Pablo Picasso's epic anti-war painting Guernica, portrays the devastation of the bombing of the Basque city of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War in 1937. Completed shortly after that same year, the twisted figures of people and animals in Picasso's masterpiece evoke the horror, pain and suffering caused by war. Picasso was vehemently opposed to the atrocities committed by Spain's fascist forces against their own people and he intended this provocative painting to be an ardent rebuke of their barbarism. The warped and disjointed figures in this work are also emblematic of Picasso's signature Cubist style.

Guernica's emotive message is still relevant today. This carving in white, black and blue sapphire sourced from Madagascar is an ode to Picasso's genius and draws inspiration from his masterpiece whose same message still echoes through the current era.

This carved sapphire comes in at a remarkable 52,950 carats, just 8,550 carats less than the Millennium Sapphire at 61,500 carats.

Mohs hardness 9.0