Measures 10 ¾" x 8 ¼" x 1 ¼"; massive, 524 pp. Includes 450 lots featuring a wide variety of Russian objects d'art comprising the Rastropovich-Vishnevskaya collection. Porcelain, glassware, enamelware, ivory and, the most valuable of all, paintings. Excellently illustrated, with detailed descriptions and essays in English and Russian.

Near mint condition. Barely noticeable shelf wear to the cover is all that separates it from mint condition.

World-renowned cellist Mstislav Rastropovich and his wife, an equally world-renowned opera soprano Galina Vishnevskaya were forced to emigrate from the USSR in 1974 and assembled the collection for decades after, to create a "Russian home" away from home. It was supposed to be auctioned on September 18-19, 2007. On the eve of the auction Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov made an offer Sotheby's could not refuse. He purchased the entire collection for $72 million; the auction was cancelled. Usmanov presented the collection to Vladimir Putin, - arguably, a smart investment into his own financial future. Politically it was presented as returning Russian art to Russia. The collection was placed in the Konstantinovskiy Palace in St. Petersburg for permanent exhibition in May of 2008.

Please note that the pen in our photo is for size reference.