On the Road with André Becker’s Carriage Collection

“A collection of this magnitude hasn’t appeared at auction in over 30 years. That’s exceptional,” says Patrice Biget, the expert of the sale led at Drouot by Benoît Derouineau of the Daguerre auction house in conjunction with Anhée, near Namur, Belgium, where the carriages are in storage. The collection will surely spark the excitement of enthusiasts worldwide and take us back to the historic and material sources of the horse-drawn vehicle, which combined technological progress with artistic achievement. t he invention of the modern carriage is attributed to Frenchman Jean Le Pautre, who developed it in the 1660s in Paris with, among other things, the possibility of better steering. From gala carriages, like the ornately decorated 1848 grand berlin from Portugal (€20,000/30,000), to a road coach used for sports or leisure activities (a beautiful example is in the sale, estimated €40,000/50,000 and a two-wheeled gig (cabriolet) from c.…