A bronze yak from Mao Zedong and silver dove from the Shah of Iran are among late Romanian dictator's gifts to be auctioned off
An African leopardskin and a silver dove – a novel offering from the former Shah of Iran – are just two examples of gifts received by Nicolae Ceausescu that will be auctioned off on what would have been the late Romanian leader's 94th birthday.
The auction on Thursday, is billed as The Golden Age, a reference to the final years of Ceausescu's rule when Communist party officials painted a rosy picture of life in Romania while ordinary people struggled with food shortages, power outages and the dreaded Securitate secret police kept tabs on the population of 23 million with an army of 760,000 informers.
Ceausescu, known as "the genius of the Carpathians", was overthrown during the 1989 anti-communist uprising and executed with his wife, Elena, after a summary trial on Christmas Day.
"This auction is first of its kind gathering together objects from private collections and items that belonged to the family which were sold by the state," said Mihail Stomff, head of private sales at Artmark auction house. "The value is foremost a historical one."
Included in the sale is a carpet with a starting price of €800 (£670) depicting the family of the dictator, which should have taken pride of place in the People's Palace, a giant building that now serves as Romania's parliament and was inspired by a visit to North Korea in the 1971. There is also a pen that Ceausescu received during a visit to Japan in 1975, which will go under the hammer for at least €2,000 (£1,670), and an assortment of furs that is expected to sell for at least €1,200 (£1,000).
Among the more eccentric items is a bronze yak given to Ceausescu by China's Mao Zedong and a gold-plated silver and enamelled dove the dictator received from the Shah of Iran in 1977.
There are communist-era posters, medals, photos and flags up to 70 years old, celebrating Lenin and Stalin. A Time magazine from 1948 has Ana Pauker, a Romanian Communist party leader on the front cover.
Some of the objects were initially auctioned by the state organisation charged with dealing with the dictator's possessions and came back on the market through private owners.
Fascination with the former Romanian leader and his lavish lifestyle is nothing new, but Thursday's sale is the first public sale of Ceausescu memorabilia in a decade.
In the past, auctioneers have offered custom-made sports utility vehicles used by the Ceausescu couple, and even pyjamas, which were snapped up, with unsold items donated to an old people's home.
Buyers from Japan, the US and Britain have been among the buyers, and foreigners still appear to be fascinated with Ceausescu.
"The posters are superb. They reflect an era," said a Canadian buyer on Wednesday who declined to give his name. "It will be interesting to see the profile of buyers tomorrow."