A La Vieille Russie

A La Vieille Russie is a New York City-based art gallery and antique dealer specializing in European and American antique jewelry, Imperial Russian works of art, 18th-century European gold snuff boxes, and objets d'art. Founded as a family business in Kiev in 1851, it has operated across three continents and remains one of the most prominent commercial venues for Fabergé and Russian Imperial treasures. The gallery occupies a significant position in the international art market, known for having bought and sold many of the Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs and for helping to form major American collections now housed in museums.

A La Vieille Russie began as a family enterprise in Kiev in 1851. Following the Russian Revolution, the founder's grandson Jacques Zolotnitsky and his nephew Léon Grinberg re-established the firm in Paris around 1920. The Paris shop became a gathering place for Russian émigré aristocracy and intellectuals, attracting clients including Queen Marie of Romania, Grand Duchesses Xenia and Olga (sisters of Tsar Nicholas II), the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, King Farouk, Salvador Dalí, and Marlene Dietrich. At the outbreak of the Second World War, Alexander Schaffer transferred the business to New York, initially opening as one of the first tenants at Rockefeller Center in 1934. The gallery moved to Fifth Avenue and 60th Street in 1941, then to 781 Fifth Avenue in 1961, where it remained for 56 years. In November 2017, it relocated to its current showroom at 745 Fifth Avenue, on the fourth floor. The business continues as a multi-generational family operation under brothers Paul and Peter L. Schaffer and Paul's son, Dr. Mark A. Schaffer. The gallery exhibits annually at TEFAF Maastricht, TEFAF New York Fall, and the Winter Show, and is a member of the National Antique and Art Dealers Association of America and the Art and Antique Dealers League of America.

The gallery's inventory spans several specialized categories: European and American antique jewelry; Imperial Russian works of art; 18th-century European gold snuff boxes; and objets d'art. Its Russian holdings include silver, enamel, porcelain, paintings, icons, and furniture. The firm is particularly renowned for its expertise in works by Carl Fabergé created for members of the Romanov court and for wealthy patrons in turn-of-the-century Europe. A La Vieille Russie has been instrumental in forming major American Fabergé collections, including the Forbes Magazine Collection, many of which have since entered museum collections such as the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The gallery has handled numerous Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs over its history. Its exhibitions have included Fabergé (1949), Antique Automatons (1950), Russian Icons (1962), The Art of the Goldsmith and the Jeweler (1968), Fabergé (1983), An Imperial Fascination: Porcelain. Dining with the Czars. Peterhof (1991), Alexandre Iacovleff, Paintings and Drawings (1993), Golden Years of Fabergé. Drawings and Objects from the Wigström Workshop (2000), and Mechanical Wonders: The Sandoz Collection (2011). Jewelry from its collection has appeared on the red carpet, including at the 2021 Met Gala, where theater producer Jordan Roth wore an amethyst Boivin necklace and Bee Carrozzini wore a Victorian rock crystal necklace.

A La Vieille Russie is located at 745 Fifth Avenue, on the fourth floor, directly across from the southeast corner of Central Park in Manhattan. This 2017 location is one block south of its previous address at 781 Fifth Avenue, where the gallery had been situated from 1961 to 2017. The earlier move to Fifth Avenue in 1941 had placed the gallery at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 60th Street, near the park's southeastern entrance.

The gallery operates by appointment at its showroom at 745 Fifth Avenue, fourth floor, in Manhattan. It maintains an active presence at major international art fairs rather than keeping regular public retail hours. A La Vieille Russie also makes regular appearances on Antiques Roadshow. Its official website is http://www.alavieillerussie.com/.