The seller of the furniture, which had belonged to the last imperial
family of Russia, placed the unique set up for sale without knowing
anything about its actual origin.
The dealer believed that the eleven-piece set
included just ordinary pieces of furniture which could be of Russian origin, reports Maria Ekman-Kolari from Bukowski, the
leading auction house in Finland.
The set was found in a private home outside the Greater Helsinki area.
The seller is unwilling to give any further details of the location of
the furniture.
Furniture expertKari-Paavo Kokki, the Director of the Heinola City Museum, reports that the find is internationally significant.
He is unwilling to estimate the price for the unique set of furniture,
while saying that the set is ”very valuable”.
The set of furniture from 1894 originates from the Winter Palace in
St. Petersburg. Under the control of the Bolshevik government the set
was sold to a buyer outside Russia in order to raise money.
Russia has expressed interest in buying back the set of furniture in
order that it could be placed in its original place in the Winter
Palace.
The unique furniture will be on sale in
Bukowski’s International Spring Auction from May 13rd to 14th.
