The auction weeks presented by Dorotheum each spring and autumn are perennial season highlights. This month sees the return of the event, with Classic Week at Central Europe’s leading auction house bringing together fine art, high-quality antiques, and exceptional jewellery.
Kicking off the week on October 20 at 2:00 p.m. is the "Furniture, Antiques, Glass & Porcelain" sale—comprising nearly 400 lots—led by a pair of three-light candelabra in the Egyptian Revival style by Francesco Righetti, a rare and outstanding pair of small Louis XV commodes, and a sculpture of the enthroned Madonna and Child by the Augsburg master Gregor Erhart.
The sales continue on October 21st at 6 p.m. with the evening auction “Old Masters”, whose top lots include some exciting new discoveries and attributions: a head study by Raphael's teacher Perugino and Paolo Veronese's painting Madonna and Child in an architectural niche, which only recently came to light in a private collection.
The head study recently attributed to Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci, called Perugino has arrived at the auction from a private English collection. This brush and pen drawing with wash on laid paper, relates to that Pietà with Saints that Perugino painted in 1490 as a wing panel for an altarpiece triptych; the work was created for the church of the San Giusto alle Mura monastery – located just outside Florence – which was destroyed in 1529. All sections of the altarpiece are now housed in the Gallerie degli Uffizi.
Another new discovery is a view of Vienna by the Venetian veduta painter Bernardo Bellotto. Bellotto stayed in the Austrian capital from the end of 1758 to the beginning of 1761, where one of his most famous works, Vienna, was created as seen from the Belvedere. In the left part of that painting you can see the Karlskirche, completed in 1739, with its striking dome, which forms the main motif in the newly discovered work. A total of four versions of the painting are known, although it is assumed that this one is the first, which, painted by the master himself, was used as a model for the others, which differ in details.
The following evening, also at 6 p.m., the „19th Century Paintings" auction takes place, featuring lots that take us on a journey leading both up into the mountains and out into the Venetian lagoon.
The first highlight of this offering takes us to Bellotto’s hometown of Venice, a city that continued to attract numerous artists well into the 19th century. One such artist was the French painter Félix Ziem; the work presented here perfectly showcases his masterful handling of light and color. With characteristic virtuosity, Ziem captures the bustling activity and the festive thunder of cannon fire during a celebration set against the famous backdrop of the Campanile di San Marco and the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute.
The Russian painter with French roots, Franz Roubaud, is represented in the auction with two works. They found their way into the auction from various private collections and could make a nice pair due to their motifs and almost identical size. Both paintings, The River Crossing and the Resting in the Mountains pictured here, were created during Roubaud's extensive travels to the Caucasus.
Before the art of the 19th century is brought into the spotlight on October 22nd, the Dorotheum will present a very special highlight of Classic Week in the afternoon at 2 p.m.: “The Art of Luxury” is the name of the auction, which brings together one hundred lots of jewelry and accessories from an important German private collection. The collection was built up with great care and passion starting in the late 1990s and includes, in addition to jewellery from Bulgari and bags from Hermès, above all sparkling creations from Cartier.
Particularly noteworthy are the pieces from Cartier's Panthère collection, including this impressive white gold bangle with emeralds and a diamond setting weighing approx. 4.33 ct.
Another focus is on Cartier creations with colored gemstones of high quality and sought-after origin. One of the highlights here is this platinum ring with untreated Vietnam ruby weighing approx. 5.50 ct.
The Classic Week auctions will take place from 20th to 22nd October at the Palais Dorotheum, Dorotheergasse 17, in Vienna. Previews are possible there from October 10th ("The Art of Luxury" since October 3rd).
