This Fabergé Collection Just Sold for Double its Estimate

In October, Christie's announced the auction of the Harry Woolf Collection, one of the finest collections of Fabergé works amassed over fifty years by the London businessman.

Left: Capercailzie made of agate, Fabergé, St. Petersburg, c. 1900, realised £150,000 (estimate £50,000-70,000). Right: Agate cat, Fabergé, St. Petersburg, c. 1900, realised £137,500 (estimate £15,000-25,000). Photos © Christie's

See also: Fabergé Eggs: 8 Little Known Facts

On 29 November at Christie's London, the 86-lot collection inspired passionate bidding battles and astonishing sale prices, cementing the enduring interest in original Fabergé creations from Tsarist Russia.

Left: Blue tit made of lapis lazuli, yellow chalcedony, bowenite, agate and onyx, Fabergé, St. Petersburg, c. 1900, realised £150,000 (estimate £50,000-70,000). Right: Duckling made of chalcedony, Fabergé, foreman Henrik Wigström, St. Petersburg, 1899-1904, realised £137,500 (estimate £25,000-35,000). Photos © Christie's

"The sale achieved excellent results, selling at 98% and over double the overall pre-sale estimate which is testament to Harry Woolf’s incredible collection and his dedication to only collecting the very finest examples of Fabergé during his lifetime," said Alexis de Tiesenhausen, International Head of the Russian Art Department, and Margo Oganesian, Russian Works of Art Specialist.

Explore Fabergé lots at auction

"It is very rare to see a single owner collection of Fabergé of such breadth and quality come to the market and the global interest shown today along with the competitive bidding is indicative of the continued fascination in the House of Fabergé, its unparalleled craftsmanship and the caché attributed to owning a piece of such repute."

Left: Rhino made of Kalganic jasper, Fabergé, St. Petersburg, c. 1900, realised £100,000 (estimate £20,000-30,000). Right: Aventurine quartz bowl with silver geese and nephrite frog, realised £162,500 (estimate £40,000-60,000). Photos © Christie's

The successful bidders in the auction room and on the phone came from eighteen countries and four continents, with Russian buyers, who made up 21% of the highest bidders, leading. The auction of the Harry Woolf Collection totalled £5.2 million.

Important mosaic brooch made of gold and platinum with diamonds, rubies, topazes, sapphires, demantoids, garnet stones and emeralds that imitate embroidery, Fabergé, St. Petersburg, approx. 1913, realised £350,000 (estimate £70,000-90,000). Photo © Christie's

The highlights of the sale were mainly to be found among the numerous animal figurines crafted from fine materials. However, the most expensive item sold was a mosaic gem-studded brooch from c. 1913 that achieved £350,000 against an estimate of £70,000-90,000.

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About the author

Gritta von Toll

Gritta von Toll is the German Editor at Barnebys Magazine. She completed studies in pre- and early history and archaeology, and since 2015, after a short detour into the world of advertising, she has worked at Barnebys, where she immerses herself in art history in order to bring bygone epochs closer to today's readers.