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Masters Week Reaches $76M
Led by Aso O. Tavitian’s extraordinary collection and the ‘Joachim-Ma’ Stradivarius violin, Sotheby’s recent sales reaffirmed the auction house’s leadership of the Old Masters market.
S otheby’s Masters Week in New York concluded with great success, totaling over $76 million across 11 sales. The series showcased an extraordinary range of artworks and objects spanning centuries, drawing competitive bidding and record-breaking results.
Leading the week in sales was the collection of Aso O. Tavitian, an extraordinary assemblage of Old Master paintings, sculpture and English furniture. The series of four sales realized $21 million, nearly doubling its low estimate.
A historic moment came with the sale of the 1714 Joachim-Ma Stradivarius, which achieved $11.3 million, one of the highest prices ever achieved for a musical instrument at auction. Proceeds from this landmark sale will support scholarships at New England Conservatory.
In the Master Paintings Part I auction, property from the Bass Museum stood out, achieving impressive results. Several lots far exceeded their estimates, including Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria by the Workshop of Botticelli, which was originally estimated between $100,000 and $150,000 and sold for $660,000. Initially estimated at $1.2 million, Pieter Bruegel the Younger’s The Nest Robber realized $3 million, while Bernardino de’ Conti’s Portrait of an Elegantly Attired Noblewoman in Profile exceeded expectations at $3.1 million off a $2 million estimate.
Master Works on Paper from Five Centuries auction was equally impressive, led by Caspar David Friedrich’s The Beach at Wieck near Greifswald, which had an estimate of $250,000 and sold for $720,000 – nearly three times its estimate.
In the 19th-Century European Art auction, Henry Scott Tuke’s Lovers of the Sun from 1923, estimated at $150,000, commanded an impressive $372,000, and Bertha Wegman’s Paris Interior with Still Life sold for $96,000 over its $10,000 estimate.
Meanwhile, Sotheby’s The One sale brought a unique intersection of fine art and pop culture, with Kobe Bryant’s iconic “Achilles” game sneakers selling for $660,000.
As collectors and connoisseurs reflect on this exhilarating week, Sotheby’s reaffirms its position at the forefront of the Old Masters market, delivering exceptional results and rediscovering timeless treasures.
