June Russian Art Auctions

Auction houses in London begin their summer Russian art auctions on Monday. Christie's auction will feature works by Faberge among its other art pieces. Sotheby's will, most notably, auction off pieces by Shishkin, Bakst, Aivazovsky, and Roerich.

MacDougall's, which specializes in Russian art, also presents two works by Roerich. One, entitled The Black Gobi, shows the sun setting behind hills blanketed in shadow, dark monoliths breaking up the foreground of the painting.

Other work up for sale at MacDougall's - including icons, works on paper, and paintings - depict images more common to Russian culture. These include a series of drawings for Chekhov's story, The Steppe, by George Pogedaieff; a view of the Moscow Kremlin illuminated for the coronation of Nicholas II by Isaak Levitan; and a vibrant view of a birch forest through an open window by Stanislav Zhukovsky. Other paintings and drawings illustrate the severity and beauty of the Russian winter, represent the mystery of Russia's monasteries and fortresses, or capture people completing ordinary tasks in their native environment.