NEW YORK.-Christie's sale of Russian Paintings & Works of Art today totaled $19,265,160, surpassing its pre-sale high estimate and exceeding the results achieved in New York at this time last year in our inaugural dedicated sale of Russian Pictures & Works of Art by $10 million.

“We are thrilled with the results of today’s sale of Russian Paintings & Works of Arti, which at $19.2 million surpasses the pre-sale high estimate and exceeds the results achieved in New York last April in our inaugural dedicated sale of Russian Pictures & Works of Art by $10 million. Leading the day was Vasilii Vereshchagin’s Solomon’s Wall which realized an extraordinary $3,624,000 and set a record for the artist at auction. From the very start we have been extremely pleased by the incredible interest this work has generated both privately and publicly during its international tour to Tel Aviv and Moscow, particularly the amazing response surrounding its exhibition at The State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow in March, an exhibition that marked the first time the work had been on view in Russia. We are also extremely pleased with the results achieved by the selection of Fabergé – especially the rare carved carnelian figure of a gnome mounted as scent flask which realized $1,384,000 – $1 million over its pre-sale high estimate.

The results of today’s sale continue the momentum generated by our extremely successful fall season of Russian sales here at Christie’s, highlighted by the record $54 million sale in London in November, a sale that stands as the highest combined sales total ever achieved in the Russian Pictures and Works of Art category worldwide, and in which Christie’s set the current world auction record for any Russian painting included in a Russian sale (Somov’s Pastorale Russe, $5,251,808). My colleagues and I are now looking forward to further success with our next sale of Russian Art to be held in London on June 13,” said Alexis de Tiesenhausen, International Head of Russian Works of Art at Christie’s.