Sotheby`s to auction royal skis
Some unusual items are due to go under the hammer at this spring`s Sotheby`s Russian auction in New York.
A set of skis that once belonged to the last heir to the throne of the Russian Empire, Tsarevich Aleksey Romanov, is perhaps the most interesting lot in the sales. Two pairs of skis and boots crafted by the early 20th century master Otto Brandt were presented to young Aleksey by the Moscow Ski Club in 1910. Since early childhood the heir to the Russian crown had suffered from hemophilia (an inability to control blood clotting). Despite his illness, however, skiing was one of his favourite hobbies. While in exile in Tobolsk, the 14-year-old Aleksey Romanov wrote to family friend Anna Vyrubova that the skis had become his "only joy in the snow-covered courtyard of the Tobolsk prison."
"We see hundreds of art masterpieces every day, but this lot is really something unique," says art critic Karen Cattering. She believes that the personal effects of the Romanovs are a national treasure that should belong to Russia.
Learn more about the Romanovs on RT`s Russiapedia
The upcoming auction offers quite a number of interesting pieces. For example, the painting "The Pianist" by Soviet Realist artist Yury Pimenov, who unexpectedly became the most expensive painter of Sotheby`s previous Russian art sales in November 2010, promises to be a hit. His "First of May Celebration", painted in 1950, set a record of $1,538,500 in 2010. The estimate for "The Pianist" is $700,000.
The auction of Russian Art in New York to be held on April 12 will feature paintings and works of art with exceptional provenance and historical importance. Highlights include works from such iconic Russian artists of the 19th and 20th centuries as Ivan Aivazovsky, Isaac Levitan, Nicholas Roerich and Boris Grigoriev.
Another item also has a connection with the Russian Imperial Dynasty. A rare micromosaic table by Gioacchino Barberi made for the Russian Court between 1830-1833, was probably made for Nicholas I or a member of his court. Its estimate is set at $600,000.
The star of world ballet Mikhail Baryshnikov is selling Pyotr Vereshchagin`s "View of St. Petersburg" at the upcoming auction. The painting, from his personal collection, is estimated at some $400,000. Experts consider this work to be one of the most impressive and important Vereshchagin`s paintings ever auctioned. The money raised will go to Mikhail Baryshnikov`s Art Center, which engages in cultural and charity projects.
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