Old Master Paintings

The department dedicated to Old Master Paintings represents the historical core of the auction house and has, over the years, become a solid point of reference within the market.

This sector focuses on the rich Italian and European artistic panorama from the 14th to the 18th century, delving into the works of great masters and significant regional schools. The trust and esteem earned over time are the result of the department’s authoritative team of experts, who maintain constant dialogue with leading professionals in the field.

In the first half of 2024, the Old Master Paintings department recorded total sales exceeding € 1 million. Among the most noteworthy results was the recent sale of the 17th-century Flemish painting "Concerto all’aperto", which fetched € 163,800. Other important results include the "Ritratto di Giuseppe Cristiano, conte di Salmour" by Jacques Sablet (€ 237,500), the masterpiece "Sacrificio di Isacco" by Giuseppe Vermiglio (€ 106,250), and the exceptional canvas by Domenico Piola, "Venere e Cupido nella fucina di Vulcano" (€ 97,500). Also of note is the round painting from the Tuscan School depicting the "Madonna con Bambino e San Giovannino" (€ 93,750), which highlights 15th-century devotional art.

To meet the growing demand for works on paper, the auction house inaugurated in 2018 the department of Old Master Drawings and Prints. The works, executed in various techniques, explore the most intimate and instinctive side of the creative impulse of great artists. Among the standout results in this field is the work by Gabriel Jacques de Saint Aubin, "Matrimonio di Merope e Polifonte", sold for € 275,000.

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The auction dedicated to antique furniture and paintings focused on medieval charm, bringing back into vogue a chivalric imagery which, as it spans the centuries, today finds great appreciation among collectors and enthusiasts. Total turnover of 2.8 million euros, 80% of lots sold and 160% average revaluation of estimates. From the first session, with the session dedicated to the Melissa Gabardi-Minervino Collection, the strong appeal of this collection of works of exceptional value, characterized by the presence of particularly rare artefacts, was felt.

Blog.ilgiornale.it | 1 November 2024

ll Ponte, which in the week of 11-14 October hesitated the Furniture and Old Master Paintings auction. The sales podium was conquered by the sensational price achieved by Jacques Sablet with the Portrait of Giuseppe Cristiano, Count of Salmour (237,500 thousand euros). Following is a secretaire richly inlaid in walnut and fir by Giuseppe Maggiolini (68.8 thousand) and the Russian icon attributed to the silversmith Pavel Ovchinnikov (68,800 thousand). An excellent auction whose turnover came close to 2 million euros in this round.

L’Economia (Corriere della Sera) | 24 October 2022

It is a prestigious Modena collection that opens the next auction of Furniture and Old Master Paintings organized by Il Ponte in Milan: a marathon of over nine hundred lots divided into four days (from 11 to 14 October) and six auction sessions. [...] These are interesting assessments that demonstrate how the current moment is very favorable to the lover and connoisseur of the antique due to the presence of numerous properties slowly formed over the past decades which are now being put on the market in full, thanks to the turnover between generations, creating purchasing opportunities that are difficult to repeat in the future.

Il Giornale dell’Arte | 10 October 2022

As concerns antiques, the three-day session at Il Ponte (12, 13, 14 April) certified the excellent work of the Via Pontaccio premises. Sales amounting to 1.3 million euros, many sought after lots. Such as the Portrait of a Young Man by Fra Galgario (81,000), the Sienese Sano di Pietro with Madonna and Child (68,000), the Saint John the Baptist by the Leonardesque Master (62,000) and the Woodland Landscape by Marten Rijckaert (50,000). In the furniture section the Italian furniture of the eighteenth century was very persuasive as shown by the Genoese "diplomatic" desk (25.000) and a pair of commodes from Southern Italy (16.000).

L'Economia (Corriere della Sera) | 25 April 2022

The auctions of the month at Palazzo Crivelli closed with a flourish. [...] the sale dedicated to Old Master Paintings and Antique Furnishings almost reached 1 million, with 72% of lots sold and prices above minimum estimates. [...] a sought-after portrait in the Caravaggio style - reached alone € 100,000.

Exibart | 29 October 2021

Il Ponte of Milan also celebrates the return of ancient paintings and antiques after the four days of auctions on April 20-23, during which 1,305 lots were sold for a total result of over 3.5 million euros, a record of the department and a revaluation of base prices of more than 220%. The auction house managed to sell 80% of the lots on average, with peaks of over 93% in the third and fifth rounds. (...)

Il Sole 24 Ore | 1 May 2021

The appointment dedicated to Antique Furniture and Paintings, at Il Ponte, ended with a new departmental record: a turnover of over € 3.5 million, 220% revaluation of base prices and an average of 80% of lots sold, with peaks exceeding 93% in the third and fifth rounds. (...)

Exibart | 27 April 2021

Il Ponte held the auction of Furniture, Sculptures, Works of Art and Old Master Paintings on June 9th and 10th, at Palazzo Crivelli. The sale [...] ended with an equivalent of € 1,525,000 with 72% of online awards. Among the most remarkable awards: the oil on canvas by Domenico Piola", which has become part of the artistic and cultural heritage of the Italian State.

Il Sole 24 Ore | 16 June 2020

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Castilian School of the First Half of the 17th Century

"Vanitas with a Ventilabro" oil on panel (75.5x49 cm.) inscriptions on the recto: "BONA BONIS MALA MALIS"; "LIBER SCRIPTVS PROFERETVR"; "TEMPVS BREVE EST" framed.