Sotheby's Milan: "An Italian Collecting Journey" Auction Reaches €4.1 Million, Exceeding Expectations

An extraordinary collection spanning four centuries of Italian history and taste has proven its appeal. Collectors rewarded quality, as *An Italian Collecting Journey – Chapter II* at Sotheby’s Milan totaled €4.1 million, significantly exceeding its initial estimate of €1,768,000 – 2,592,000. This impressive result brought the global total for the entire collection to €8.2 million.

«This evening's result confirms the strength and coherence of a collection built with a deeply informed perspective on Italian cultural history,» stated Francesco Morroni, Senior Director, Works of Art, Furniture, Ceramics, Sotheby’s Italia. «Collectors recognized not only the quality of individual works but also the broader narrative they collectively compose: a journey through four centuries of art, taste, and intellectual curiosity. The interest observed in the saleroom, on the phones, and online demonstrates how this dialogue between paintings, decorative arts, and Grand Tour objects continues to resonate with an international audience.»

Conducted through both online and live auctions, the sale featured several standout lots. A Renaissance chessboard from the Embriachi workshop found a new home for €102,400, selling for more than five times its initial estimate. An 18th-century carved console was sold for €96,000, exceeding its high estimate by over three times. *A Pair of Capriccio River Landscapes with Figures in the Foreground* by Francesco Guardi achieved €89,600. Meanwhile, a portrait by Giacomo Ceruti, known as Pitocchetto, was acquired for €83,200, more than double its low estimate.

Sotheby’s Milan confirmed that «the sale underscored strong collector interest in this coherent ensemble rich in cultural references, offering a selection that ranged from Old Master paintings to decorative arts, from objets de vertu to artifacts from the antiquarian culture of the 18th and 19th centuries.» The art world now eagerly anticipates the next Milanese chapter of this distinguished collecting journey.