London, 6th July 2016 – Over the last two days, at Sotheby’s London, masterpieces from the past attracted collectors from around the world, with over 50 countries and 40% more people participating in our sales of Old Master paintings, sculpture, works of arts and drawings and our highly anticipated Treasures auction. Today’s and yesterday’s four sales brought a combined total of £31,831,191 /$41,414,233 / €37,353,779. Many of the lots offered combined royal and aristocratic provenance with extraordinary beauty, freshness to the market and the imprimatur of the most influential art patrons and collectors of their time.

OLD MASTERS EVENING SALE (6 July)
Total: $16,463,500 / $21,284,013 / €19,300,150  Participants from 27 countries (up from the equivalent sale last year)  8 Auction records for works by Jean-Etienne Liotard, Marten van Cleve the Elder, Niccolò di ser Sozzo, Pacino di Bonaguida, Barthel Beham, Louis-Gabriel Blanchet, Dominic Serres and a still life by Jan Brueghel the Elder.  Almost half of the lots sold above high estimates  Three works were pursued by institutions, two of them successfully

Top Lots:
 Auction record for a work by Jean-Etienne Liotard: One of the last and finest oil paintings by the artist remaining in a Private Collection, A Dutch Girl at Breakfast realised £4,405,000 / $5,694,784 / €5,163,979 (est. £4-6 million). Unseen on the market for almost 250 years, the work had remained in the possession of the family of William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough, Liotard’s friend and patron, since 1774.  Auction record for a still life by Jan Brueghel the Elder: One of the greatest flower still lifes by left in private hands, (est.
 A Monumental Oil Sketch by Rubens, The Chariot of Apollo, fetched £1,145,000/ $1,480,256 / €1,342,283 (est. £1-1.5 million). Not seen on public display since 1823, this oil study had been in the possession of the family of the celebrated Rubens collector August Neuerburg, since 1930.

Fresh-to-the-market Works:
 40% of the works offered tonight had not appeared on the market for over 60 years.
 16% of the works have been in the same collection for over 240 years, often remaining in the possession of the families of the original owner.

Dutch & Flemish Paintings
In addition to the Brueghel, the sale included a rich group of Dutch and Flemish paintings which together realised £7,264,500 (est. £7.1-10.9 million).

Italian Renaissance Works
Led by Pacino di Bonaguida’s The Miracle of the Tomb of Saint Proculus which sold for £425,000 / $549,440 / €498,227 (est. £50,000-70,000), Italian Renaissance works performed well tonight, realising a combined total of £1,040,000, well above pre-sale expectations (est. £680,000-940,000).

Previous auction record for a work by Liotard: Portrait de Mademoiselle Louise Jacquet, Pastel, sold for €1,464,750 ($1,843,612) at sotheby’s Paris in June 2012 Previous auction record for a still life by Jan Brueghel the Elder: Blumenstrauß in Tonvase, oil on canvas Sold for €2,331,000 ($2,907,571) at Kinsky in November 2014

TREASURES (6 July)
Total: £6,303,250 / $8,148,842 / €7,389,296 Top lot: The magnificent Rothschild Orpheus Cup, made in Augsburg, Southern Germany circa 1600-1640 surpassed expectations and sold for £1,061,000 / $1,371,661 / €1,243,810 (est. £600,000-800,000, illustrated p.1). It is extremely rare for a late Renaissance gold and enamelled object to have stimulated so much comment and adulation. The Orpheus Cup is first recorded as one of the exhibits at the 1862 International Exhibition on loan from the collection of Baron Lionel de Rothschild (1808-1879). A magnificent ormolu and enamel musical automaton "jardinière" table clock whose case was probably made by Chinese workshops at Guangzhou and the movement was signed by the London clockmaker, Robert Philp, circa 1785 made £1,025,000 / $1,325,120 / €1,201,607 (est. £400,000-600,000).

OLD MASTER AND BRITISH WORKS ON PAPER (5 & 6 July)
Total: £6,149,066 / $8,127,835 / €7,234,388 Top lot: A masterful Self-portrait by Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680) soared above estimate and achieved £869,000 / $1,148,644 / €1,022,380, smashing the previous auction record for a work on paper by the artist* (est. £600,000-800,000). Never previously on the market, this outstanding chalk portrait drawing boasted extraordinary provenance, having remained in the possession of the artist’s direct descents since it was drawn some 360 years ago. It is one of only two self-portraits by the artist in existence and the only one which remained in private hands. Drawings from the Oppée Collection Another highlight of this summer’s sale was a group of drawings from the famous collection assembled in the first half of the 20th century by the great scholar and connoisseur, Paul Oppé (1878-1957). The ensemble brought £1,866,691, well above the pre-sale estimate of £1.1 to 1.5 million. * Previous auction record for a work on paper by Sir Peter Lely: Head of a woman, colour chalk, sold for £12,650 (£21,353) at Sotheby’s London on 10 July 1997.

L16033 Old Masters Evening Sale - 6 July 2016

L16040 Old Master & British Works on Paper 5-6.7.16

L16231 Old Master Sculpture 5.7.16