In an overflowing salesroom at Sotheby’s on December 18, the Magna Carta was saved for America by David Rubenstein, who intends to place the document back on view at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Rubenstein, who referred to the manuscript as a “beacon for freedom,” purchased the document for $21,321,000, including buyer’s premium.
“I have always believed that the three most important documents were the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Magna Carta,” said Rubenstein after the sale. “This document stands the test of time. There is nothing more important than what it represents. I am privileged to be the new owner, but I am only the temporary custodian. This is a gift to the American people. It is important to me that it stay in the United States.”
Rubenstein, who worked in the White House in the Carter Administration, is a cofounder and managing director of the Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm.
David Redden, a vice chairman of Sotheby’s and the evening’s auctioneer, said, “The most extraordinary document in the world was placed up for auction and the most perfect outcome was achieved.”
Magna Carta is the royal document revered as the birth certificate of freedom. The iconic manuscript, dated 1297, is the original charter that enshrined the rights of man into English law, and inspired the passion for liberty that flowered in America in the Eighteenth Century and continues around the world today. It is the most famous single document in existence. Issued by King Edward I, and sealed by the king, this astonishing survivor was offered for sale by the Perot Foundation, which purchased it from an English family in 1983.
This medieval vellum manuscript is well-known to millions, having been on view with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., since arriving in America more than 22 years ago.
For information, 212-606-7000 or www.sothebys.com .
