Momentoes from Versace villa snapped up at London auction

Mar 18, 2009, 12:49 GMT

London - Glittering momentoes from the luxury villa of former Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace were snapped up by celebrity-loving auction-goers in London Wednesday.

Frenetic bidding for items from Versace's opulently-furnished villa meant that results in the first few hours surpassed all expectations, reaching more than 1.7 million pounds (2.4 million dollars) against a total estimate of 2 million pounds.

A spectacular 19th century gilt-and bronze chandelier was sold for 47,000 pound, fetching more than twice the estimate of 20,000 pounds, the auction house said.

A Venetian double wall mirror of etched glass was sold well above its estimate for 43,000 pounds, while a staggering 97,250 pounds were paid for a set of British-made roundels depicting classical figures, exceeding its estimate of a maximum of 20,000 pounds by nearly five times.

The sale of a total of 500 items includes furniture, silver, china and paintings from Versace's Villa Fontanella on the banks of Lake Como in northern Italy.

Versace, who was shot dead in Miami in 1997, owned several homes, but used the villa near Milan to relax. It was a popular venue for weekend parties attended by, among others, the late Princess Diana, Elton John and Sting.