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Christie's Results: Old Master & British Paintings Evening Sale - London, 2 July 2013
Transcript of Christie's Results: Old Master & British Paintings Evening Sale - London, 2 July 2013
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7/28/2019 Christie's Results: Old Master & British Paintings Evening Sale - London, 2 July 2013
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CHRISTIES EVENING SALE OF
OLD MASTER & BRITISH PAINTINGSREALISES23.8 million/ $36.3 million / 27.7 million
The sale was led by The Molo, Venice, from the Bacino di San Marcoby Canaletto(1697-1768) which realised8.5 million / $12.9 million/9.8 million
Buyers from 11 countries across 4 continents highlight theinternational appeal of the category
London, 2 July 2013Christies evening auction ofOld Master & British Paintings realised 23,852,300 /
$36,279,348 / 27,740,225. The sale attracted buyers from 11 countries across 4 continents. The top price
was paid for a glittering view of Venice byCanaletto (1697-1768)paintedat the height of his powers, The
Molo, Venice, from the Bacino di San Marco, which realised8,461,875 / $12,870,512 /9,841,161 (estimate: 4-
6 million).
Georgina Wilsenach, Head of Old Master & British Paintings at Christies London:This sale saw
strong prices for paintings from all schools, particularly Italian, Flemish and British. We welcomed, once again, bidders from
Asia, the Middle East, South America and Russia as well as the traditional markets of Europe and America, with buyers
this evening from 11 countries across 4 continents. This resulted in the impressive price for the Canaletto, which doubled its pre-
sale estimate.
P O S T - S A L E R E L E A S E | L O N D O NF O R I M M E D I A T E R E L E A S E : 2 J u l y 2 0 1 3
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Top Lot:The Molo, Venice, from the Bacino di San Marco, a beautifully preserved masterpiece by Canaletto
(1697-1768) executed at the height of his powers in the 1730s, realised 8,461,875 / $12,870,512 /
9,841,161 (estimate: 4-6 million). This work is from the artists famous sequence of views of the Molo
from the Bacino, showing the greatest religious and secular monuments at the heart of Venice. Bathed in a
clear, luminous light, the celebrated buildings are meticulously described and are skillfully enlivened by the
hustle and bustle of the boats and figures in the foreground. This exceptional canvas one of the largest of
this type of composition was supplied to Edward Howard, 9th
Duke of Norfolk (1686-1777), who was amajor British artistic patron of the day; it passed by descent in the family until the 1970s.
Highlights of the auction:
- Head of a bearded man in profile holding a bronze figure by Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) sold for1,741,875 / $2,649,392 / 2,025,801 (estimate: 1.5-2.5 million). An impressive, vigorously executed
and characterful head study, it throws light on Rubenss creative method during a busy period in his
career, after he had returned from Italy and established his pre-eminence in Antwerp. It reveals a
fascinating aspect of Antwerps cultural attitudes, as it was later enlarged on three -sides by Jan
Boeckhorst (1605-1668), one of Rubenss most intriguing early followers, and one of the citys leadingartists following the deaths of Rubens and Sir Anthony van Dyck, in 1640 and 1641, respectively. It is a
study for one of the kings in Rubenss monumental Adoration of the Kings painted in 1616/7 for the
Church of Saint John in Mechelen. The panel is recorded, since at least 1719, as belonging to the
German princely house of Schnborn - a name long associated with one of the greatest cumulative
contributions to the cultural landscape of Germany since the High Renaissance.
- Christ on the Cross, a unique depiction of this subjectbyLucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) sold for1,137,075 / $1,729,491 / 1,322,418 (estimate: 500,000-800,000). This rare and poignant work
seamlessly blends extreme pictorial refinement with a heightened sense of pathos.
- The Payment of the TithesbyPieter Brueghel II (Brussels 1564/5-1637/8 Antwerp) fetched 1,047,475 /$1,593,209 /1,218,213(estimate: 250,000-350,000).This composition is unusual in Pieter II's oeuvre
in that it is neither a direct copy of one of his fathers compositions nor an adaptation of a Bruegel-like
composition by one of his father's contemporaries - such as Martin van Cleve - or close followers.
Indeed the Payment of Tithesis noticeably different from Pieter I's compositional, figural and facial types,
and its derivation has therefore been the subject of much discussion.
- The Tower of Babel byAbel Grimmer (Antwerp 1570-1618/9) realised 980,275 / $1,490,998 /1,140,060, setting a world record price for the artist at auction (estimate: 400,000 - 600,000). Offered
for the first time in almost two centuries, this painting was acquired in the 1830s by Sir Edward Blackett,
6th Baronet (1803-1885), for Maften Hall, Northumberland, passing by descent to the present vendor.
- A remarkably subtle half-length Portrait of Emily, Lady Berkeley, which is an exceptional example of SirThomas Lawrences (1769-1830) early work, sold for 901,875 / $1,371,752 / 1,048,881 (estimate:
400,000-600,000).# # #
Images available on requestVisit Christies Web site atwww.christies.com
PRESS CONTACT: Hannah Schweiger| +44 (0)207 389 2964 | [email protected]
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7/28/2019 Christie's Results: Old Master & British Paintings Evening Sale - London, 2 July 2013
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O l d M a s t e r & B r i t i s h P a i n t i n g s E v e n i n g S a l e
London, Tuesday 2 July 2013, Sa le #1136
[All sold prices include buyers premium]
36 lots sold Total: 23,852,300/ $36,279,348/ 27,740,225 69% sold by lot52 lots offered $1.521=1 /1.163 =1 62% sold by value
Lot Description Estimate () PriceRealised Buyer
51
Giovanni Antonio Canal, called Canaletto (Venice
1697-1768), The Molo, Venice, from the Bacino di San
Marco
4,000,000 - 6,000,000
8,461,875
$12,870,512
9,841,161
Anonymous
30
Sir Peter Paul Rubens (Siegen, Westphalia 1577-1640
Antwerp), Head of a bearded man in profile holding a bronze
figure
1,500,000 - 2,500,000
1,741,875
$2,649,392
2,025,801
Anonymous
18Lucas Cranach I (Kronach 1472-1553 Weimar), Christ
on the Cross500,000 - 800,000
1,137,075
$1,729,491
1,322,418
Private
29Pieter Brueghel II (Brussels 1564/5-1637/8 Antwerp),
The Payment of the Tithes250,000 - 350,000
1,047,475
$1,593,209
1,218,213
European Trade
28
Abel Grimmer (Antwerp 1570-1618/9), The Tower of
Babel
WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR THE ARTIST
AT AUCTION
400,000 - 600,000
980,275
$1,490,998
1,140,060
Anonymous
43
Sir Thomas Lawrence, P.R.A. (Bristol 1769-1830
London), Portrait of Emily, Lady Berkeley, half-length, in a
white dress with a blue sash and grey shawl
400,000 - 600,000
901,875
$1,371,752
1,048,881
US Private
32
Tiziano Vecellio, called Titian (Pieve di Cadore c.
?1485/90-1576 Venice), Portrait of a cleric, bust-length, in a
blue coat and black hat - a fragment
400,000 - 600,000
781,875
$1,189,232
909,321
Asian Private
16
Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Utrecht 1606-1684 Antwerp),
A tulip, roses, apple blossoms, cornflowers and other flowers in a
glass vase on a stone ledge, with a pipe, taper, oysters and an
orange, with a butterfly
500,000 - 800,000
757,875
$1,152,728
881,409
Anonymous
34Jusepe de Ribera, lo Spagnoletto (Jtiva, Valencia
1591-1652 Naples),A philosopher holding a mirror
250,000 - 350,000
733,875
$1,116,224
853,497
Private
27
Ambrosius Bosschaert I (Antwerp 1573-1621 The
Hague), Tulips, roses, bluebells, Narcissus tortuosis, forget-me-
nots, lily of the valley and cyclamen in a flask on a stone ledge
with a caterpillar, butterfly and dragonfly
700,000 - 1,000,000
721,875
$1,097,972
839,541
US Private
Comment: *Please see separate releasePRESS CONTACT: Hannah Schweiger | +44 (0) 207 389 2964 |[email protected]
Next Sale: Old Master & British Paintings Day Saleon Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Please clickhereto view the full international schedule of upcoming sales from the Old Master & British Paintingsdepartment atChristies
Estimates do not include buyers premium. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyers premium and do not reflect costs, financing feesor application of buyers or sellers credits.
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