Sixteenth Century Flemish Miniature Soars
December 2 2020
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Here's a work of art that has received a lot of worthy attention over the past few weeks. This exceptional miniature on vellum, given to the Flemish artist Simon Bening, achieved £1,467,000 (inc. commission) over its £150k - £250k estimate yesterday at Sotheby's. Such quality and condition of a work this age is rarely ever matched. The catalogue note is a must read.
As a side note, it would have been interesting to know exactly how the decision was made to include the work within a Music, Books and Manuscript sale rather than a traditional Old Master Paintings auction. One might imagine that the appeal of such an impressive work would stretch beyond the usually boundaries of manuscript collectors. Alternatively, might a such a delicate work have been lost in a full blown Old Masters sale?
