After a seven-minute duel between two prospective buyers who participated by telephone in the Sotheby`s auction, Christ as Man of Sorrows sold to one of them for $39.3 million. But taxes and the house's commission will be added to this figure, which means that the final price comes to 45.41 million
[/P]The price is slightly lower than Sotheby's original estimate (40 million excluding taxes) and twice as low as the record-breaking $92.2 million set last year by another Botticelli painting, Portrait of a Young Man Holding a Medal. Christ as Man of Sorrows depicts Jesus, on a black background, with a crown of thorns on his head and his hands bound.
According to experts, the painting was painted in the early 1500s, towards the end of the life of Botticelli (1445-1510), whose frescoes adorn the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
In the 19th century, the painting belonged to a famous English singer who left it to her heirs. It was last auctioned in 1963 and then the buyer paid only £10,000 to acquire it.
Today's auction, dedicated to works by Renaissance painters, was held by telephone and online in the morning, New York time, so that buyers from Asia and Europe could participate.
Source: CNA
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