Canaletto and Diana de Rosa set records at London Old Masters auctions
Christie's and Sotheby's London Old Masters sales in early July 2025 achieved strong results, with Canaletto's 'Venice, The Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day' selling for £31.9 million at Christie's, setting a new auction record for the artist. Christie's evening sale totaled £60.8 million, with a 99% sell-through rate by value. At Sotheby's, a rediscovered early Turner painting, 'The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St Vincent’s Rock, Bristol' (1792), sold for £1.9 million, far above its £500 purchase price the previous year. Diana de Rosa's 'Salome with the Head of John the Baptist' achieved £317,500, a new record for the Baroque painter. Sotheby's sale generated £14.5 million total. The auctions reflect a healthy Old Masters market, with younger and Asian collectors driving demand, despite new EU regulations on art trafficking.
Key facts
- Canaletto's 'Venice, The Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day' sold for £31.9 million at Christie's on July 1, 2025, setting a new auction record.
- Christie's Old Masters Evening Sale reached £60.8 million, exceeding the £40 million estimate.
- Christie's achieved a 99% sell-through rate by value, the highest in its Old Masters history.
- A rediscovered Turner painting from 1792 sold for £1.9 million at Sotheby's on July 2, 2025.
- Diana de Rosa's 'Salome with the Head of John the Baptist' set a new auction record at £317,500.
- Sotheby's Old Master and 19th Century Paintings Evening Auction totaled £14.5 million.
- The auctions attracted younger and Asian collectors, broadening the buyer base.
- New EU regulations on illicit art trafficking are causing concern among dealers.
Entities
Artists
- Canaletto
- Jan Davidsz. de Heem
- Titian
- J.M.W. Turner
- Diana de Rosa
- Artemisia Gentileschi
- Lorenzo di Credi
- Corneille de Lyon
- Tommaso de Rosa
- Caterina De Mauro
- Giovan Francesco (Pacecco) de Rosa
- Filippo Vitale
- Agostino Beltrano
- Massimo Stanzione
- Juan Do
- Aniello Falcone
- Bernardo De Dominici
- Sir Robert Walpole
Institutions
- Christie's
- Sotheby's
- Artribune
- NABA
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Venice
- Italy
- Naples
- Bristol