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The Most Valuable Art and Antiques Sold at Auction
Art and antiques are big business – with prices at the top end of the market running into hundreds of millions of pounds. Here Hamiltons Removals, who provide artwork shipping across the UK, share the most valuable paintings, sculptures and antiques which have been sold at auction.
The Most Valuable Painting
Salvatore Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci fetched $450million (£347m) when it was sold at Christie’s in New York in 2017. The painting, pictured above, was bought by Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family.
The picture is of Jesus Christ in Renaissance-style clothing. There have been controversies about how much da Vinci contributed to it and it is believed to have been overpainted and restored.
Another da Vinci piece, the arguably more famous Mona Lisa, was assessed as having a value of $100m (£79m) in 1962. However, the estimated value is now 10 times that sum. It’s not likely to come up for auction, though, as it is in permanent display in the Louvre.
The Most Valuable Sculpture
L’Homme au doigt (the man with the finger) by Alberto Giacometti was also sold by Christie’s in New York, but in 2015 – the $141.3m (£112m) sale price was also a record for a sculpture.
It was made in 1947 out of bronze and depicts a man with a pointed finger. The artist was a Swiss sculptor who was also a painter, draftsman and printmaker. Experts say the price was driven by the investment value as well as collectors seeking out the very best work – this piece went to a private collector.
The Most Expensive Piece of Literature
Microsoft founder Bill Gates paid the most for a book at auction, in 1994. He spent $30.8m (almost £24m) on a notebook of scientific writings by da Vinci, called Codex Leicester.
It covers topics such as the movement of water, and the luminosity of the moon. Christie’s in New York were again the auctioneers. While it tends to be older or more historic books and manuscripts which fetch the highest prices, a handwritten (and illustrated) manuscript by JK Rowling fetched $3.97m (£3.15m) in 2007. It wasn’t a Harry Potter book but The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a book of fairytales.
The Most Expensive Celebrity Collectibles
The growth in celebrity culture and endorsements mean that high prices can be paid for anything with the right provenance. So a pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz fetched $32m (£25m) only last year.
Baseball superstar Babe Ruth’s 1932 World Series jersey fetched over $24m (£19m), again in 2024. And Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona watch went for more than $17m (£13.5m) in 2017 – the actor wore the watch during his motor racing career.
Antique Transportation in the UK from Hamiltons Removals
While we may not have handled the items listed above, Hamiltons Removals would be happy to. We have more than three decades’ worth of experience in handling paintings, as well as other artwork and collectibles.
We can transport them by road, air, and can organise artwork shipping – all co-ordinated from our base on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. If you need to store them then we can take care of that as well – they can be watched around the clock and in temperature-controlled conditions.
We also have a range of packing materials (such as cushioned lining and over carding) which will offer your possessions high levels of protection. And lastly, we offer ‘White Glove’ services – for more information go to fineart@hamiltonsremovals.co.uk or call us on 01379 855203 and a member of our Art & Antiquities team will contact you.
Image: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
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