Later this month Sotheby’s is set to offer works by some of the most pre-eminent creators of Russian art in dedicated online sales of Russian Pictures and Works of Art, Fabergé and Icons, open for bidding from 26 May – 2 June and 9 – 17 June respectively.
Drawn from prestigious collections around the world, the Russian Pictures sale features important 19th century paintings, such as The Bay of Naples by Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, a view of Moscow by Alexei Savrasov, and a portrait by Konstantin Makovsky’s of his third wife, Maria Alexeevna Makovsky, as well as works on paper and Soviet non-conformist works.
The Russian Works of Art sale (9 – 17 June) will bring together over 200 works, highlighted by several groups from important private European and American collections of Fabergé, silver and a strong selection of porcelain from the Imperial Porcelain Factory.
Originally scheduled to take place as live auctions, Russian Pictures and Russian Works of Art, Fabergé and Icons are just two of a number of sales that, in light of the current global circumstances have been converted online. The start of 2020 has marked an unprecedented year for online sales at Sotheby’s, with over 50 dedicated online auctions being held to date, totaling over $100million.
Sotheby’s online sales have continually demonstrated strong sell through rates, such as the sale of works from the collection of Old Masters dealer Rafael Valls that more than tripled the high estimate and saw 98% of the lots finding a buyer, whilst the Contemporary Curated sale, achieved the highest ever total for an online sale staged at Sotheby’s.