Editor’s Note
Christie’s recent Old Masters auction in London demonstrated robust market demand, achieving a total of €16.8 million and selling 156% above its low estimate. The strong performance, led by works such as those by Van Dyck, highlights the enduring appeal of classical art in today’s market.
Christie’s London Classic Week, specifically the Old Masters Part I Sale, delivered an excellent performance, achieving a total of €16,872,181. The sale sold 156% above its low estimate.
The auction was led by Anthony van Dyck’s Andalusian Horse and Wooded Landscape, which fetched £3,428,000 / $4,350,132 / €4,134,168. This ‘two-sided’ work captured the interest of collectors and enthusiasts worldwide, not only for its first large-scale depiction of a solitary horse but also for an added element of rarity and significance: its unique oil landscape survived on the reverse of the original canvas.
The sale also established a new world auction record for a work by Francesco Hayez. The leading lots included:
– Pulcinella in Love by Giambattista Tiepolo, sold for £2,460,000 / $3,121,740 / €2,966,760. Owned by the same family for nearly a century since 1934 (estimate: £1,000,000-1,500,000), it is one of only two known Pulcinella paintings by the artist. Its pendant hangs in Leeds Castle, England.
– The Sermon of Saint John the Baptist by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, sold for £1,613,000 / $2,046,897 / €1,945,278 (estimate: £800,000-1,200,000). Auctioned for the first time in over 150 years, having belonged to the same family since 1855, this is one of the finest treatments of Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s most successful and popular large-scale religious composition.
– Bathsheba by Francesco Hayez, sold for £1,492,000 / $1,893,348 / €1,799,352 (estimate: £600,000-800,000).
