The last intact multi-panelled altarpiece by Lucas Cranach the Elder and three remarkable works by Pieter Brueghel the Younger will feature at Sotheby’s Old Master and British Paintings sale in London on July 4. The sale comprises 44 works with a combined estimate of more than £26 million.
There are three large paintings by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, led by the monumental Battle between Carnival and Lent (£4-6 million). Other highlights include two early 16th century masterpieces of the German Renaissance – Lucas Cranach the Elder’s Feilitzsch Altarpiece (£4-6 million) and Hans Baldung Grien’s jewel-like Virgin as Queen of Heaven (£1 – £1.5 million) – as well as Guido Reni’s monumental David with the Head of Goliath (£3-5 million). There are works from the Dutch Golden Age and a spectacular pair of Venetian views by Francesco Guardi (£1.2-1.8 million) which have been unseen for over a century. UPDATE: Brueghel’s Battle between Carnival and Lent sold for £4,521,250,, Hans Baldung Grien’s Virgin as Queen of Heaven made £2,113,250, Guido Reni’s David with the head of Goliath was withdrawn and the Guardi views made £1,385,250.