Brooke Astor Home Auction Fetches $18.8 Million in NYC

An auction of the contents of philanthropist Brooke Astor's two homes brought in more than $18.8 million, Sotheby's said Tuesday.

Sotheby's offered 901 objects in all, including European and Asian furnishings, Old Masters, Qing Dynasty paintings, tea sets, silverware, jewelry, a porcelain menagerie, more than 100 dog paintings and even the uniforms of her domestic staff at a two-day auction that began Monday.

Proceeds will go to institutions and charities, including the New York Public Library and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, under a settlement negotiated by the state attorney general's office.