Turner painting bought last year for £500 sells for almost £2m at Sotheby's

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.