Enfilade

As reported by Judd Tully for Art Info (28 January 2010):

NEW YORK—In sharp contrast to its arch rival Christie’s more subdued sale yesterday, Sotheby’s staged a rousing morning session of Important Old Master Paintings and Sculpture today that realized $53,376,500, nicely within its pre-sale estimate range of $38 million to $55 million (Sale N08610). Top lot honors went to Jupiter and Antiope, a decidedly bawdy and large-scale mythological scene from 1612 by Hendrick Goltzius, which sold to an anonymous telephone bidder for a record $6,802,500 (est. $8–12 million). . .

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Greuze, "Madame van Westrenen of Tremaat"

"Pluto and Proserpina," ca. 1700

In terms of surpassing expectations, ‘top honors’ might be better assigned to an Austrian ivory group of Pluto and Proserpina, attributed to Matthias Steinl (ca. 1700), which sold for $1.2 million — ten times its minimum estimate. Antonio Joli’s Death Leap of Marcus Curtius, sold by the L.A. County Museum, went for $122,500 (double its estimate). Greuze’s Portrait of Madame Van Westrenenen of Tremaat sold for $182,500 ($80-120,000 estimate), and whereas a large Robert canvas failed to sell earlier in the week at Christie’s, the painter’s more modestly scaled Garden Scene with a Canal sold at Sotheby’s for $482,500 ($150-250,000 estimate).– C.H.

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