Portrait of Willem van Heythuysen, Seated on a Chair and Holding a Hunting Crop, Frans Hals (circa 1630) via Sotheby’s
Sotheby’s Evening Sale of Old Master Paintings in London on Wednesday attracted an international client base and managed to raise $101.5 million in overall sales, which is the second highest amount in the company’s history for an auction of this genre.
The sale included not only pieces of exceptional quality, but also a number of works which had previously been held in private collections and therefore had not been on the market for some time. A re-discovered painting by Frans Hals (Pictured above), which was heretofore believed to be a copy, sold for $13,995,067 which not only exceeded its pre-sale estimate of $6.0-$10.0 million, but which also was the second highest price ever paid for a work by the artist at auction.
There were numerous other auction records set that evening, including record sales by artists including Guido Reni, Jacobo Tintoretto, Taddeo di Bartolo, Frans van Mieris the Elder and Jan Brueghel the Elder. An impressive 58% of lots sold at the auction garnered bids in excess of their estimates, contributing to the sale’s success as a whole.
Sotheby’s Auction Results: Old Master Paintings Evening Sale [Sotheby’s]
Old Masters Perform at Sotheby’s London [NYSun]
Old Master Paintings Soar at Sotheby’s Realizing $101.5 Million [Artdaily]
At Sotheby’s, Exceptional Old Master Offerings Lead to Six Records [International Herald Tribune]
Old Master Paintings Soar at Sotheby’s Auction in London [News-Antique]
Old Master Paintings Realize $101.5 Million at Sotheby’s [AuctionPublicity]
Sotheby’s Week of Old Masters Realizes GBP45.2 Million [SGallery]
Pope’s Villa at Twickenham, Joseph Mallord William Turner R.A. (circa1808), via Sotheby’s
This painting, by British artist Joseph Mallord William Turner, came to the Old Master Paintings Evening Auction after remaining in a private collection for approximately 180 years. Estimated at $10.0 – $14.0 million, it was sold for $10,725,071 which, although at the low end of the estimate, is the fourth highest price ever achieved by this artist at auction.
A Triptych, Taddeo di Bartolo via Sotheby’s
Part of the outstanding 20th century collection of the late Dr. Gustav Rau, which as a whole raised $6,225,200 (est. $4.0-$6.0 million) at the evening auction, the Triptych far exceeded its estimate of $600,000-$1,000,000 with its sale price of $3,725,412.
The Edge of a Village with Figures Dancing on the Bank of a River and a Fish-Seller and a Self-Portrait of the Artist in the Foreground, Jan Brueghel the Elder (1616) via Sotheby’s
Attaining a record sale price at auction for Jan Brueghel the Elder by selling for $6,927,778 (est. $5.0-$7.0 million), The Edge of a Village with Figures Dancing is also notable for the fact that it is one of only two works completed by the artist to include a self-portrait.
The Misers, Follower of Marinus van Reymerswaele via Sotheby’s
Bid on by approximately eight interested parties, The Misers, which is believed to be a variant of the Reymerswaele original composition, sold for an impressive figure of $4,056,691 which was over 13 times its pre-sale high estimate of $300,000.
