Until the day before the sale, the identity of the consignor, described in the catalogue as having a "distinguished private collection", had been a well-kept secret.
Their consignor has been arrested for fraud, but Mr Ponsot is now set on ensuring that consumers get what they pay for.
They were put together by Peter Brant, its consignor, with advice from Jeff Koons, an artist with a good eye for old masters but a poor track record in curating contemporary art.
These third parties organize, manage, and bill the whole door-to-door transit for an individual consignor.
Apart from proving receipt of the goods to be shipped, the bill of lading incorporates the terms of the contract concluded between the carrier and the consignor for the transportation of the goods to the port of destination.
In the simplest case the consignor sends the bill of lading by airmail to the consignee so that the latter may claim the goods on the arrival of the ship.
He did manage to persuade one consignor to pull a painting from a Sotheby's sale.
"My ultimate responsibility here is to the consignor".
The consignor is the client.
In May 1989 the picture was bought for a mere $332,500 at Sotheby's New York by the consignor, who then bid against the reserve.
Should the sculpture have risen above that minimum amount, the third party would have received an undisclosed share of the profit made by Sotheby's from the sale charge to the successful bidder and from the charge to the consignor.
