FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE; BONHAMS ATTRACTS £1.9 MILLION FOR RUSSIAN ART SALE
Russian art continues to go from strength to strength as Bonhams Russian Art sale fetches an impressive £1.9 million. The eminent names on sale included Aivazovsky and Fabergé.
The top lot by Aivazovsky, whose career spanned almost the entire 19th century, named “The Morning Catch”, reached an outstanding £378,400 from an estimate of £150,000 to £250,000.
Another major lot within the sale included Nikolai Fechin’s “Portrait of a young girl”, signed in Latin. Expected to fetch between £55,000-85,000, it more than doubled its estimate at £168,000.
A porcelain plate from the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory, St. Petersburg, made during Alexander II’s period, achieved nine times its estimate of £10,000 - £12,000 with the final hammer price at £98,400.
A stunning piece of jewellery, diamond-set lady-in-waiting cypher, a hinged pendant bearing the rose-cut diamond set initial ‘M’ for Emepress Maria Alexandrovna below an Imperial crown also reached £78,000.
An oil on canvas portrayal by Frantz Alexeevich Roubaud (Russian, 1856-1928) of The charge before the gates of Khiva, achieved a remarkable £57,600.
Sophie Hamilton, Specialist in the Russian Department at Bonhams comments that: “These outstanding prices are indicative of the strength of the market for Russian art. We are delighted with the results and expect this market to continue to go from strength to strength.”
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