From 24 to 29 November 2007, Christie’s will stage Russian Art Week, a series of auctions, events and public exhibitions presenting exceptional examples of Russian pictures, works of art, books, icons and silver. The highlight of the week is The Rothschild Fabergé Egg, a previously unrecorded work of art and an addition to no more than 12 documented examples of a Fabergé Egg known to have been made to Imperial standards for anyone other than the Russian Imperial Family (estimate: £6 million to £9 million). Christie’s started its links with Russia with a very impressive private treaty sale when in 1778 Sir Robert Walpole entrusted James Christie, the company’s founder, with the sale of his unique collection of masterpieces. James Christie was able to attract the attention of Catherine the Great, who bought the collection in a private transaction as the foundation of the Hermitage Museum collection. Included in the collection was Rubens’ Mary Magdalen Washing Christ’s feet bought for £1,600, Poussin’s Moses striking the Rock bought for £900 and Rembrandt’s Abraham’s Sacrifice which was sold for £300. These paintings are still the core of the Collection on public display at the Hermitage. Today, the Russian category is one of the fastest growing and most exciting areas of the international art market, realizing a sale total of £35 million / $69 million at Christie’s for the first half of 2007, nearly matching the £37.9 million / $70.5 million achieved for the full year in 2006. Works of art to be sold during Russian Art Week will be on public view at Christie’s King Street and South Kensington salerooms between 24 and 29 November 2007.