The painting by Botticelli was bought at auction by a Russian for more than 92 million "green"

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The painting by the Italian painter Sandro Botticelli "Portrait of a Young Man with a Medallion" was sold at Sotheby's in New York for more than $ 92 million. As reported on the website of the auction house, the auction took place in New York on January 28. The painting was sold for 92 million 184 thousand dollars. The identity of the buyer was not disclosed.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the canvas was acquired by a Russian-speaking collector during an online auction. A buyer from Asia also competed for the right to purchase the portrait.

The auction house has tentatively estimated the cost of the painting at $ 80 million. As noted by Sotheby's, the painting has become one of the most expensive portraits in the world ever put up for auction and one of the most expensive paintings by Botticelli ever put up for auction. The last time "Portrait of a Young Man with a Medallion" was put up for auction in 1982. Then it was sold for $ 1.3 million.

The struggle for the masterpiece of the great Italian artist unfolded between participants in the auction from Russia and Asia, both traded over the phone. The name of the "winner" is not disclosed by Sotheby’s, but experts believe that it was a Russian, since he was assisted at the auction by the director of the department of work with private clients of the auction house Lilia Sitnika, who usually supervises our compatriots. She herself told Izvestia that Sotheby’s did not disclose their names.

Some experts, in support of the "Russian trace" hypothesis, recall that an anonymous Russian is credited with the acquisition in 2013 of Botticelli's painting "Madonna and Child with Little John the Baptist" for $ 10.4 million. It was in poor condition, but belonged to one of the Rockefellers (sometimes she is called "Madonna of Rockefeller"), which automatically removed all questions about provenance. In 2017, Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev auctioned Leonardo da Vinci's "Savior of the World" for a record $ 450.3 million. Its authenticity is still in serious doubt. “It has been so meticulously restored that almost nothing is left of the original,” the Le Monde newspaper sneers.

The work is in much better condition than "The Savior of the World". "Portrait of a Young Man with a Medallion" was in the collection of the American billionaire Sheldon Solow, who bought it in 1982 at Christie’s for only $ 1.3 million - "ridiculous money," according to one of the auctioneers. Solow, who passed away last year, intended to use the proceeds from the sale of the painting to set up a private museum in New York for his collection.

“I don’t know if it’s a fake or not, but if it’s a fake, then it’s just brilliant,” Erik Bulatov, a connoisseur of the Italian Renaissance, shared his opinion.