Christie's Results
July 8 2021
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Tonight’s Old Master Paintings Evening sale at Christie’s brought in a total of £44,520,740 with 75% of lots sold.
The top lot of the sale was Bellotto’s View of Verona came in just under its estimate to realise £10,575,000 (all figures include fees) against its £12m - £18m estimate. Other highlights included Frans van Mieris's Music Lesson which made £3,502,500 over its £700k - £1m estimate; A head study by Rubens which realised £982,500 over its £250k - £350k estimate; a head study by Van Dyck which realised £225,000 over its £70k - £100k estimate; Artemisia Gentileschi’s Venus and Cupid made £2,442,500 over its £800k - £1.2m estimate; Ferdinand Bol’s portrait of a Lady made £1,198,500 over its £400k – £600k estimate; Michaelina Wautier’s head of a boy made £400,000 over its £60k - £80k estimate; and Romney’s group portrait of Dorothy Stables made £742,500 over its £300k - £500k estimate.
One of the most dramatic moments of the evening was the withdrawal of the Duke of Grafton’s Van Dyck portrait of the Earl of Strafford. It is quite surprising if it didn’t generate enough interest, as this is a beautifully painted picture with an illustrious provenance.
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Comparing results, it seems that Christie’s managed to scoop the most commercially attractive pictures this season. Looking at the lots that didn’t sell at both auction houses, one might suggest that Netherlandish landscapes are having a rather tough time at the moment. This might have been a feature of these particular sales, as there were quite a few on offer at the same time.
One also wonders if and how the UK’s new relationship with the EU has affected results. I’m certain the business managers at both auction houses are making investigations into this question as we speak. However, the strong results we did witness shows that London’s leading position for Old Masters in Europe is by no means over.
