RUSSIAN ART TRIUMPHS AT SOTHEBY’S FIRST TWO SESSIONS OF SOTHEBY’S COMBINED AUCTION OF FINE AND APPLIED ARTS BRING $46.7 MILLION THE HIGHEST TOTAL EVER FOR AN AUCTION OF RUSSIAN ART WORLDWIDE
News-Antique.com - Nov 30,-0001 - New York, NY - Records toppled today during the first two sessions of Sotheby’s sale of Russian Art which totaled, $46,716,959, the highest total ever for an auction of Russian Art worldwide. The third and final session of Russian Art will be offered on Friday, April 28th. Highlighting today’s offerings was Nikolai Roerich’s Lao-tze, which sold for $2,200,000, more than seven times the high estimate of $300,000 and a record for the artist at auction. Topping this afternoon’s session of applied arts was a magnificent Russian gilded silver and champlevé enamel complete tea and coffee set, which brought $1,808,000, tying the record for a Russian Tea Service at auction established last April in Sotheby’s sale of Russian Art in New York. Other auction records were established for Yakovlev, Bogdanov-Belsky, Anisfeld, Vereschchagin and Bogolyubov. Both sessions of fine and applied arts exceeded their estimate and nine lots were sold for more than $1 million.
Sonya Bekkerman and Gerard Hill, Sotheby’s experts in Russian Paintings, and Fabergé and Works of Art, respectively, said, “We are absolutely thrilled with the results of the first two sessions of our sale of Russian Art. This is the third time in twelve months that Sotheby’s international team has broken the record for a sale of Russian Art. This is a market that is maturing; collectors are educating themselves and remain determined to acquire works of the highest quality.”
The record for Alexander Evgenievich Yakovlev was broken twice during this morning’s session of fine art. The first was when his Retreat of Kiai-Ting sold for $1,248,000, far above a high estimate of $200,000. That price was immediately exceeded by the following lot, the artist’s Kabuki Dancer, which was the subject of a bidding battle, driving the final price to $1,808,000, more than nine times the high estimate.
Applause broke out in the salesroom several times today including when the hammer fell on Petr Petrovich Vereshchagin’s Nevsky Prospect, St. Petersburg. The painting was sought-after by four determined bidders who drove the price to $1,472,000, a record for the artist at auction (est. $120/180,000).
Also among the top ten lots of today’s sale was Korovin’s Studio, Gurzuf, Crimea by Konstantin Korovin, which brought $1,696,000. Painted in 1914, during the artist’s Crimean retreat, the present work had been estimated to sell for $400/600,000.
In addition to the exceptional price achieved this afternoon for the champlevé enamel complete tea and coffee set, demand was strong for choice examples Russian of porcelain including an offering of sixteen Imperial Porcelain plates from military services which were acquired by an American diplomat in Russia in the early 20th century. Every single plate exceeded its high estimate and together the sixteen pieces brought and outstanding $2,045,000, nearly double the high estimate of $1.1 million.
Sotheby’s sale of Russian Art continues on Friday, April 28th with Russian icons, paintings, drawings, sculpture, books, important silver and works of art.
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