Djahanguir Riahi (22 September 1914 - 28 April 2014)[1] was a French-Iranian businessman and a renowned collector of 18th century French furniture.[2] Riahl has been declared one of the greatest art collectors since 1945.[3]
Riahi started out as an engineer and road-builder, eventually acquiring an apartment in France.[3] He started collecting in the 1970s, in order to furnish the apartment in the grandest possible tradition.[3] Riahi swiftly achieved notoriety among French dealers due to regularly outbidding them on the finest pieces at auction.[4] Among the master craftsmen represented in the collection were André Charles Boulle, the ébénistes Bernard II van Risamburgh and Martin Carlin; and carpets and tapestry from the Savonnerie and Gobelins manufactories.[4] Some of his individual pieces included wall brackets from Marie Antoinette's bedroom and a cabinet made for the Comtesse de Provence.[3] 59 pieces from the collection, including pieces with royal provenances, were purchased in 2000 by Christie's and estimated to raise 25 million dollars when auctioned off.[4] In 2012 Christie's held a second auction dedicated to former Riahl collection pieces.[2]