Adesso

Old Master Sculpture & Works of Art

RESULTS

This December’s sale saw consistently high prices for important medieval sculpture, led by a Nottingham alabaster Virgin and Child and a limewood relief with the Annunciation, both of which soared past their estimates to achieve £137,000.

There were also strong results for marbles across artistic periods, with a torso of Hercules from the circle of Giambologna and a neoclassical bust of Jupiter both surpassing the £100,000 mark.

Sotheby’s status as a distinguished platform for the sale of early jewellery was confirmed by the exceptional result for an intaglio ring by William Birch, which sold for £35,000 against an estimate of £6,000-8,000 and highlighted the strong overall performance of rings and other jewels.

AUCTION DETAILS

This December’s sale of Old Master Sculpture and Works of Art will showcase some of the finest three-dimensional objects on the market. The auction features masterpieces of European sculpture from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical periods.

Highlights from the early section of the sale include a rare 15th-century Nottingham Alabaster Virgin and Child. These are joined by an important group of Renaissance bronzes from a private collection, and an array of fine early jewels. The highlights of the Baroque and Neoclassical sections include a bust of the Earl of Orkney by Michael Rysbrack, and a superb gilt-bronze bust of George Washington with a pietre dure socle made by the Spanish Royal Workshops.