LONDON.- The Old Master and British Evening Sale totalled £65,390,100/ $84,745,570/ €76,375,637, achieving sell through rates of 93% by value and 77% by lot.

The highest price for an Old Master Painting sold at Christie’s was achieved with the sale of Peter Paul Rubens’s Lot and his Daughters, which realised £44,882,500 / $58,167,720 / €52,422,760 in a spirited 14-minute bidding war.

Henry Pettifer, International Director, Head of Old Master & British Paintings Christie’s London: “Following the curated 250th anniversary Defining British Art sale we are delighted with the results of this Old Masters evening’s auction totalling £65,390,100 which gives us a combined running total of £105,373,775, the result of strong bidding from not only our traditional collectors for the category but also new clients from Asia and collectors of 20th Century art. We are especially pleased with the sale of Rubens’s ‘Lot and his Daughters’, for £44,882,500, the most expensive Old Master Painting ever sold by Christie’s. The atmosphere in the saleroom was energetic as one of the most important paintings by Rubens to have remained in private hands sold after 14 minutes of bidding. The sale of this work follows the record sale by Christie’s of two Rembrandt Portraits sold by private treaty to the French and Dutch states earlier this year, demonstrating the continued demand of collectors for the very best Old Master works. Christie’s first Classic Week in London has been a fitting context for a work of such calibre, displayed alongside the full range of unique works of art offered throughout the week. Tonight’s sale achieved sell through rates of 93% by value and 77% by lot and attracted cross-category buying with registered bidders from 25 countries across 5 continents. Top prices were realised at all price levels, with notable highlights including ‘The Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter’ by Pieter Brueghel II which sold over estimate achieving £6,466,500, Bellotto’s pair of panoramas of the Grand Canal Venice which realised £3,554,500 and Jacob van Ruisdael’s ‘View of Haarlem’ that reached £1,538,500.

Preceding the Old Master and British Painting Evening Sale, The Exceptional Sale totalled £5,681,250/ $7,362,900/ €6,635700 achieving sell through rates of 89% by value and 80% by lot.

A world record was set for English Pottery with the sale of a Wedgwood black ‘First Day’s Vase of £482,500 / $625,320 / €563,560, more than double its high estimate.

Robert Copley, Deputy Chairman of Group, International Head of Furniture, Deputy Chairman, Christie’s UK “The Exceptional Sale saw international participation from registered bidders in 15 countries across 3 continents. The highlight of the sale was a Wedgwood black ‘First Day’s Vase’, one of only four day vases to have been thrown by Wedgwood himself, and one which has passed through generations of the Wedgwood family before being auctioned at Christie’s where it achieved a world record price for English pottery of £482,500 / $625,320 / €563,560, more than double its high estimate with spirited bidding in the room. Launched in 2008, the first concept sale of masterpieces, it presents the best of European decorative arts, many with celebrated provenance; all united by the common attribute of excellence, which this year realised sell through rates of 80% by lot and 89% by value with A world record was also set for a work by the Komai studio, a pair of Japanese inlaid iron vases and covers, which sold over estimate for £302,500 / $392,040 / €353,320. The top lots of the evening were a Meissen white model of a great bustard, which originated from Augustus the Strong’s porcelain menagerie and a pair of ice pails, ordered by Catherine the Great of Russia, the most elaborate and expensive set ever produced by Sèvres, both of which made £842,500 / $1,087,668 / €984,040”