Christie’s has redefined the market for Old Master Paintings, reaching new price levels in auctions and private sales.
In 2017, Christie’s made history, selling Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi for $450 million — more than double the previous record for any work of art sold at auction. This achievement followed our private sale to the French and Dutch states in 2016 of a pair of full-length portraits by Rembrandt for €160 million — currently, the highest price paid privately for any Old Master piece. In July 2016, Christie’s was delighted to sell at auction Rubens’ Lot and his Daughters for £44.9 million — the third highest price ever achieved for an Old Master painting at auction.
Christie’s conducts Old Master auctions in London in July and December; New York in April and October and Paris in June. Attracting a range of international clients throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, these sales are dedicated to over a half a millennium of art: from the Italian gold ground artists of the 14th and early 15th centuries such as Taddeo Gaddi and Lorenzo Monaco, to the early Netherland, Renaissance and Mannerist painters such as Hans Memling, Joos van Cleve, Gerard David, Lucas Cranach, Titian, Sandro Botticelli and El Greco. We have achieved outstanding prices for Northern and Southern Baroque masters such as Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Pieter Bruegel, Diego Velázquez and Guercino as well as for Rococo painters from the Tiepolo Family to Jean-Honoré Fragonard. Grand Tour artists such as Canaletto, Francesco Guardi and Panini also feature prominently in our sales, along with 18th century British painters such as William Turner, John Constable and Richard Parkes Bonington.
Works evidencing the rarity, depth and refinement of 500 years of art history can be collected for as little as £10,000. Our international team of experts is based across the Americas, Europe and Asia and is always available for free and confidential valuations. Please contact our specialists if you would like to discuss selling or buying in this vibrant market.