The collection of over 350 paintings, porcelain statuettes, vessels, vases, ivory statuettes and miniature portraits comes from the famous couple's London and Paris houses.
The world's second-largest auction house said the items would go under the hammer September 19 following the famous opera singer's decision to move back to Russia.
"We used to buy things from countries all over the world....I love porcelain. Russian porcelain is somehow special. I can instantly distinguish it from other types - if there are several beautiful objects displayed together I immediately pick out a Russian work," the Artdaily.com Website quoted Vishnevskaya as saying Friday.
Joanne Vickery, Russian art director at Sotheby's, also praised the porcelain collection, which includes Imperial pieces dating back to the 18th-19th centuries. However, Vickery said Nicholas Roerich's The Treasure of the Angels was the centerpiece estimated at 800,000 pounds ($1.6 million) to 1.2 million pounds ($2.4 million).
Vickery said it was an honor for Sotheby's to sell the collection, which had been put together by the two remarkable musicians over 30 years.
According to Bloomberg, the sale of Russian art at Sotheby's has risen more than 20-fold since 2001, totaling $153.5 million in 2006, which was 46 percent more than in 2005.
