New York Old Master Auctions Fall Short of Expectations in February 2025

Key facts

• Christie’s Old Masters evening sale on February 5, 2025, totaled approximately $24.5 million.
• Sotheby’s Master Paintings Part I on February 6, 2025, totaled approximately $27.5 million.
• Several key lots were withdrawn from Christie’s, including works by Sweerts, Hals, Parmigianino, and El Greco.
• El Greco’s San Sebastiano (est. $7–9 million) was claimed by Romania over alleged illegal export in the 1940s.
• Joachim Anthonisz Wtewael’s Adam and Eve sold for $2 million at Christie’s, exceeding high estimate.
• Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s Seven Acts of Mercy sold for $1.865 million at Christie’s.
• Mattia Preti’s The Liberation of Saint Peter sold for $1.502 million at Christie’s.
• Raphael’s Saint Mary Magdalene sold for $3.12 million at Sotheby’s.
• Bernardino de’ Conti’s Portrait of an Elegantly-Attired Noblewoman in Profile sold for $3.12 million at Sotheby’s (from J.E. Safra collection).
• Tintoretto’s Portrait of a Young Man Wearing a Fur-Lined Cloak sold for $2.16 million at Sotheby’s.
• Peter Paul Rubens’ Annunciation sold for $4.8 million at Sotheby’s, down from $5.4 million in 2014.
• August Strindberg’s Lighthouse II (est. $4–6 million) failed to sell at Sotheby’s.
• The Old Master market had seen a record for Titian at Christie’s London in July 2024 (£17.5 million).
• Sotheby’s London Old Master evening sale in 2023 totaled over £39 million, a +19% increase from December 2022.