VIENNA.- You could have heard a pin drop in Dorotheum’s auction hall. After a prolonged sparring of bidders, a caller pledged €1,540,000 for an historic portrait of Sisi–and was met with a standing ovation.

The painting by Carl Theodor von Piloty and Franz Adam of the newly engaged Elisabeth of Austria seated on horseback in front of Possenhofen Castle at Lake Starnberg was the top lot of the 27 April 2017 19th century paintings auction despite being restricted from export.

Sisi, who would become Empress Elisabeth of Austria, gave the portrait to Francis Joseph of Austria for Christmas after the two were engaged to be married. The work had faded from the public eye after belonging to the Habsburg estate for over 150 years. It was one of Francis Joseph of Austria’s most prized possessions, having hung on the wall above the emperor’s bed in the Hofburg Imperial Palace for 60 years, until his death.

The auction was the best auction of 19th century paintings in Dorotheum's history.

Tremendous international interest, soaring prices for old master paintings on April 25

Dorotheum's auction week kicked off amidst high demand and soaring bids. A masterpiece of the Florentine early Renaissance, Apollonio di Giovanni's "The Battle of Pharsalos," achieved an outstanding €674,000. Originally the front piece of a wedding trunk , or cassone, the work was one of the auctions standouts.

Applause filled the auction room after the winning bid, a handsome sum of €466,600, was placed for a pair of portraits - one of a man and one of a woman - by the Antwerp School.

The illustrious Brueghel family name - in this case, Brueghel the II.- inspired a bidder to pay €417,800 for a version of the famous "Bird Trap" allegory. A still-life painting by Jean Michel Picart, one of the best-known representatives of Parisian Grand Siècle painting, sold for €393,400.

The auction, one of Dorotheum's best to date, attracted enormous international interest, with many works selling for far more than expected.