Wednesday’s auctions concluded with a dedicated evening sale of property from the gallery and private collection of Otto Naumann, the preeminent dealer of Old Master and 19th Century paintings who is regarded as one of the most respected figures in the international art scene. Offering a supreme assortment of Dutch, Flemish, Italian, Spanish and British paintings spanning the 16th through the 19th centuries, the auction totaled $6.2 million – surpassing its high estimate of $5.2 million. The sale established new auction records for eight artists, including benchmark prices for James Drummond, Denys Calvaert and Giovanni Bilivert. Bilivert’s small-scale painting on copper Venus, Cupid and Pan led the sale, achieving $879,000 (estimate $300/500,000). With its highly-polished surface, the artist displays his superb sense of refinement in colors and skill in conveying different textures.

George Wachter, Chairman of Sotheby’s America and Co-Chairman of Sotheby’s Old Master Paintings Worldwide, commented: “We were honored to work with Otto Naumann once again in presenting his distinguished selection of paintings. The tremendous success of the sale is a testament to Otto’s taste, sophistication and collaborative spirit, with top prices driven by private collectors from around the world who competed to own a piece of his vision.”

Old Master Drawings including the Collection of Professor Egbert Haverkamp-Begemann Auction Total: $5.2 Million

The various-owner sale of Old Master Drawings was anchored by the collection of the late Egbert Haverkamp-Begemann, the long-standing and much revered professor of the History of Art at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. Haverkamp-Begemann was a highly important figure in the teaching and study of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish art, and drawings were always an integral part of his approach to teaching. The collection totaled $1.5 million – nearly double its high estimate – and was led by Karel van Mander the Elder’s record-breaking The Repentance of Zacchaeus the Tax Collector, a beautifully-preserved example of late 16th-century Dutch Mannerist draughtsmanship that sold for $387,000 (estimate $60/80,000). The sale achieved six new artist records plus a further 13 medium records (for works on paper).

Fine Old Master and 19th Century European Art Auction Total: $2.9 million

The annual sale of Fine Old Master and 19th Century European Art saw strong prices achieved for quintessential 19th-century pictures – from Rudolf Ernst’s Orientalist panel The Musician that tripled its high estimate of $25,000 to achieve a price of $93,750, to British Victorian pictures including Richard Dadd’s allegorical Sketch To Illustrate The Passions - Avarice and Herbert Gustave Schmalz’s Faithful Unto Death (Christianes Ad Leones!), both of which fetched $68,750 (estimates $8/12,000 each).