A two-day auction of gems belonging to Philanthropist Brooke Astor brought in an estimate of $18.8 million, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Journal reported that contents of the auction came from Astor's two homes, 901 objects in all, including European furnishing, Old Masters, Qing Dynasty paintings, tea sets, silverware, jewelry, a porcelain menagerie, more than 100 dog paintings and many more.
Proceeds of the two-day auction which began on Monday will go to charities and institutions including the New York Public Library, the Animal Medical Center, New York schools and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
According to the Journal, the auction brought in an estimated $18.8 million when it was expected to bring in about $9 million.
The sale ended on Tuesday night, with the final piece from a selection of jewelry from Astor's personal collection. Astor's emerald engagement ring sold for more than $1.2 million. The sale also included pieces from Astor's former Park Avenue duplex and her Westchester mansion, Holly Hill.
According to Bloomberg, a drawing by Giovanni Antonio Canal, known as Canaletto, sold for $1.2 million, "The Deer and the Lady, with Punchinello" by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo brought $722,500, and all 73 lots of dog paintings totaled $816,130.
The Journal reported that the auction follows a nasty five-year family feud involving Astor's only son, Anthony Marshall. The dispute ended in March, freeing $100 million of Astor's charities and cuts.
Astor won a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1998.
Astor died in 2007 at age 105.
