Christie’s on Tuesday launches its major auctions of the estate of David Rockefeller, former chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Bank and the scion of one of the country’s greatest Gilded Age fortunes—a sale some in the art market say could bring in a historic $1 billion.
The vast collection of trophy paintings, porcelain and antique furniture amassed by Mr. Rockefeller with his wife, Peggy, are estimated by Christie’s to sell for at least $650 million. But dealers and collectors said the robust art market and...