring. Estimate: $40,000-60,000
- 18 Karat Cartier necklace with emerald and diamonds. Estimate: $60,000-100,000
- Leopard Spot pattern Tiffany & Co. Porcelain Tea Service, comprising one tea pot, creamer, sugar bowl, seven cups, eight saucers, eight dessert plates, and a cake plate. Estimate: $200-300
- French Japanese Cloisonné gilt and patinated metal turtle-form clock (c. 1870-80). Almost certainly designed by Émile-Auguste Reiber for L’Escalier de Cristal, Paris. Estimate: $10,000-15,000
| Sale: Siegfried & Roy: Masters of the Impossible |
| Location: Los Angeles |
| Sale Date: June 8 |
About Siegfried & Roy
Rising from humble beginnings in post war Germany, Siegfried Fischbacher & Roy Uwe Horn truly invented themselves: there were no models or mentors, no acts upon which they patterned their own. Throughout their 50-year career, they shared a relentless desire to constantly set new standards for live entertainment and deliver performances “Beyond Belief,” that allowed their show at the famed Mirage Hotel to become a Las Vegas destination. Siegfried & Roy truly were international stars of magic and the stage while also conquering film, television, and publishing along the way.
Siegfried & Roy defined event entertainment in Las Vegas for over 35 years as the #1 “must see” attraction in town and created the precedent for all stage productions that followed. Their shows transcended language barriers and appealed to and entertained guests from around the world and made Vegas an international tourism and entertainment destination. Beyond Las Vegas, their record-breaking world tour achieved sellout performances in Tokyo, Osaka and at Radio City Music Hall in New York where they set an all-time attendance record.
Siegfried & Roy supported charitable causes supporting magic, medicine, the needs of disadvantaged youth and, importantly, the protection, preservation and conservation of endangered big cats. They have designated the SARMOTI Foundation as the beneficiary of their legacy to continue their charitable goals.
About Bonhams
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest and most renowned auctioneers, offering fine art and antiques, motor cars and jewelry. The main salerooms are in London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, with auctions also held in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh, Paris, San Francisco and Sydney. With a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full list of forthcoming auctions, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com.