Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Sotheby’s (Not Surprisingly) Wins Its Caravaggio Case

January 16, 2015 by Marion Maneker

Caravaggio, Card SharpsThe Telegraph has the verdict from the London court tasked with determining if Sotheby’s was negligent in doubting an example of The Card Sharps was by Caravaggio. The issue came before the court because Denis Mahon later declared the work to be an original thus making its value orders of magnitude above what the original consignor had sold it for:

A judge found that the auction house was “entitled to rely on the connoisseurship and expertise of their specialists”, who were ” highly qualified and examined the painting thoroughly”.

“They reasonably came to the view on the basis of what they saw that the quality of the painting was not sufficiently high to indicate that it might be by Caravaggio,” she added.

After the ruling, a Sotheby’s spokesman said: “Sotheby’s is delighted that today’s ruling dismisses all claims brought against the company and confirms that Sotheby’s expertise is of the highest standards.

“After a four-week trial in which five witnesses for Sotheby’s and three independent experts gave testimony, the judge concluded that Sotheby’s was not negligent and that the Sotheby’s Old Master Painting specialists who assessed the work were ‘highly qualified,’ examined the painting ‘thoroughly,’ and reasonably came to the view that the quality of the painting was ‘not sufficiently high’ to merit further investigation.”

Caravaggio in court: Sotheby’s wins case after ‘£10m’ painting sold for £42,000  (Telegraph)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • YSL Buyers "Out of Touch?"YSL Buyers "Out of Touch?"
  • Deaccessioning of a Different SortDeaccessioning of a Different Sort
  • Donald FisherDonald Fisher
  • 740 Park Ave: The Secret Art Vault In Plain Sight740 Park Ave: The Secret Art Vault In Plain Sight
  • Christie’s Makes It Official: Hockney Masterwork Looking for $80m in New York This NovemberChristie’s Makes It Official: Hockney Masterwork Looking for $80m in New York This November
  • A Clutch of Long-Time Christie’s Staffers LeaveA Clutch of Long-Time Christie’s Staffers Leave

Filed Under: General

About Marion Maneker

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

Top Posts

  • Keith Haring’s 1989 Retrospect Comes to Sotheby’s London Prints Sale
  • Four of Picasso's Women Valued at $28m Come to Christie's from Rose-Walters Collection
  • Tony Podesta's Secret Art Buying
  • Norman Rockwell's Not Gay. But Is He a Great Artist?
  • Roy Lichtenstein’s Top Ten Auction Prices
  • 14th-Century Painting to Sell at Auction Under Restitution Settlement with German-Jewish Art Historian’s Heir
  • Phillips Includes $2.5m Norman Rockwell Painting in November Evening Sale
  • Christie's Announces $70m Picasso Self Portrait
  • David Hockney's $20m Pacific Coast Highway & Santa Monica
  • Paris's Artcurial Reports $180.5 M. in Sales for 2020, Online Sales Volume Up 59 Percent
  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor