Auctioneers, left to right: Yü-Ge Wang, Associate Director, Senior Client Advisor, and Henry Pettifer, Christie’s International Deputy Chairman, Old Master Paintings
London – A historic moment for the market, The Winter Egg by Fabergé has sold for £22,895,000/ $30,244,295/ €26,008,720, setting a new world auction record for a work by Fabergé for the third time in its storied history, all at Christie’s. Having captivated the imagination of international collectors, connoisseurs and the wider public alike, the saleroom broke into applause as the gavel went down on this top lot of the evening. Starting Classic Week at Christie’s London with a flourish, The Winter Egg and Important Works by Fabergé from a Princely Collection and the Old Masters Evening Sale realised a combined total of £40,515,964/ $53,521,588/ €46,026,135.
THE WINTER EGG AND IMPORTANT WORKS BY FABERGÉ FROM A PRINCELY COLLECTION:
The Winter Egg and Important Works by Fabergé from a Princely Collection realised £27,803,964/ $36,729,036/ €31,585,303, selling 92% by lot and 98% by value. In addition to the record-breaking result for The Winter Egg, further highlights include:
A very rare and important hardstone model of a Street Painter by Fabergé, modeller Boris Fredman Cluzel, Petrograd, 1916, sold for £1,514,000/ $1,999,994/ €1,719,904
An extremely important and rare Fabergé Album of Designs from the Workshop of Henrik Wigström, St Petersburg, 1911-1916, achieved £508,000/ $671,068/ €577,088. Not merely an archival record, this album is a testament to the extraordinary creativity, technical mastery, and visionary design that defined the final years of Fabergé’s workshop.
Margo Oganesian, Christie’s Head of Department, Fabergé and Russian Works of Art commented: “Christie’s is honoured to have been entrusted with the sale of the exquisite Winter Egg by Fabergé for the third time in our history. Today’s result sets a new world auction record for a work by Fabergé, reaffirming the enduring significance of this masterpiece and celebrating the rarity and brilliance of what is widely regarded as one of Fabergé’s finest creations, both technically and artistically. With only a handful of Imperial Easter Eggs remaining in private hands, this was an exceptional and historic opportunity for collectors to acquire a work of unparalleled importance. Christie’s reaffirmed its market leadership for Fabergé with the sale of this erudite collection, attracting fierce competition from bidders around the world, and engaging both collectors and the wider public globally with the legacy of Fabergé.”
For the full results of The Winter Egg and Important Works by Fabergé from a Princely Collection please click here.
OLD MASTERS EVENING SALE:
Christie’s Old Masters Evening Sale realised a total of £12,712,000/ $16,792,552/ €14,440,832. Among the highlights of the sale:
Gerrit Dou’s The Flute Player, the artist’s first depiction of a musician, which has been preserved for 125 years in a celebrated English collection, realised £3,832,000/ $5,062,072/ €4,353,152.
A rare opportunity to acquire the complete series of The Four Seasons by the Workshop of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, dated 1573, sparked competitive bidding and sold for £1,514,000/ $1,999,994/ €1,719,904. This set follows the autograph cycle by Arcimboldo of the same year in the Musée du Louvre, Paris.
Richard Parkes Bonington’s Naufrage: A vessel in distress in a storm off Calais Pier achieved £889,000/ $1,174,369 / €1,009,904, coming directly from the family of Baron Jean-Charles Rivet – Delacroix’s childhood friend, patron and Bonington’s early supporter. Its exceptional provenance and expressive freedom resonated strongly with collectors.
Maja Markovic, Head of Old Masters Evening Sale, London: “This evening continues the momentum of what has been an exceptional year for Old Masters at Christie’s. Across the season, we have seen sustained confidence from international collectors, with strong engagement for works of rarity, craftmanship, distinguished provenance and compelling narratives. That appetite was especially clear tonight — from the response to Gerrit Dou’s The Flute Player, prized for its exceptional quality and storied history, to the spirited bidding for the complete 1573 set of The Four Seasons from the Arcimboldo workshop, a cycle rarely encountered on the market. The depth of bidding across the category reflects collecting that remains discerning, global and highly responsive to well-priced works of real distinction. With the Day Sale to follow tomorrow, and as we look ahead to 2026, this momentum underscores the continued vitality of the market.”
For the full results of the Old Masters Evening Sale please click here.
Christie’s Classic Week in London continues (2-11 December) with upcoming highlights including: the earliest colour edition of William Blake’s The Tyger in private hands; Spike the dinosaur, part of Groundbreakers: Icons of Our Time sale; and a 10th-century Gospel in The Valuable Books & Manuscripts sale. Looking ahead to 2026, tantalising New York auction highlights already announced include A Canaletto Masterpiece and a Drawing by Michelangelo for The Sistine Chapel discovered by Christie’s Specialist, which will be offered in February.
