A Russian icon of Christ Pantocrator in gilded silver and enamel oklad made a 146% increase on its initial estimate at Sotheby's October 29 sale in New York.
The piece, valued at $60,000-80,000, auctioned for $197,000. It features floral enamelling on the oklad (a protective cover that often features on Russian icons) along with gilded silver.
 Christ Pantocrator refers to the depiction of Christ as an all-powerful deity |
It comes from the collection of Emmanuel Benakis (1843-1929), a merchant and philanthropist who was elected mayor of Athens in 1914.
His son opened the Benaki Museum, which features a significant collection of Greek art, in 1931.
A silver and enamel ferris wheel, designed by Gene Moore for Tiffany & Co circa 1990, also made an impressive increase on its estimate. It realised $161,000 against a valuation of $20,000-30,000 - up 436%.
 The ferris wheel features a variety of seated figures cast in silver |
Moore worked as a window dresser for Tiffany's on Fifth Avenue, Manhattan and designed over 5,000 window displays from 1955 until the end of his career.
A Harald Nielsen and Georg Jensen silver fish platter sold for $137,000. Designed circa 1933-1944, the art nouveau-inspired work features a leaping dolphin at its apex.
A Russian imperial presentation Kovsh (a traditional Russian drinking ladle) also performed well at the sale, realising $131,000 - up 118% on its $40,000-60,000 estimate.
It was presented to Russian tax collector Dmitry Berezin in 1704 for exemplary service, and features the imperial double-headed eagle on the interior of the basin.
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