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.
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