Summary and photos courtesy of Sotherby’s

On 16th December 2026, Sotheby’s will present From the Vaults of A La Vieille Russie, a landmark sale drawn from the holdings of one of the world’s most respected authorities on Fabergé, Russian works of art, European decorative arts and antique jewelry.

Celebrating its 175th anniversary this year, the family-owned New York institution has helped shape generations of collectors and major museum collections through its scholarship and connoisseurship. Reflecting both the firm’s rich history and the tastes of the extraordinary family behind it, the sale encompasses works across a remarkable breadth of periods and categories, from superb Fabergé works and masterful European gold boxes to paintings, icons, porcelain, silver, Imperial objects, and Swiss mechanical marvels.

Many of the works in the sale were featured in seminal exhibitions of Fabergé and Russian works of art from the 1930s onward, staged by leading international museums and by A La Vieille Russie itself. Together, these exhibitions helped shape both scholarly understanding and collector appreciation of Russian art in the West, bringing many of the works to public attention before they entered renowned private collections.

This unprecedented offering of more than 300 works will be sold in New York on 16th December in a dedicated live and online sale, with a combined estimate in excess of $15 million USD. Complementing the live auction, the online sale will include works offered without reserve, underscoring the collection’s breadth and accessibility. Ahead of the auctions, select highlights will embark on a worldwide tour, with exhibitions scheduled in Paris, Geneva, and London, in addition to the pre-sale exhibition in New York.

Highlights on view at the following Locations:

Paris

Sotheby’s Paris, 83 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris

2–6 October, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM CEST

Saturday, 11:00 AM–6:00 PM CEST | Sunday, 2:00 PM–6:00 PM CEST

Geneva

Mandarin Oriental, Quai Turrettini 1, 1201 Geneva

5–8 November, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM CET

London

Sotheby’s London, 34-35 New Bond St, Bond Street, London W1A 2AA

20–23 November, 9:00 AM–4:30 PM GMT

Saturday, 12:00 PM–5:00 PM GMT |Sunday, 12:00 PM–5:00 PM GMT

New York

Sotheby’s New York, 945 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10021

24 November–8 December, 10:00 AM–5:00 PM EST | Sunday, 1:00 PM–5:00 PM EST

Please note the New York exhibition will be closed on November 26th.

© Paul Gilbert. 11 November 2026