October 2007

Auctions

Sold without the Gavel!   September 18-19, 2007  Sotheby’s London

The Russian art collection of the late cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and his wife, soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, was bought privately by the Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov for reportedly more than the $20 - 40 million it was expected to fetch at auction. The Washington Post (9/20/07) states “he will turn over the entire purchase to the (Russian) state.” Included in the sale of 450 objects were a cut-glass decanter and punch bowl by Fabergé.

A similar private sale took place in 2004 when Viktor Vekselberg of Moscow bought the Forbes Magazine Collection of Fabergé now known as the Link of Times Collection.

For more details concerning the efforts of various countries to have their art repatriated see USA Today (9/22/07).

October 4-5, 2007  The Russian Auction

Auktionsverket, Stockholm, Sweden (Courtesy of Lars Ohlander)
Note: Serious collectors should not rely on the search engine to find all the Fabergé objects on the auction house website.

October 13, 2007 – May 5, 2008 The Hermitage Amsterdam, Netherlands

Art Nouveau during the Reign of the Last Tsars
Major works included in this venue are by Gallé, the Daum brothers, Lalique and 12 objects by Fabergé. (Courtesy of Charlotte Oster and John Jenkins)

Ears of Wheat and Cornflowers from the Princess Yusupov Collection
(Courtesy of Hermitage Amsterdam)

October 19-25, 2007

The International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show at the Park Avenue Armory, New York, includes as participants Fabergé dealers A La Vieille Russie of New York City and Wartski of London.

On September 1 the Australian jeweler Fairfax & Roberts in Sydney opened a stand-alone retail store selling modern Fabergé made by the German firm of Victor Mayer. A reception honoring Grand Duchess Marie Vladimirovna of Russia was held in the late Imperial Russian-style decorated showroom of the Fabergé Boutique. (Contributed by Simon Frame)

Lisa Rochfort presenting Grand Duchess Marie a pearl necklace
with a small lilies of the valley egg pendant
(Courtesy Fairfax & Roberts)

Baltimore -- Gary Vikan, director of the Walters Art Museum, is unravelling an interesting story -  “…image our excitement a few months back to find in deep storage at the Walters two dusty old wooden crates.  Each bears the initials of the museum's founder – ‘H.W.’ (for Henry Walters) - and each is closed with a heavy ‘HURD’ padlock, for which we have no key!” To follow this mystery, check the WAM website!

New Orleans -- Two years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and large parts of the Gulf coast the Wall Street Journal (September 18, 2007) published an encouraging update entitled, “New Orleans Museum of Art Heals the Wounds of Katrina”. NOMA’s current Fabergé exhibition is Master Works of Fabergé from Southern Collections.

Washington -- Hillwood’s Fabulous Year of Anniversaries including celebrations and the exhibition, A Quest for the Fabulous: Thirty Years of Collecting, 1977-2007, highlight

The museum also sports a new name: Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens.

Readers of this newsletter are invited to share information about Fabergé happenings worldwide.