Artemisia Gentileschi's 17th-century painting 'Lucretia' sold for €1.88 million ($2 million) at Dorotheum's Old Master sale in Vienna, more than double its high estimate. The work, previously unseen in public, was acquired by an Australian collection, continuing a trend of strong auction results for the Baroque artist.
Artnet News, in collaboration with Morgan Stanley, analyzed auction data from the Artnet Price Database to assess the state of the European Old Master market since 2018. The investigation explores how efforts to contemporize Old Masters—through juxtapositions at art fairs like TEFAF and Masterpiece London, and gallery shows such as David Zwirner's 'Endless Enigma'—have correlated with market trends for Contemporary and Ultra-Contemporary artists whose work is visibly influenced by classical European art. The report also examines the impact of living artists inspired by Old Masters, suggesting that restricting analysis to historical works alone may underestimate their ongoing influence on the art market.
A self-portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi sold for $5.69 million at Christie’s New York, setting a new auction record for the artist. The painting, *Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria*, is one of only five self-portraits by Gentileschi and is believed to be the earliest, painted when she was around 20 years old in Florence. It far exceeded its presale estimate of $2.5–$3.5 million. On the same day, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., announced its acquisition of another Gentileschi work, *Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy* (circa 1625), funded by a gift from Nina J. Cohen and the Patrons’ Permanent Fund.
A recently rediscovered painting by Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi sold for €865,000 ($1.19 million) at a Sotheby's Paris auction, shattering the artist's previous auction record set in 1998. The work, which had been hidden for over 80 years in southern France, fetched nearly three times its presale estimate after being identified by Sotheby's Old Master department.
A long-lost painting by the 17th-century Italian Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi, titled *Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy*, has been rediscovered and will be auctioned at Sotheby's in Paris on June 26. The work, previously known only from a single black-and-white photograph, was found in a private collection in the south of France and has not been publicly seen for 80 years.
The 2024 edition of TEFAF Maastricht has opened with a significant focus on rediscovered female Old Masters, highlighted by the third annual 'Map of Women Artists' which now features over 670 works. Major dealers like Lullo Pampoulides and Koetser Gallery are showcasing high-value pieces by Artemisia Gentileschi, Virginia da Vezzo, and Michaelina Wautier, drawing immediate attention from institutional leaders including Metropolitan Museum of Art director Max Hollein.
Christie's, Sotheby's, and Bonhams held Old Masters auctions in London, with Christie's achieving a record £31.9 million ($43.7 million) sale for Canaletto's *Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day* (circa 1732), more than half the sale's total of £60.8 million. The painting, once owned by Robert Walpole, set a new auction record for the artist. Sotheby's evening sale brought in £14.5 million, with J.M.W. Turner's rediscovered *The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St Vincent's Rock, Bristol* (1792) selling for £1.9 million, seven times its estimate. However, mid-market paintings struggled, and the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery failed to acquire the Turner despite fundraising £109,000.
London-based gallery Trinity Fine Art has announced a curated presentation for TEFAF Maastricht 2026 focusing on the stylistic evolution from Mannerism to the Baroque. The showcase features three significant works: an ambitious 1580 biblical scene by Lavinia Fontana, a rare and well-documented 1610 depiction of St. Jerome by Orazio Gentileschi, and a mature 1620 composition of the Holy Family by Giulio Cesare Procaccini.
old masters records gentileschi michelangelo rembrandt
Old Masters Week in New York saw a resurgence in the sector, highlighted by the Italian Ministry of Culture's $14.9 million private acquisition of a rare two-sided panel by Antonello da Messina from Sotheby’s. The week featured high-profile sales at both Sotheby’s and Christie’s, resulting in new auction records for major figures including Artemisia Gentileschi and Michelangelo, as well as a record price for a Rembrandt drawing. The success was attributed to a high level of museum participation and more realistic pricing strategies compared to previous seasons.
michaelina wautier market appraisal
The 17th-century Flemish Baroque painter Michaelina Wautier is experiencing a significant rediscovery following centuries of obscurity and misattribution. Long overshadowed by her male contemporaries and her brother Charles, Wautier's diverse oeuvre—ranging from still lifes to monumental allegorical scenes—is being re-evaluated through major exhibitions at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and the Royal Academy of Arts in London. This scholarly revival is correcting the historical record, as works previously attributed to artists like Artemisia Gentileschi are being rightfully returned to her catalog.
A rediscovered painting by Baroque master Artemisia Gentileschi, titled 'Lucretia,' sold for €4.8 million ($5.28 million) at an Artcurial auction in Paris, shattering the artist's previous auction record. The price soared to six times its high estimate, reflecting intense market competition for the rare work.
Sotheby's underperformed with the highly anticipated Saunders Collection of Old Masters, which was estimated at $80–120 million but sold for only $65.4 million, falling $14.6 million short of its low estimate. The sell-through rate was a dismal 58%, with 16 of 43 lots failing to sell in the standalone auction. Christie's also saw disappointing results, with a smaller sale totaling $6.89 million, 17% below its low target. The collection, amassed by the late banker Thomas A. Saunders III and his wife Jordan, was billed as the most valuable Old Masters collection ever to come to auction.
A rare self-portrait by 17th-century British painter William Dobson has been jointly acquired by London's Tate and the National Portrait Gallery for £2.37 million ($3.2 million), setting a new record for the artist. The painting, considered the first known self-portrait by a British-born painter, was created in the late 1630s and last sold at Bonhams London in 2016 for just over £1.1 million. It will go on view in London before embarking on a national tour in 2026.
The Dorotheum auction house in Vienna is set to auction a rare, autograph replica of Artemisia Gentileschi’s 'St. Mary Magdalen' (c. 1620) that is missing its central focus: the saint's face. Discovered in a private German cellar in 2011 and likely mutilated during the looting of postwar Berlin, the fragment has been authenticated by experts Roberto Contini and Riccardo Lattuada. Despite the missing section, infrared analysis confirms Gentileschi’s hand, and the work is estimated to fetch between $120,000 and $170,000.
An early self-portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi, depicting the artist as Saint Catherine of Alexandria, sold at Christie’s in New York for $5.69 million, far exceeding its $2.5–3.5 million estimate. The painting, one of only five known self-portraits by Gentileschi, was painted when she was 20 and living in Florence. The previous auction record for the artist was $5.25 million set in 2019 at Artcurial in Paris.
A rediscovered Baroque painting by 17th-century Neapolitan artist Diana de Rosa, titled *Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist*, sold for £317,500 ($436,086) at Sotheby’s Old Masters and 19th Century Paintings sale in London on July 2, more than quadrupling its high estimate. The work, previously unknown to scholars, set a new auction record for the artist and was described by Sotheby’s specialist Elisabeth Lobkowicz as a powerful image comparable to Caravaggio’s treatment of the same subject.
Christie's London Classic Week generated a combined total of £60,844,240 ($83,660,830) between its Old Masters Evening Sale and The Exceptional Sale, led by a record-setting £31.9 million sale of a Canaletto masterpiece. The painting, once part of Sir Robert Walpole's collection, attracted five bidders from Asia, Europe, and North America. Sotheby's also saw strong results, with the two houses together achieving £58 million (excluding buyer's premium) in Old Masters evening auctions, a notable increase from 2024. Other highlights included Titian's Portrait of a nobleman, seated before a window selling for £3,428,000 and Jan Davidsz de Heem's still life achieving £3,670,000.
A series of significant artworks are heading to auction in February, led by an early Artemisia Gentileschi self-portrait making its auction debut at Christie's New York with an estimate of $2.5m-$3.5m. Other highlights include Rembrandt's last privately-held animal drawing, 'Young Lion Resting', at Sotheby's New York ($15m-$20m estimate), a Judy Chicago print of Mary, Queen of Scots at Phillips, and an Odilon Redon work on paper at Artcurial Paris.
At Sotheby's Old Master paintings evening sale in London on July 2, a Turner painting purchased last year for £500 sold for nearly £2 million, highlighting the sector's resilience. The auction achieved £11.5 million hammer total (£14.5m with fees), with 81% of lots sold, including a rediscovered 14th-century Byzantine icon that far exceeded estimates and three new artist records for Lorenzo di Credi, Corneille de Lyon, and others. The sale contrasted with Christie's previous evening's £46.2 million total driven by a record Canaletto.
Un Beato Angelico riscoperto protagonista alle aste di arte antica di Pandolfini a Firenze
Pandolfini auction house in Florence will auction a rediscovered fragment of Beato Angelico's *Tebaide* on May 20, 2026, after it had been missing for fifty years. The attribution was confirmed by comparison with the version held at the Museo di San Marco and formerly at the Galleria degli Uffizi. The auction house's Old Masters department, led since 2025 by young director Nicolò Pitto, has achieved strong results, including over €5 million in total revenue for the year, with top lots such as Artemisia Gentileschi's *Cleopatra* (€595,600) and a French School *Saint Catherine of Alexandria* (€620,000).
Va in asta una Maria Maddalena di Artemisia Gentileschi senza volto
The Viennese auction house Dorotheum has announced the sale of a rare, fragmented painting of Mary Magdalene by the Baroque master Artemisia Gentileschi. Dating from the artist's influential Florentine period (1615–1618), this autograph version of a work held in Palazzo Pitti is notably missing its central element: the head and shoulders of the saint have been physically cut from the canvas. Despite this dramatic mutilation, which experts speculate may have occurred in post-war Berlin, the work is estimated to fetch between €100,000 and €150,000 at the Old Masters auction on April 28, 2026.
Sotheby's will offer a rediscovered Artemisia Gentileschi painting, *David with the Head of Goliath* (1620s-30s), at its Old Master evening auction on 2 July, with an estimate of £1m to £2m. The work had been misattributed for decades—first to Giovanni Francesco Guerrieri in 1975, then as 'School of Caravaggio' in 2018—before definitive attribution to Artemisia was confirmed in 2020 when Simon Gillespie Studio discovered her signature running down the sword blade. The painting has been on the market only twice before, most recently selling for €104,000 in 2018.