Christie's Results: Old Master & British Paintings Evening Sale - London, 2 July 2013

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Transcript of Christie's Results: Old Master & British Paintings Evening Sale - London, 2 July 2013

  • 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]

    http://www.christies.com/http://www.christies.com/http://www.christies.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.christies.com/
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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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