Treasures from communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's haul of diplomatic gifts went under the hammer at Artmark's "Golden Age" auction, held Thursday, January 26. The auctioned possessions of Romania's  former communist leader and his wife valued almost EUR 54,000.

Among the most valuable pieces sold were a bronze yak given to Ceausescu by China's Mao Zedong in the 70s that went for EUR 12,000 and enameled, gold-plated silver doves given by the Shah of Iran in 1977, which sold for EUR 7,500.

Other items sold included a six piece tiger fur (in picture), which was a protocol gift and sold for EUR 4,000, as well as a Constatin Artachino painting, 'Scanteia' ( The Spark ), which also raised EUR 4,000. The auction was the first public sale of Ceausescu’s belongings in a decade.

The other auction organized by Artmark, the  ‘Avantgarde and Expressionism’ sale, raised over EUR 500,000 in sales.

Alex Camburu, alex.camburu@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Artmark)