SOTHEBY'S 'ROMANOV HEIRLOOMS' SALE TOTALS £7,073,300

FROM A BUSY SALEROOM OPENED TO CAPACITY, WITH TWO BANKS OF 60 PHONE LINES RESERVED TO EXECUTE BIDS ON BEHALF OF POTENTIAL BUYERS, CLIENTS ENTHUSIASTICALLY COMPETED TO ACQUIRE A PIECE OF RUSSIAN IMPERIAL HISTORY IN SOTHEBY'S, LONDON, SALE OF 'ROMANOV HEIRLOOMS: THE LOST INHERITANCE OF GRAND DUCHESS MARIA PAVLOVNA'. THE AUCTION, WHICH SAW EVERY LOT CONTESTED BY SEVERAL BIDDERS, EXCEEDED ALL PRE-SALE EXPECTATIONS (estimate: £600,000-900,000) AND BROUGHT THE OUTSTANDING TOTAL OF £7,073,300. WITH EVERY LOT SOLD, THE AUCTION ACHIEVED THE STATUS OF A 'WHITE GLOVE SALE' AND ALL BUT ONE OF THE LOTS OFFERED FOR THE SUMS IN EXCESS OF THEIR PRE-SALE HIGH ESTIMATES, WITH NEW AUCTION RECORDS BEING ESTABLISHED FOR A FABERGE CIGARETTE CASE AND A PAIR OF FABERGE CUFF-LINKS. COMMENTING ON THE REMARKABLE RESULTS ACHIEVED, A SOTHEBY'S SPOKESPERSON SAID: 'THE EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS OF THE EVENING'S SALE, WHICH WAS RECORD BREAKING IN MANY WAYS, ARE TRIBUTES TO THE EXQUISITE QUALITY, OUTSTANDING PROVENANCE AND ROMANTIC STORY BEHIND THIS REMARKABLE COLLECTION, WHICH HAD BEEN LOST TO POSTERITY FOR ALMOST 90 YEARS UNTIL ITS REDISCOVERY IN SWEDEN EARLIER THIS YEAR.'

THE EXTRAORDINARY PACE AND TONE OF THE AUCTION WAS SET THE MOMENT THE AUCTIONEER OPENED THE BIDDING ON LOT ONE, A SILVER CIGARETTE CASE BEARING AN ENAMELED PORTRAIT OF EMPEROR ALEXANDER II. THE CIGARETTE CASE ATTRACTED SPIRITED BIDDING FROM SEVERAL CLIENTS, QUICKLY DRIVING THE FINAL PRICE PAID TO £46,850, ALMOST TEN TIMES THE HIGH ESTIMATE FOR THE AMAZING PIECE. THE INSTANT BIDDING OPENED FOR LOT TWO, A SILVER AND ENAMEL CIGARETTE CASE FEATURING A PHOTOGRAPH OF GRAND DUCHESS MARIA PAVLOVNA, A CLIENT DOUBLED THE BID TO £20,000, THE CASE FINALLY SOLD FOR £27,500, ALMOST SIX TIMES ITS HIGH ESTIMATE. THE TOP SELLING LOT IN THE SALE WAS A 25th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY FABERGE IMPERIAL JEWELED FOUR-COLOURED CIGARETTE CASE. WHEN THE CASE SOLD TO A BIDDER IN THE ROOM FOR £612,250, OVER 12 TIMES ITS ESTIMATE, IT ESTABLISHED A NEW AUCTION RECORD FOR A FABERGE CIGARETTE CASE (THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS £433,600, WHICH WAS SET AT SOTHEBY'S IN NOVEMBER 2006). THE TOP SELLING LOT AMONG THE CUFF-LINKS IN THE SALE WAS THE 10th ANNIVERSARY PAIR OF FABERGE JEWELED GOLD CUFF-LINKS, BY FABERGE WORK-MASTER AUGUST HOLMSTROM, SOLD FOR £103,250, MORE THAN 20 TIMES THE HIGH ESTIMATE, SETTING A NEW AUCTION RECORD FOR A PAIR OF CUFF-LINKS (THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS £54,500 AT SOTHEBY'S IN JUNE 2008).