Sotheby’s first Old Master event is a rousing success:

Sotheby’s 2013 Old Masters Week sales in New York began with the two-day sale of Property from the Estate of Giancarlo Baroni, which brought a strong total of $13,859,634, above pre-sale expectations of $8.4 – 12.1 million. Bidders from around the globe filled the salesroom and participated by phone and via the internet, actively pursuing works from the renowned Old Master connoisseur, collector and dealer’s collection, which ranged from 15th century gold ground paintings to works by El Greco, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Bernardo Bellotto and Giovanni Boldini, among others. The sale was led by Eva Gonzalès’ La demoiselle d’honneur, which achieved $2,546,500, more than four times its pre-sale high estimate of $600,000, and a new record for the artist at auction. The evening session alone brought in $11.6 million, well above the pre-sale high estimate of $9.4 million, with over 84% of lots sold.