Nine Lives, One Collection: The World of Sandy Lerner

Written by William Anderson

From fine English furniture to cat-themed art and even 16th-century horse armor, Sandy Lerner’s private collection is as eclectic as the life of the woman who assembled it. Following the sale of her Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, nearly 400 pieces from Lerner’s collection are headed to auction at The Potomack Company. The items offer a glimpse into the interests and passions that have shaped Lerner’s life. 

Perhaps the most interesting insight is how Lerner enjoyed the collection. One might expect centuries-old relics to be on display behind glass. However, unlike a museum collection, Lerner’s objects were not simply for viewing, but integrated into the everyday life of her estate. “There were pieces that were actually used and enjoyed,” says Potomack Company owner Elizabeth Haynie Wainstein. “So it was a lived-in collection.”

Lerner was a cofounder of Cisco Systems, a company that went on to become a giant in the technology industry and helped with the rapid expansion of the internet. This is how many know her, but Lerner also dipped into the beauty industry, sustainable agriculture, history, and writing. She helped found the revolutionary cosmetic brand Urban Decay in the ’90s. 

Outside the office, she’s a lifelong fan of Jane Austen. Over time, she collected over 8,000 books of 17th- through 19th-century English women’s literature. When she heard Jane Austen’s brother’s house was for sale in dilapidated condition, she purchased it and spent over 10 million pounds restoring it. She later donated her entire 8,000-book collection to form the Chawton House library. The house is open to the public, and the library is known as an educational center for early women’s writing. In 2015, Lerner was awarded an honorary Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of her efforts to preserve British history.

Cats are another great passion of Lerner’s life. She has been acquiring cat-themed art for years, and in 2017 she even published “Caticons: 4,000 Years of Art Imitating Cats,” an illustrated book detailing much of her own collection.

In 1996, Lerner purchased Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, a sprawling 800-acre estate, with the aim of transforming it into a model of sustainable agriculture. Under her direction, Ayrshire became the first farm in Virginia to be both Certified Humane and USDA-certified organic. She focused on heritage animal breeds such as Highland cows. Her idea was that if a viable market could be created for heritage breeds, the market would help sustain them. More than that, Lerner valued the utility of her farm. She approached the farm as one cohesive system, where nothing went to waste. The same is true of her collection. The items she gathered were as much a part of farm life as anything else.

When viewing Lerner’s collection, the various passions of her life are evident. “What you learn about a person through their collection and the vastness of her interests is just amazing,” says Wainstein. “It is a window into her deep interest in knowledge. She is a true Renaissance woman.” Lerner had historical information on hand for most of the items in her care; a walk through her house was not simply observational, but also educational. It is unusual for a collector’s passion and knowledge to be that deep for such a broad collection. 

From tech founder to cosmetics entrepreneur, author, historian, and farmer, Lerner has moved through a remarkable number of worlds, and through all of them, she has remained a collector. In the words of Wainstein, “She is an incredible person who seems to have lived nine lives like a cat.” ML

For more information about the auction, visit potomackcompany.com.

Featured photo by Tom Wright.

Published in the September 2026 issue of Middleburg Life.