will buy or not - this question asked by everyone who is in the halls of Christie `s, Sotheby` s, MacDougall `s and Bonhams. Ask each other and themselves. Had time to form over the last couple of days, filled with party auction houses and exhibition galleries, related to Russian art, the general opinion is: will. Collectors will buy, because a year, waiting for the terrible consequences of the crisis, restrained himself, but have a habit of art is partly like a drug, and can not long endure. Dealers will buy, because that is what this is their job and they must take care that the market is not dead at all. It is said that there were even some new buyers, apparently attracted by the adjustment (in other words, a decrease) prices.

Perhaps the record for $ 5 million and above for a picture, as had happened in this season will not be. Works valued at more than $ 1 million, not much, but they are. The habit of judging the quality of the picture according to its evaluation (more than a million or less), of course, anecdotal, but common grain in it. The main things in the upcoming auction - a canvas, painted by Russian artists from the "first name", large and decorative, with clear provenance. At Sotheby `s is" Venice "Alexandra Exter," The Garden "by Mikhail Larionov," Cossack "Ilya Repin. At Christie `s" The stock Peking Theater Alexander Yakovlev and "Legend" by Nicholas Roerich. In MacDougall `s - nude Zinaida Serebryakova and Vladimir Baranoff-Rossini. It's all about painting, but there are other sections, each with their customers.

For example, it is easy to prophesy the success of the auction Sotheby `s, which will sell the precious little things from the heritage of the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, decorated detective story of salvation, and shown at an exhibition in Moscow (see Kommersant from October 21). Certainly much interest will specialized auction of icons that suits MacDougall `s; as this remained the only auction house, offering a large collection of Russian art in the second half of XX century. Luxury porcelain palace vase offers Christie `s (this auction house, this time a very impressive collection of porcelain).

All will become more or less clear tonight - one after the Sotheby `s auction will Heritage Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, and after him - an evening auction of paintings.
http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?Do...4&ThemesID=687

At the auction were put up about 100 lots - mostly cigarette cases and cufflinks that belonged to Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna and her husband, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, son of Emperor Alexander II and brother of Emperor Alexander III.

As expected, one of the top lots was the casket from the two-color gold with the monogram of Tsar Nicholas II, donated them to the younger son of Prince Vladimir Alexandrovich. Casket, decorated with enamel and precious stones, went under the hammer for 601 thousand pounds in Estimé in 70-90 thousand pounds. For it is accompanied by a note by the emperor in Russian: "Aliks and I ask you to take this little svunir въ remembrance of this day!" Nicky.

The buyer was a private collector from the CIS countries.

Faberge Cigarette case wizard Aug. Hollminga of tri-color gold with engraved hearts and decorated with diamonds and went for 601 thousand pounds. Another Faberge enamel cigarette case of the jeweler Mikhail Pershin, decorated with gold ornaments in the rococo style, and diamonds and dated 1899, was sold for 577 thousand pounds.

Several cigarette cases went under the hammer at a price exceeding 400 pounds at the maximum pre-assessment, not exceed 70 thousand.

Sotheby's managed to sell all the lots, which is quite rare for bidding, said the agency.

Romanov family treasures were deposited in the Swedish diplomatic mission in Petrograd in November 1918, shortly before the rupture of diplomatic relations with Sweden's revolutionary Russia.

He brought a collection of paintings diplomats Professor Richard Bergolts two pillow cases, which were also on sale at the current bid and the evaluation of 200-300 pounds were sold for 6 and 4.7 thousand pounds sterling.
More than 90 years, the collection was in the storehouses of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden in Stockholm. The opportunity to return the treasures of the owners was discussed several times, but in 1952 it was decided to break the wax seal on the bags and carry inventory. After that, forget about the collection for several more decades, until in 2008 after the reorganization of the archives were not found descendants of the Grand Duchess. Things were brought to a trusted person, as well as experts, followed by summer 2009 collection brought to London for sale.