Sotheby's
Elite auction house
Sotheby's is a prestigious auction house specializing in fine art, jewelry, rare books, and collectibles.
Founded in London in 1744, it ranks among the world's oldest and largest auction companies.
The name often signals high-end transactions: The painting sold at Sotheby's for twelve million dollars.
Major auctions at Sotheby's and rival Christie's set benchmark prices for the art market.
Major art auction firm
- biddingOffering prices or obeying
- gavelSmall ceremonial hammer
- lotLarge amount or portion
- hammer priceWinning auction bid amount
paddle · reserve · consignment · catalogues · salesroom · auctioneer · estimate · provenance
Ornamental personal accessories
- diamondsPrecious crystallized carbon
- watchesPortable personal clocks
- wineFermented grape beverage
- rare booksUncommon valuable printed works
antiques · porcelain · furniture · decorative arts · haute couture · vintage · Cartier · couture
Supreme artistic achievement
- Old MastersPre-modern European artists
- contemporary artCreative works from today
- paintingsPictures made with pigment
- sculptureShaped three-dimensional art
collection · gallery · fine art · artwork · canvas · dealer · curator · attribution
Person worth ten figures
- eliteSuperior select group
- affluentHaving abundant financial resources
- investmentDeploying capital for returns
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
millions · hedge fund · patrimony · fortune · oligarch · philanthropist · inheritance · estate sale
Confirming genuine identity
- documentationWritten proof or instructions
- historyRecord of past events
- ownershipLegal right of possession
- pedigreeRecord of descent
lineage · verification · chain of custody · attribution · scholarship · research · archive · expert
Christie's
Major art auction firm
hammer price · paddle · reserve · consignment · catalogues · salesroom · auctioneer · estimate · provenance · commission
jewelry
Ornamental personal accessories
rare books · antiques · porcelain · furniture · decorative arts · haute couture · vintage · Cartier · couture · estate
masterpiece
Supreme artistic achievement
- Old MastersPre-modern European artists
- contemporary artCreative works from today
- paintingsPictures made with pigment
sculpture · collection · gallery · fine art · artwork · canvas · dealer · curator · attribution · authentication
billionaire
Person worth ten figures
- eliteSuperior select group
- affluentHaving abundant financial resources
- investmentDeploying capital for returns
speculation · millions · hedge fund · patrimony · fortune · oligarch · philanthropist · inheritance · estate sale · capital
authentication
Confirming genuine identity
- documentationWritten proof or instructions
- historyRecord of past events
- ownershipLegal right of possession
pedigree · lineage · verification · chain of custody · attribution · scholarship · research · archive · expert · forgery
- Auction HousesChristie's, Phillips, Skinner, Doyle
- art worldartist, painter, painting, paintings, sculpture
- auctionsauction, bidding, bid, auctioneer, auction house
- real estatehouse, home, apartment, property, sale
- art marketauction, art prints, art dealer, limited editions, art sale
- auction portraitsChristie's, hammer price, reserve price, bidding, lot number
Sotheby'sgarage sale
Residential secondhand merchandise event
yard sale · flea market · thrift store · Goodwill · car boot sale
Sotheby'sretail store
Commercial sales establishment
gallery · big-box store · Amazon · Walmart · department store
Sotheby'smuseum
Public exhibit space
The Louvre · public gallery · Smithsonian · library · archive