Christie's Old Masters Evening Sale in London delivered a strong result, bringing in £38.9 million ($51.4 million) across 40 lots and moving beyond its pre-sale high estimate. The auction showed that collectors continue to reserve their biggest bids for works that combine rarity, quality, and strong provenance.
Leading the evening was Sir Thomas Lawrence's portrait of the Duke of Wellington, which sold for £9.67 million ($12.8 million) and set a new world auction record for the artist. Jan van Huysum emerged as another major winner, with two richly composed still lifes surpassing expectations and each establishing a new record for the Dutch painter.
The top Van Huysum work, Peaches and grapes in a wicker basket, reached £6.52 million ($8.65 million), while its floral companion achieved £5.54 million ($7.35 million). Both far exceeded their estimates, reflecting the market's appetite for exceptional still lifes with distinguished histories.
Other highlights included a 17th-century Dutch vanitas still life that climbed from an estimate of £80,000 to £120,000 to £431,800, and Girolamo da Santacroce's Renaissance history painting, which rose to £673,100. Strong results also came from Louis-Léopold Boilly, Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, and John Melhuish Strudwick, each setting or approaching new benchmarks.
Overall, the sale confirmed a clear trend: buyers are highly selective, but when a work feels rare and significant, competition can quickly intensify. That focus may continue to shape how the Old Masters market evolves in the years ahead.