This spring's auctions of Russian Art Sotheby's held in New York on April 21, 2009

Spring auction of Russian art at Sotheby's New York place on April 21 2009. Pre-exhibition opens April 17.

Top-lot auction will canvass «Departure of Columbus from Palos» Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (estimeyt 1,5 -- 2 million dollars). In 1893 Aivazovsky represented the Russian art at the World Exhibition in the United States. Selecting pictures for the exhibition, he remembered the upcoming anniversary of the opening of Columbus chetyrehsotletnem America. A few years before that, he wrote a series of paintings devoted to the life of Christopher Columbus and his discovery of the New World. Arriving in New York in 1892, he continued to work on these paintings. Previously, the two works in this series have been sold at auction Sotheby's in 2006 and 2008. But the monumental images of departure of Columbus 2 August, 1492 from Palos, the city in the Canary Islands, considered to be a better picture of the historical cycle.

At the auction, put a picture of diptychs Boris Grigoriev «Cooking pancakes Crepes Suzette», written in New York around 1935. Originally this painting was part of a larger portrait, donated Grigor'ev Pramadzhore Giovanni, the owner of a popular French-Italian restaurant «At Giovanni» in Manhattan, which is often visited by Russian émigrés. In this portrait was depicted by Giovanni, zharyaschy pancakes. Grigoriev, habitue restaurant can not just observe the process. Later, at the request of Giovanni, he had shared this bed for two songs. Big picture, a representation of a wide range of pancakes, a long time remained a «visiting card» restaurant and beautiful at the brand-name plates, menus, and match boxes. Both paintings were exhibited in the restaurant until it closed in 1980.

Among the works of decorative art, including in April a list of lots of trades, highlighted the collection of Russian enamels, in particular a unique punch-bowl with a bucket of silver with gold and painted enamel work Fiodor Ryukkerta. The cup is decorated with reliefs depicting heroic heroes and the beauties of ancient Russia, under the soaring eagles (estimeyt 150-200 thousand dollars). Also worth noting a small but very elegant basket for the cake, made of silver with gold and enamel work Oresta Kurlyukova (estimeyt 70-100 thousand dollars). Basket adorns the scene from a fairy tale of the SADC. Sadko is a rich dress on the shores of Lake Ilmen and plays the lyre. Basket intended legendary conductor Arthur Nikishev, has performed in Russia in 1904.

On the road out of a bid to set a toilet work Faberge made for Prince Gorchakov (estimeyt 300-500 thousand dollars). The set was created by the master of the St. Petersburg Julius Rappoport about 1900. The set includes: toilet mirror, two upholstered velvet box, hand mirror with velvet upholstered rear wall, two high candelabra, two high and two small glass bottles of perfume, two puff-box, two small candelabras, and two trays. In all subjects, except the toilet mirror, engraved coat of arms of princes Gorchakova.

Source: press release Sotheby's