Sotheby's

US fine-art saleroom, the world's largest, founded by English bookseller Samuel Baker in 1744. Its main offices are in New York City and London, England, with more than 100 offices around the world. The company specialized in book auctions during the 18th and 19th centuries, and expanded to cover all areas of fine and decorative arts during the 20th century. It was founded in London but has been a US-owned company since 1983.

Sotheby's is known for its sale of important libraries, as well as 19th and 20th century paintings, especially Impressionist works. Its famous sale of the Goldschmidt collection in 1958 set record prices for paintings at auction. Other famous sales include Rembrandt's Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for US$2.3 million in 1961 and the jewels of the Duchess of Windsor in 1987, which raised US$50 million.

Samuel Baker held his first auction in 1744, selling an estate library. Later he established his London auction house, and went into partnership with George Leigh in 1767. When Baker died in 1778 his business was split between Leigh and a nephew, John Sotheby. Under chair Peter C Wilson (served 1958–80), Sotheby's acquired Parke-Bernet Galleries, the USA's largest auction firm. US businessman A Alfred Taubman and a small group of investors bought Sotheby's in 1983.