Sotheby’s had a spectacular Old Masters week (compared with Christie’s), and the sales of La Belle Ferronnière by a Follower of Leonardo da Vinci for nearly $1.54 million, about three times its presale estimate (including the premium), and of Francisco Zurbarán’s full-length picture of Saint Doroty Holding a Basket of Apples and Oranges for a record $4.22 million, rightly made the biggest splash.
But the Old Master paintings sale held some other surprises, including a mini-mystery (not as good as the record-setting American silver punch bowl story, which I wrote about here last Saturday).
This is a mini-mystery that set no records and involves a little (7.5 inch by 5.5 inch) painting by Lucas Cranach the Younger. Called The Ill-Matched Lovers, it sold for $410,500 (including the premium) against a presale estimate of $50,000 to $70,000.
Why? The painting had once, apparently, been attributed to Cranach the Elder, a better painter, but was downgraded. Maybe someone thinks that was wrong? It came from descendants of Seymour R. Thaler — nothing special there — so I doubt provenance drove the price.
All it takes is two determined bidders, of course, to push a price to extremes. But still, I always wonder.
Results for the entire sale are here.
Photo: Courtesy Sotheby’s