Old Master sells at NY auction for $6.8m, despite muted interest
An Old Master once owned by an elevated Nazi official has been sold for $6.8 million at a New York auction. Hendrick Goltzius' six-foot-side painting Jupiter and Antiope had been expected to raise between $8 million and $12 million at the high-profile auction, with interest expected to be sparked by not only its status as an Old Master, but also by the fact that it can list Hermann Goering as one of its previous owners.
However, with just one unidentified buyer bidding over the phone from Europe, the 1612 work eventually went for significantly less.
However, Sotheby's maintained it was generally pleased with its latest Old Master Painting Sale, not least as healthy bidding between new buyers for a number of lots helped push overall sales past the $61 million mark.
One New York art dealer, Richard Feigen, told Bloomberg: "There is new money coming onto the field. The word is out that this is a good place to park money."
Hendrick Goltzius was also renowned as being the leading Dutch engraver of the early Baroque period, in addition to his status as a painter.
