The race for the award lasted seventeen minutes, in a crowded room a London of the auction house Sotheby's.
Winner of the drawing with a head of a young apostle (c. 1519-1520), from the Devonshire Collection of Chatsworth, was a buyer on the phone and to great applause from all attendees as the gavel came down.
The entire evening of the auction obtained a sale for a total of €71.514.547, equal to 74,5% sold per lot and 86,8% in value.
9 works sold for more than 1 million Euros and 11 works just below that.
Per Alex Bell, Sotheby's co-chair, of the department of Old Master Paintings, Worldwide, said: “Tonight's sale was a great way to wrap up what has been a fantastic year for Sotheby's – from the record-breaking sale of The Scream through to tonight's sale of the exceptional Raphael design from the Devonshire Collection. A year with demonstrated the strength of the market which in recent years has benefited above all from a large influx of buyers from all over the world"
Cristiana Romalli, Senior Director of the Ancient Drawings Department at Sotheby's, commented: “This is a prime example of Raphael's draftsman – and it shows precisely why he is revered as the greatest drawing master who ever lived. The beauty of this work is absolutely breathtaking – and the way it allows us to join Raphael in this extremely exciting masterpiece of his. “
Other valuable works follow such as:
Jan Havicksz Stein with the work The prayer before the meal (estimate: 6-8 thousand EUR) sold to 6,948,346 EUR.
Louis de Gruuthuse's copy of the deeds of Sir Gillon de Trazegniesin (estimate 3,695,110-6,158,517 EUR) sold to 4,741,134 EUR.
Bernard Bellotto, Venice The Grand Canal… (estimate 1,478,044-2,217,066 EUR) sold to 4,051,380 EUR.
Willem van de Velde the Younger Shipping in a calm offshore with figures on the shore by rowing boat (estimate 739,022-985,362 EUR) sold to 2,395,971 EUR.
Balthasar Van Der Ast A style of fruit and shells with a rose and various inserts… (estimate 369,511-492,681 EUR) sold to 1,844,167 EUR.
Florentine School, 16th Century Portraits of Giovanni Gaddi (1493-1542) (estimate 739,022-985,362 EUR) sold to 1,568,266 EUR.
Peter Brueghel the Younger the Village lawyer's office (estimate 492,681-739,022 EUR) sold 1,568,266 EUR.
Niccolo di Pietro Gerini Scenes from the passion of the Christ: peter protesting at Christ…(estimate 1,568,266 EUR) sold to 1,361,340 EUR.
