Sotheby's is staging what it claims to be the world's first auction dedicated entirely to gold.
The Midas Touch collection, going under the hammer in London on Wednesday, includes a golden Ferrari, a solid gold bust of supermodel Kate Moss and a gilt chair made for Napoleon's throne room.
The Ferrari, a 1977 512 BB model whose paintwork boasts a rare shade of gold, is priced at between £350,000 and £450,000.
The auction house is hoping the bust of Kate Moss, made from 18-carat gold by British artist Marc Quinn, will fetch between £300,000 and £400,000.
The chair, a ceremonial fauteuil commissioned for Napoleon's throne room at the Palais de Tuileries and built in 1804, has a top estimate of £300,000.
Constantine Frangos, senior director at Sotheby's, said. "It's the first time we've had a sale totally devoted to gold.
"We're looking at gold objects that are pure gold, objects that are gilt gold, which means that there is gold leaf on them or the colour gold. So we've kept it pretty open to cover all types of gold," he added.
An artwork with gold leaf by Yves Klein, Monogold Sans Titre, could go for up to £1.2m.
A Baccarat gilt-bronze and frosted cut-crystal liqueur set in the shape of an elephant is valued at up to £400,000.
Mr Frangos said there is no secret to gold's enduring popularity.
"It's the rarity of gold. Gold is extremely rare, and it's one of the few materials that can't be reproduced. There's no such thing as manmade gold," he said.
A number of art historians have criticised the auction, accusing it of capturing the era's brash, "bling" spirit at a time when the gap between the world's rich and poor is widening.
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Gauvin Bailey, professor of art history at Queen's University in Canada, told CNN: "Gold inspires people to dream of escape, but it also inspires resentment and outrage.
"Gold's ability to flood the market and cause financial disaster has also made the metal a perennial source of fear."
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