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The Renaissance artist's "Young Man Holding a
Roundel" is one of only around a dozen of his portraits known to
survive today. Sandro Botticelli's large-scale "Birth of Venus"
and "Primavera" paintings are displayed in Florence's Uffizi
Gallery.
Sotheby's said it was one of the most significant portraits of
any period ever to appear at auction and fetched the
second-highest price for any Old Master painting. At $450
million, "Salvator Mundi," attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, set
the world record in 2017 for an Old Master or any work of art.
Bidders on the phone and online participated in Thursday's
auction. The identity of the buyer was not disclosed.
The 15th-century work, which has also been known as "Young Man
Holding a Medallion," had carried a presale estimate of $80
million, and Sotheby's had thought it might fetch more than $100
million.
"This is not only an exceptional painting, it is also the
epitome of beauty, and of a moment when so much of our Western
civilization began. Today’s result is a fitting tribute, both to
the painting itself and all that it represents,” said
Christopher Apostle, director of Old Masters paintings at the
auction house.
Sotheby's said "Young Man Holding a Roundel" was acquired for
$1.3 million by its previous, unidentified owner at an auction
in 1982 in the United Kingdom.
It shows an unknown young man, likely a member of Florence's
elite in the late 15th century, dressed in a simple tunic with a
blue sky behind him and holding a roundel, or medallion.
The previous record for a Botticelli was set in 2013 when his
"Madonna and Child with Young Saint John the Baptist" sold for
$10.4 million.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Jonathan Oatis and
Cynthia Osterman)
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