The FT covers the unveiling of Andrew Butterfield's latest Old Master re-discovery. Butterfield bought the bust six years ago at an auction paying £100k before doing his research and re-attributing the work to Bernini and his father. The work will be featured at Dickinson Roundell asking $10m, which is pretty close to £10m these days.
Butterfield is on a re-attribution roll these days. This will be his fourth Bernini after reclaiming 50 other works by artists like Donatello. Because of his ability to deliver the big names, Butterfield is a favorite among museum curators and big-ticket buyers.
Mr Butterfield paid $3.2m in 2002 for a work at Sotheby’s that was just “attributed to” Bernini, rather than “by” Bernini. After reauthenticating the sculpture — thought to have spent some of its time as a garden ornament — he was able to sell it to the Kimbell Art Museum for about twice that figure. […] Other works revealed to be by Bernini which were not found by Mr Butterfield have also soared in price. One went from about $25,000 in 2014 to $33m last year, in a sale to the Getty Museum.
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