The Old Masters Evening Sale by Christie’s, one of the most influential art auction events founded in the last decade and followed each consecutive year since 2018, is directing new headlines with some of the most exquisite artworks in the catalog. Masterworks such as The Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day by Canaletto, A Cottage Interior with an Old Woman by Gerrit Dou, and A Pair of Still Lifes of Flowers and Fruit by Jan van Huysum, among 39 others, will appear at the auction block on July 1st in London.
Estimated from $53.5 Million to $73.4 Million, the lots date from the 14th to the 20th century, and to attract new buyers, some of these works are ‘fresh-to-market.’ We have previously seen this tactic being used successfully by auction houses such as Sotheby’s. After the success of Sotheby’s Old Masters December 2024 event, an official spoke to Artnews about how 75% of the lots have not come to market or auction for the past half century and said,
“proves that fresh material, priced correctly, will attract the attention of both established Old Masters collectors and new buyers,”
Christie’s appears to have designed a similar strategy with works like Head of a Young Man by Matthias Stomer, Christ Taking Leave of His Mother by El Greco, and more not being sold by the first owner, while others like Portrait of Johannes Hoornbeeck by Frans Hals have not entered the market in the last few decades and lastly the lots have treasured articles such as still life by Jan Davidsz. de Heem and Portrait of a Nobleman by Titian.
Leading with Canaletto, the sale’s collection finds its crown through this very painting – The Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day. The artwork resided in the collection of Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, alongside The Grand Canal, Looking North-East from Palazzo Balbi to the Rialto Bridge by the artist. The latter became one of the most prized works by the artist when it sold for a record auction price of $32,746,478 at a Sotheby’s auction in London in 2005. Offering a stunning view of the feast of the Ascension, The Bucintoro captures spectators and the festival too precisely. The painting was last sold by the descent to the current owner in 1993 and is now expected to be auctioned above $20 Million. Andrew Fletcher, global head of Christie’s Old Masters department said,
“This is one of the most sublime works Canaletto ever painted,”
“It’s also, in my view, unquestionably the finest work by him in private hands.”
Looking at the other compositions, Christie’s seems to equally concentrate on the still life by Jan Davidsz. de Heem. One of the four works that the artist painted between 1640 and 1643, and exhibits the broadness of his mastery once his style and compositions’ size expanded. This painting clasps your attention through its color, light, and careful detailing to depict a cornucopia of fine foods, exquisite fabrics, and luxurious objects from around the world. Belonging to a similar series, de Heem’s A Banquet Still Life (c. 1643) was sold for a record price for the artist by Christie’s in 2020, achieving $7.7 million. At the same time, the composition that is coming back to auction and to the public view was last sold for £1.6 million in 1997 by Christie’s.
The opening of the Classic Week also coincides with the 250th Anniversary of Sir JMW Turner’s birth, and in celebrations, five of his works will appear at auction, two of which will be presented at the Old Masters Evening Sale on 1st July. Executed on paper, these are some of the earliest known works by the artist- View of Stoke House, near Bristol, circa 1790 and Pendennis Castle (estimate: £20,000-30,000) and the entrance to Falmouth Harbour, Cornwall: Scene after a Wreck (estimate: £60,000-100,000).
There are no arguments to judge the uniqueness of this auction, and we only have to wait and witness the monetary performance of the event.
Featured Image: Giovanni Antonio Canal, called Canaletto (1697-1768), Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day; Christie’s.
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