Giovanni Antonio Canaletto (Venice 1697–1768) The Molo, Venice, from the Bacino di San Marco, courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2013. (Click on image to enlarge).
Canaletto’s view of The Molo, Venice from the Bacino di San Marco was the top lot at Christie’s sale of Old Master and British Paintings in London this evening. It made £8,461,875 against a top estimate of £6 million in an auction which brought in £23,852,300. There were buyers from 11 countries across four continents.
Georgina Wilsenach of Christie’s said: “This sale saw strong prices for paintings from all schools, particularly Italian, Flemish and British. We welcomed, once again, bidders from Asia, the Middle East, South America and Russia as well as the traditional markets of Europe and America, with buyers this evening from 11 countries across 4 continents. This resulted in the impressive price for the Canaletto, which doubled its pre-sale estimate.”