London, Marquis of Bath sold Titian's early masterpiece at auction

The Rest during the Flight into Egypt by Titian (Pieve di Cadore, 1488/1490 - Venice, 1576), an early masterpiece returning to the market after 145 years, has been sold at auction at Christie’ s by its current owner, Ceawlin Thynn, Marquis of Bath, who kept it in the collection of Longleat House. A painting with a troubled history (it was even stolen twice as we have recounted in our pages), it left Italy as early as the 17th century when it left for England, purchased by the Duke of Hamilton. It was then in France, Austria, then back to England. At Christie’s it went with an estimate of 15-25 million pounds (17.7-29.5 million euros), and sold for 17.56 million pounds (20.63 million euros), or record adjudication for Titian. The previous auction record for the Cadore painter was in fact $16.9 million for the Sacred Conversation sold in 2011 at Sotheby’s in New York (although, taking inflation into account, the Sacred Conversation actually cost more than the Concert in real terms at the time, albeit by a small amount).

The Titian painting was also the lot with the highest adjudication of the entire evening. Interestingly, according to data provided by Christie’s, 20% of the new entrants to last night’s auction were millennials. Seventy-two percent of entrants were from Europe and the Middle East, 15 percent from Asia-Pacific, and 13 percent from the Americas. Overall, the sale totaled more than 43 million pounds (51.22 million euros). Also among the paintings sold was Quentin Metsys’ Madonna of the Cherries , purchased from the Getty Museum. The identity of the buyer of Titian’s masterpiece, however, is unknown.

“It was fantastic to see the interest in Titian’s work as this unique painting was previewed ahead of tonight’s auction,” said the Marquis of Bath. "It was well received, which clearly shows how the fascination for this exquisite masterpiece has been maintained through the centuries. It has an extraordinary history: it was looted by Napoleon, purchased by the 4th Marquis of Bath in 1878, and then stolen by Longleat in 1995 before being miraculously recovered. As we write the next chapter in the history of Rest During the Flight to Egypt, I am pleased with tonight’s outcome, which will support our considerable long-term investment strategy at Longleat to build on the vision and legacy of my ancestors for the benefit of future generations."

“This outcome,” said Orlando Rock, chairman of Christie’s UK, “is a tribute to the impeccable provenance and quiet beauty of this sublime early masterpiece by Titian, which is one of the most poetic products of the artist’s youth. This painting has captured the public’s imagination for more than half a millennium and will no doubt continue to do so.”

“We are thrilled to have presented one of the strongest evening sales of Old Masters at Christie’s London in more than a decade, with rare masterpieces representing many of the major European schools that were new to the market with a remarkable provenance,” said Clementine Sinclair, head of Old Masters at Christie’s London. "Twenty-two percent of the works for sale had not been offered on the market for at least a century: the early Titian, which had been owned by dukes, archdukes and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, returned to Christie’s after nearly 150 years, and the Hals was last offered for sale by Christie’s in 1919. Metsys’ recently rediscovered Madonna of the Cherries has generated enormous international interest and enthusiasm, setting a new record for one of the most celebrated artists of the Nordic Renaissance. Overall, it showed the continuing breadth and depth of demand for exceptional works of art."

London, Marquis of Bath sold Titian's early masterpiece at auction

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