iPhone Design Guru Creates New Rostrum For Christie's
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"A modest object that celebrates craft and material" has been built to help celebrate 260 years of Christie’s auctions.
Christie's rostrum - originally designed in the 1700s by Thomas Chippendale, with reproductions used in more recent times - has always been a central element of the auction house's operations. Now, it is making way for a new design by Sir Jony Ive.
"Our collaboration with Christie’s has been unforgettably special," says Ive. "This has been a wonderfully curious and challenging project requiring so much research and unexpected learning. The original Thomas Chippendale design is masterful and remains rather intimidating. We have designed a modest object that celebrates craft and material. The purpose of the rostrum is to literally and figuratively elevate the auctioneer, providing a stage for their authority and expertise that proudly carries the Christie’s mark."
Christie’s inaugural rostrum was lost in 1941 when a bomb struck Christie’s London HQ during the Blitz, destroying the building’s interior and leaving only its stone facade standing. Reproductions of the original rostrum have been in use since then.
Credit: Christie's Images Ltd 2026 | Click to enlarge
For those of us who will never be able to afford to go to a Christie's auction and see the new rostrum for ourselves, it is described as being made from sustainably sourced oak (from the same forests that supplied the timber for the recent restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral) with further elements in stainless steel. For the design, Ive worked closely with the Christie’s team: essentially, the rostrum is conceived as a tool and the British designer approached it with the reverence one expects for a functional, utilitarian object.
"The rostrum is at the heart of our business," says Christie’s CEO Bonnie Brennan. "I feel blessed that for our 260th anniversary, we can unveil this remarkable object as our legacy for Christie’s future."
