A copper and brass hippopotamus bar broke the record for the priciest design object sold at auction.
Expected by Sotheby’s to fetch between $7-10 million, François-Xavier Lalanne’s Hippopotame Bar eventually pulled down $31.4 million Wednesday. A furious 26-minute contest between seven bidders pushed the sale beyond Lalanne’s previous auction record — the brass Rhinocrétaire I, which featured a desk, safe, bar and wine storage — by more than $10 million. The hippo features a revolving bottle rack, glass storage, ice bucket, and serving tray, from which its previous owner reportedly served chips and salsa.
“The hippopotamus shape was a recurring one in Lalanne’s career,” The Art Newspaper wrote: He also made bathtubs and even one bidet modeled on the mammal.