BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Artfact, an Invaluable Company, the world’s largest live online auction marketplace, announced that it currently has, exclusively at auction online, an exquisite Fabergé imperial carved hardstone portrait figure. This carved figure of Kamer-Kazak Nikolai Nikolaievich Pustynnikov, the personal Cossack bodyguard of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, will go live at Artfact on Oct. 26, 2013 at 11:00 AM EST. The complete item details and bidding information can be found at: http://bit.ly/167kVYd.
Crafted in 1912, this rare carving has a pre-sale estimate of $500,000 to $800,000 and is being offered by Stair Galleries based in Hudson, NY. This figure of Pustynnikov has remained in the hands of the same family since 1934 and has never been publicly exhibited, having just been discovered this summer in the family’s attic. It is estimated by experts that Fabergé produced no more than fifty hardstone carvings of human figures making them extremely rare – on a level of rarity with the Imperial Easter Eggs.
“We are proud to offer the world this extremely rare and beautiful treasure from the Fabergé workshop,” said Rob Weisberg, CEO of Artfact. “At Artfact, we are committed to providing an unrivaled resource for both auctioneers and buyers connecting people with unique items and treasures from around the world.”
“For eighty years, this hardstone carving from the Fabergé workshop has been in the same family and we are thrilled to make this item available to a passionate global audience,” said Colin Stair, president and founder of Stair Galleries. “In partnering with Artfact, Stair Galleries is proud to offer this item and raise awareness for the exquisite craftsmanship of the Fabergé workshop.”
The figure measures seven inches in height (17.8cm) and is depicted in an alert and attentive posture, with studied gaze, the long nephrite coat affixed with gold and multi-colored enameled orders and medals, and bordered with brown Caucasian sardonyx. The heels of the boots are inscribed, “FABERGE” in Cyrillic capital letters on one boot, and, “1912,” on the other. The soles of the boots inscribed in Cyrillic capital letters, “N.N.PUSTYNNIKOV,” on one, and, “KAMERKAZAK since 1894,” on the other. The figure is accompanied by its original fitted holly wood case, the interior silk lining stamped in black with the Imperial Eagle and with the inscription, “Fabergé, St. Petersburg, Moscow, London,” in Cyrillic.
About Artfact
Artfact is the
world largest live auction marketplace, comprised of Artfact.com,
Invaluable.com, Auctionzip.com and RFC Systems. As the world’s leader in
developing SaaS and ecommerce applications for the auction industry,
Artfact reaches over 30 million unique bidders a year, and serves more
than 25,000 individual auction houses globally. Through Artfact’s web
properties, more than 3 million visitors per month arrive at the virtual
doorsteps of auctioneers with unprecedented access to search and buy
from over 160,000 auctions each year with a combined value of over $25
billion. For additional information, visit www.artfact.com.
About Stair Auctioneers and Appraisers
Founded
in 2001, with a newly forged team of specialists having a combined 100
years of experience, we quickly established ourselves in handling
everything from a single item to an entire estate, with sophistication,
integrity and a rare personal attention. In our first seven years of
business we sold over 20,000 lots of antiques and fine art totaling $50
million. We moved into our permanent home in 2005, and since 2008 have
grown at a steady rate of 10-20% per year. Echoing this success, 97% of
what we sell finds a buyer the first time offered at auction. http://www.stairgalleries.com/