A sale of items from the private collection of Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya brought a total of €4.7 (£4.2m) last Wednesday, Sotheby’s announced.
The auction comprised three cellos: a 1783 G.B. Guadagnini, a Santo Serafin from 1741, and a 1743 Giovanni Guidanti, as well as four bows. The Guadagnini and Serafin both set records for cellos by their makers. They were sold at € 2.17m and €690,000 respectively. The Guidanti did not find a buyer.