VIENNA.- Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was one of the most influential artists of all time, profoundly inspiring painters from all over Europe with his innovative, dramatic use of light and his fresh realistic presentation of his subject matter. The followers of his style, the so-called Caravaggisti, encountered his bold approach and several important works painted by the earliest of the Caravaggisti are to be offered in Dorotheum’s Old Master Paintings sale on Tuesday, 30 April 2019.

One, a Saint Bartholomew by Bartolomeo Manfredi (estimate € 300,000 - 400,000) and another of the same subject, a Saint Bartholomew (€ 80,000 - 120,000), painted by an unconfirmed hand, but recently attributed to Caravaggio himself. Following Caravaggio’s premature death, it is Bartolomeo Manfredi who is credited with passing on the master’s stylistic innovations, particularly his use of naturalism, to the next generation.

Other works in the sale by Caravaggisti, are a sensual work entitled Mary Magdalene, by leading female exponent of the style, Artemisia Gentileschi (with the assistance of Onofrio Palumbo – estimate € 400,000 - 600,000), and a Ligated Lamb by a basket of Eggs by Giovan Battista Recco from a princely collection.

Further Highlights
Alongside the work by Artemisia Gentileschi, the sale will include a significant work (The Finding of Moses) by the celebrated Bolognese female artist Elizabetta Sirani (with the assistance of Giovanni Andrea Sirani - estimate € 150,000-200,000) and Guido Cagnacci´s Penitent Mary Magdalene (€ 100,000 - 150,000).

Flemish Masters
Highlights from among the auction’s Flemish paintings include Artus Wolffort’s 2-meter-long allegory of the four elements (€ 150,000 - 250,000). Another allegory by Antoon Claeissins, thematizes the highly dramatic Justitia who has conquered the seven deadly sins and put them in chains (€ 80,000 - 120,000). Abel Grimmer contributes an Old Testament scene with excellent architectural representation (€ 150,000 - 200,000). Complementing this is a joint work by Frans and Ambrosius Francken II depicting the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea in the Old Testament (€ 150,000 – 200,000).

19th Century Paintings
One of the highlights of the auction on 29 April 2019, will be a painting by Petrus van Schendel; a night market scene from Rotterdam, illuminated only by candlelight (€ 100,000 - 150,000). Other top lots from the 19th Century Paintings auction include works by Ippolito Caffi, Eugen von Blaas, Alexander Koester, Alfred von Wierusz-Kowalski and Alessio Isupoff.