AMSTERDAM.- Yesterday’s sale of Old Master Paintings at Sotheby’s Amsterdam was a tremendous success, totalling €6 million ($8,63 million), almost doubling the pre sale high estimate and highest total for an OMP sale at Sotheby’s Amsterdam (previous record was €3,5 million, November 2006).

Absolute highlight of the sale was a recently discovered masterpiece by Jan Lievens, The Card Players, (est €150.000-200.000), selling for €1.7 million ($2,4 million) which is the highest price ever for any work of art sold by auction in The Netherlands and the second highest price for a work by Lievens.

The Collection of the J.Paul Getty Museum performed very well totalling €1 million - doubling the high estimate - and highlighted by the Ruysdael (lot 53) with fetched €252,000, four times the pre sale estimate. Choosing Amsterdam as the selling place for these works was clearly the right decision.

The work The Card Players by Jan Lievens was purchased by Johnny van Haeften Ltd for $2,406,637, a Dutch auction record for any work of art. A pair of landscapes, Summer and Winter by Carel Beschey was purchased by an anonymous buyer for $620,716. A 17th Century Vanitas still life by a Follower of Pieter Claesz was sold for $424,701. A royal English smallship with two Dutch man-of-wars in choppy seas by Ludolf Backhuyzen was sold for $392,031 USD.

The sale was a tremendous success, with a result of more that twice the estimate’. There was strong bidding in the crowded room as well as on the telephones. Baukje Coenen, head of the Old Master Paintings department commented: ‘We are more than delighted with this sale, achieving the highest total for Old Master Paintings at Sotheby’s Amsterdam ever. The record price for Jan Lievens shows an acknowledgement for the artistic and historical value of this impressive work. The Collection of the J.Paul Getty Museum performed very well totalling €1 million, three times the estimate, and highlighted by the Ruysdael (lot 53). Choosing Amsterdam as the selling place was clearly the right decision.’