The Dorotheum celebrates its anniversary with a world record: 1.4 million euros for Guido Cagnacci’s “Lucretia”

Press Information

Vienna.The anniversary auction held to celebrate the 300th birthday of Vienna auction house the Dorotheum got off to a brilliant start.One of the highlights of this auction of Old Masters on 24th April 2007 was “Lucretia” by Italian Baroque painter Guido Cagnacci, which caused a sensation right at the outset.According to Artnet, the hammer price of 1.4 million euros set a new world record for the work of this master and is also Austria’s highest auction bid this year. This major work by the Italian painter was valued by an Italian telephone bidder at 1.4 million euros. A similar work by the same painter, “Cleopatra”, hangs in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna

Another highlight of this high-carat anniversary sale was Bernadino Pinturicchio’s “Madonna and Child”, which will now embellish a leading private collection in Italy. At 460,000 euros, the winning bid was well above expectations.

The painting that adorned the cover of the anniversary catalogue, Melchior de Hondecoeter’s “The Birds’ Concert”, sold for 670,000 euros, almost ten times the expected amountand an idealised landscape by a member of the school of Jan Brueghel the Younger realised an exceptional 480,000 euros.

This meant the auction house was able to celebrate its birthday with its highest day’s turnover to date at 7.2 million euros.                                                                                           

The auction was held in the historic Franz Joseph Saal, the very heart of the Palais Dorotheum, where major auctions have been held since 1900. The room has been magnificently refurbished for the anniversary.Over 30 telephone bidders provided those present in the packed auction room with a series of thrilling bidding wars.

Press Office: Mag. Constanze Werner, Tel. +43 1/515 60-406
constanze.werner@dorotheum.at

	Press Information