Rediscovered Watteau Sells for $24M
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Jean-Antoine Watteau’s “La Surprise” (1718-19) bested expectations at Christie’s Old Master and British Pictures London sale Tuesday night, selling for $24.39 million. The painting, thought to have been destroyed until a year ago when it was found in the drawing room of a British country estate, had been estimated to sell for between $5.9 million and $9.8 million. Watteau’s contemporaries had regarded the painting as one of his greatest works.
Another highlight of the sale was Sir Anthony Van Dyck’s “A Rearing Stallion” (1620-22/3), which sold for $6 million on an estimate of between $2 million and $2.9 million. Peter Brueghel’s “The Bad Shepherd” (1615-20) sold for $4.9 million. Like the Van Dyck, it had been estimated to sell for between $2 million and $2.9 million.
In total, the 48-lot sale generated more than $47 million for Christie’s.
