The event featuring 19th and 20th Century Paintings and Sculpture, held on 17 and 18 December 2024, reaffirmed the full recovery of 19th-century art with an extraordinary result of over € 1 million in sales, a 170% increase in estimated starting values, and 80% sell-through rate.
The department succeeded in highlighting to an increasingly global audience how the art of that period, when characterised by high quality, continues to captivate collectors and the market, with the total sales for 2024 now exceeding € 2 million.
At the top of the auction was the masterpiece by Giuseppe De Nittis, "Sulla strada di Castellammare," which became the top lot with € 378,000.
Lot 94
Giuseppe De Nittis
"Sulla strada di Castellammare" 1875, oil on canvas (cm 54,5x73,5)
Sold € 378.000
Following closely were two equally captivating works by Giacinto Gigante: his Neapolitan views, "Veduta da La Marinella" (€ 69,300) and "Napoli, una processione a Mergellina" (€ 44,100).
Lot 105
Giacinto Gigante
"Veduta da La Marinella" Napoli 1839, oil on canvas (cm 57x84).
Sold € 69.300
Lot 104
Giacinto Gigante
"Napoli, una processione a Mergellina" 1839, oil on canvas (cm 57x84).
Sold € 44.100
Among the most contested lots were the colourful dynamism of Moses Levy with "La sera del veglione – Carnevale di Viareggio" (€ 17,640), followed by Luigi Bonazza with his luminous "Studio per ritratto di Italia Bertotti" (€ 16,380).
Lot 132
Moses Levy
"La sera del veglione - Carnevale di Viareggio" 1919, oil on cardboard (cm 22,5x18,5)
Sold € 17.640
Lot 110
Luigi Bonazza
"Studio per ritratto di Italia Bertotti", oil on canvas applied to cardboard (cm 43,5x34).
Sold € 16.380
There were also admirers of vedutism, such as Giuseppe Canella with the Parisian "Les bains chinois, Boulevard des Italiens. Paris" (€ 13,860).
Ugo Celada da Virgilio’s vigorous and clear brushstroke was also increasingly appreciated, as seen in his "Ritratto del Cavaliere Angelo Motta" (€ 11,970).
Finally, sculpture also showed particular vitality, with Paolo Troubetzkoy standing out among the others with the bronze "Cavallo" (€ 10,080).
Lot 113
Giuseppe Canella
"Les bains chinois, Boulevard des Italiens. Parigi" 1826, oil on cardboard (cm 13x17).
Sold € 13.860
Lot 126
Ugo Celada da Virgilio
"Ritratto del Cavaliere Angelo Motta", oil on plywood (cm 99x75)
Sold € 11.970
Lot 72
Paolo Troubetzkoy
"Cavallo" 1893, bronze sculpture (cm 32x46x17)
Sold € 10.080