Date: Mon 01-Feb-1999

Publication: Ant

Author: JUDIR

Quick Words:

Velazquez-Rufina-Christie's

Full Text:

Record For Velazquez

(with cut)

NEW YORK CITY -- "Saint Rufina," the rediscovered painting by the Spanish

master Diego de Silva y Velazquez, for many years considered lost, sold at

Christie's on January 29 for $8,912,500. This is the highest price ever paid

for a Spanish Old Master painting and a record for the artist at auction.

"St Rufina" was purchased by a London buyer on the telephone, who entered the

contest with a bid of $7.2 million. He fought off the remaining two bidders,

from the original five, who had competed fiercely for the painting.

"The bidding was as aggressive as I have ever seen in our auctions rooms,"

said Anthony Crichton-Stuart, head of Old Master paintings at the firm's New

York location.

"Saint Rufina" was first recorded in the inventory of Velazquez's first and

principal patron, Don Luis de Haro, Sixth Marques del Carpio. In 1963, the

scholar Jose Lopez Rey first made reference to a lost Velazquez of "Saint

Rufina," citing this Carpio inventory entry.

Immediately convinced the present painting was this lost work mentioned in

Lopez-Rey's book, Christie's specialists compared the present painting to

other works by Velazquez and instigated a thorough technical examination of

the painting. Attribution was confirmed, and the work has been dated to

between 1632 and 1634.

The painting was executed in Madrid and represents one of the patron saints

and protectors of the city of Seville. The last great Velazquez to come to

auction at Christie's, "Juan de Pareja," sold for $5 million in 1970, at that

time establishing a world record price for any work of art to be sold at

auction.

Another highlight of the Spanish paintings offered in the auction was "St

Francis Kneeling in Meditation," by El Greco, which sold for $1,322,500.

The sale totalled $34,957,100, selling 95 percent by value and 80 percent by

lot. Nine artist records were established at the auction.