Multilingual and a lover of literature and music, he acquired a varied collection of fine and decorative art as well as rare books that is being auctioned at Sotheby’s New York on June 24, 2026. The exhibition is on view through June 23.
Professionally, Tempelsman was a civic leader, engaging frequently with prominent politicians in America, Africa, Latin America, and Europe. Personally, he was the final longtime companion of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Keepsakes from their relationship in the sale include an engraved Cartier Tank Wristwatch Onassis gifted him, a portrait of her by celebrated American artist Aaron Shickler, a watercolor by her, and a Greek-style alabaster head that was displayed in the Kennedy White House and bequeathed to Templesman in Onassis’s will.
Among the additional thematic groupings in the sale are maritime objects and paintings (Tempelsman was passionate about the sea), antique jewelry, American, English, and French furniture, African and Oceanic art, illuminated manuscript leaves, and gold boxes.
Besides the present lot, acquired by Tempelsman in the 1960s, four are in museum collections (the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, and the Musée du Louvre) and five are in private collections.
Luxuriously crafted Steinkabinetts epitomize the Enlightenment’s scientific interest in mineralogy. This example of “Galanteriewaren,” or small precious objects with a function, features agate, amethyst, bloodstone, jasper, lapis lazuli, nephrite, petrified wood, turquoise, and white opal, a gemstone that particularly fascinated the Electors of Saxony.
Stiehl, like other goldsmiths, had to obtain approval to personally mine stones for his work. He was granted permission to do so in Saxony in 1765. While other goldsmiths focused on utilizing scientifically varied specimens, Stiehl chose thinly-cut translucent hardstones for their harmony and beauty.
Knowledge of this box’s individual stone types and their specific place of origin come from a secret hidden within the box. A sliding compartment in the base, activated by pressing one of the opal inlays, reveals a small handwritten paper booklet titled “Catalogue de toutes Sortes de Pierres qui se trouvent en Saxe.”
This document is written in French, the official language of the Dresden court, and in old German script (Kurrent). It identifies every hardstone used on the lid, sides, and base, and assigns each a number. These numbers correspond to tiny, engraved numbers above each hardstone panel on the box itself. It is fortuitous that both box and booklet have survived intact together.
Stiehl is known for his floral designs, and the lid here displays a spray with a peony, a red carnation, tulips, smaller blossoms, and forget-me-nots. At the Saxon court, forget-me-nots had a rich symbolic history, denoting loyalty and faithfulness. There are 43 numbered irregularly shaped hardstone specimens on the lid, 72 lozenge-shaped ones on the sides, and another 72 on the base. The wavy bands of gold have reeded or stippled engraving, and sinuous gold work on the sides includes a motif of interlaced ribbons.
The rarity of Stiehl’s Steinkabinett is evocative of Tempelsman’s unique life. This intricate work of art celebrates the natural world, as Tempelsman’s career focused on the earth’s resource of diamonds. Its embodiment of scientific inquiry is akin to Tempelsman’s intellectual rigor, and its ode to beauty is echoed in the aesthetic thread found in Tempelsman’s collection.
