A portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Sir Thomas Lawrence has sold for more than £9.6 million at auction in London, setting a new record for the artist. The painting of Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, was completed in 1815 following his defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.
Record Sale at Christie's
The portrait fetched £9.67 million at Christie's, surpassing its pre-sale estimate of £8-12 million. It was a favorite of the duke, who served two terms as prime minister and gave prints of the image to friends. Maja Markovic, head of the Old Masters Evening Sale, which launched Christie's Classic Week, said the sale highlighted the "storied provenance and historical importance" of the portrait.
Other Notable Sales
The evening sale generated combined revenues of over £50.7 million. Among other items sold were an Egyptian limestone statue for £3.7 million, a Peter Paul Rubens sketch of Aeneas helping Dido from her horse for £2.7 million, and two works by Jan van Huysum: fruit and flowers in a wicker basket for £6.5 million and flowers in a terracotta vase for £5.5 million.
Literary and Historical Memorabilia
In a separate Masterworks Across Cultures auction, a first edition of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, together with a copy of Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte, sold for £1.2 million. Additionally, a cigar humidor given to Winston Churchill by former US president Franklin D Roosevelt fetched £330,200, eight times its highest pre-sale estimate.
