A pair of paintings by Perugino, depicting Christ Crowned with Thorns and the Virgin, was the highlight of the Old Masters sale at Dorotheum Vienna on 22 October 2024. Created around 1490 by the most influential artist of his time and Raphael’s teacher, the panels went to a telephone bidder for €842,800 – a world record price for works by the artist.
An early painting of a Madonna and Child by Artemisia Gentileschi, a Baroque painter who has been rediscovered in recent years, fetched an impressive 565,000 euros. A work of particular art historical interest, a small drawing on paper of the Madonna and Child, rendered in red chalk, by the Antwerp painter Peter Paul Rubens, made 156,000 euros.
Main Image: Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci, called il Perugino (c. 1450–1523) Christ Crowned with Thorns; and The Virgin oil on panel, a pair, each 33.5 x 27.5 cm price realised € 842,800
