London Auctions of All Things Russian

By L. MARGARET STUDER

RUSSIAN SALES dominate the coming week at London auction houses as paintings, royal Fabergé, imperial silver, porcelain and books come under the hammer.
[A red Faberg[eacute] silver-gilt, pearl and enamel frame ] Courtesy of Sotheby's

A red Fabergé silver-gilt, pearl and enamel frame with a miniature painting of Empress Maria Fedorovna of Russia, circa 1890; estimate:£60,000-£80,000.

At Sotheby's, Monika, Princess of Hanover, Countess of Solms-Laubach, is offering in a 100-lot sale a collection formed by Thyra, Princess of Denmark, Duchess of Cumberland (1853-1933). Many of the items were presents from royal relatives, including Thyra's sister, Empress Maria Fedorovna of Russia. The collection is expected to raise in excess of £1 million. Among the most charming items is a red Fabergé silver-gilt, pearl and enamel frame in the shape of a heart from circa 1890. The frame contains a miniature painting of Empress Fedorovna, who gave it to her sister for Christmas of 1905 (estimate: £60,000-£80,000).

Despite the current economic downturn, Sotheby's senior director Jo Vickery says "quality and rarity will sell." William MacDougall, director at the specialist Russian auctioneer MacDougall Arts Ltd. in London, estimates that 90% of buyers during London's two "Russian Weeks" (in June and November) are Russian. "There are still lots of Russians with lots of money," he says.

Bonhams is featuring another imperial gift: a silver-gilt and enamel tankard from 1889, given to American Wild West hero William Cody, known as Buffalo Bill, by Grand Duke Georgii Aleksandrovich, brother of Emperor Nicholas II. It's expected to fetch £80,000-£120,000.

Christie's has a very large and elaborate imperial silver soup tureen in the shape of a 14-gun warship. The piece was commissioned by Catherine the Great for the St. Petersburg Admiralty and used at table by her Black Sea Fleet. Made by Zacharias Deichman of St. Petersburg in 1766, the historic tureen is expected to fetch £400,000-£600,000.

Sotheby's has the painting "View of Constantinople and the Bosphorus" (1856), by famed marine artist Ivan Aivazovsky, a master of light and color (estimate: £2.5 million-£3 million).

An early 20th-century highlight at Christie's will be Natalia Goncharova's colorful "Still Life with Watermelons" (estimate: £1.5 million-£2 million). Goncharova holds the record for any woman artist at auction, achieved when her vibrant painting "Les fleurs" sold for £5.53 million at Christie's London in June.

For the first time at the London Russian art weeks, Christie's will offer post-war and contemporary art. Among the artists will be Oleg Dou, a young photographer, with "Neck" (2006-2008) from his series "Naked Faces." Estimated at £5,000-£6,000, the black-and-white image outlines a sculpturally beautiful face from the side with haunted eyes staring into the future.

Also keep an eye on the works of terra cotta sculptor Alexander Ney. His "Cranium" (2004), a head characteristically perforated with geometric rounds and squares, has a striking archaic yet modern quality. It's estimated to sell for £8,000-£10,000 at Bonhams.

MacDougall's has an exotic offering: 122 early 20th-century individual ink drawings by Constantine Somov for "Le Livre de la Marquise," an anthology of 18th-century erotic French poetry and prose (£1.5 million-£3 million).