Here Are the 15 Most Expensive Artworks Sold at Auction Around the World in January 2022

We combed through the data to suss out the top lots from January 2022.

Sandro Botticelli's The Man of Sorrows will be unveiled in Hong Kong as the appetite for Old Master work grows. Courtesy of Sotheby's.

The art market got off to a middling start during the first month of the new year. Nearly all of the top auction lots in January sold at Sotheby’s Old Master sale, which netted more than $90 million. The priciest work—a late 15th or early 16th century portrait of a resurrected Christ by Sandro Botticelli—brought in an underwhelming $39.3 million, falling just shy of its “in excess of $40 million estimate” if you don’t count fees. Although the work, which was only reattributed to Botticelli in 2009 after many believed it was done by his assistants, drew only three serious bidders, the $45.4 million final price is now the second-highest ever for the artist. (Unless otherwise stated, all prices include buyer’s premiums; pre-sale estimates do not).

Other notable lots that made our list include Ammi Phillips’s painting Woman with Pink Ribbons, which drew intense bidding and sold to a buyer at Christie’s for a staggering $3.9 million, more than tripling the presale estimate of $800,000 to $1.2 million, and easily surpassing the artist’s previous auction record of $1.7 million. Another impressive result came courtesy of Heritage Auctions in Dallas, where the $3.4 million sale of a 1984 Spider-Man drawing set a new record for interior comic art, which previously sat at $657,250 for a work from The Incredible Hulk, No. 180 (1974).

Below, see the full list of all the top lots sold at auction in January 2022.

 

1. Sandro Botticelli, The Man of Sorrows 

Sandro Botticelli, The Man of Sorrows. Image courtesy Sotheby's.

Sandro Botticelli, The Man of Sorrows. Image courtesy Sotheby’s.

Estimate: In excess of $40 million

Final Price: $45.4 million

When and Where: Sotheby’s New York, January 27, 2022

 

2. Pieter van Mol, Diogenes With His Lantern Looking for an Honest Man

Pieter van Mol, <i>Diogenes with his lantern looking for an honest man</i>. Courtesy of Sotheby's.

Pieter van Mol, Diogenes with his lantern looking for an honest man. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.

Estimate: $2 million to $3 million

Final Price: $5.78 million

When and Where: Sotheby’s New York, January 27, 2022

 

3. Ammi Phillips, Woman With Pink Ribbons (ca. 1833)

Ammi Phillips,<i> Woman with Pink Ribbons</i> (ca. 1833). Courtesy of Christie's Images, Ltd.

Ammi Phillips, Woman with Pink Ribbons (ca. 1833). Courtesy of Christie’s Images, Ltd.

Estimate: $800,000 to $1.2 million

Final Price: $3.87 million

When and Where: Christie’s New York, January 20, 2022

 

4. Mike Zeck and Others, Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #8 Story Page 25 Black Costume/Venom Original Art (Marvel, 1984)

Mike Zeck, <i>Mike Zeck and Others Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #8 Story Page 25 Black Costume/Venom Original Art </i>(Marvel, 1984). Courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

Mike Zeck, Mike Zeck and Others Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #8 Story Page 25 Black Costume/Venom Original Art (Marvel, 1984). Courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

Estimate: $500

Final Price: $3.36 million

When and Where: Heritage Auctions Dallas, Jan 13, 2022

 

5. Yun Shouping, A rare book about ancient landscapes around the age of 35

Yun Shouping, A rare book about ancient landscapes around the age of thirty-five, [detail]. Courtesy of XiLingYinShe Auction Co., Ltd.

Estimate: CNY 800,000 to CNY 1.2 million ($1.26 million to $1.89 million)

Final Price: CNY 2.02 million ($3.2 million)

When and Where: XiLingYinShe Auction Co. Ltd, January 22, 2022

 

6. Artemisia Gentileschi, Portrait of a Seated Lady

Artemisia Gentileschi, <i>Portrait of a seated lady, three-quarter length, in an elaborate and gold-embroidered costume, possibly Caterina Savelli, Principessa di Albano</i>. Courtesy of Sotheby's.

Artemisia Gentileschi, Portrait of a seated lady, three-quarter length, in an elaborate and gold-embroidered costume, possibly Caterina Savelli, Principessa di Albano. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.

Estimate: $2 million to $3 million

Final Price: $2.68 million

When and Where: Sotheby’s New York, January 27, 2022

 

7. John Brewster Jr., Captain John Bourne (1759-1837) (1797-1809)

John Brewster Jr., <i>Captain John Bourne (1759-1837)</i> (1797-1809). Courtesy of Christie's Images, Ltd.

John Brewster Jr., Captain John Bourne (1759-1837) (1797-1809). Courtesy of Christie’s Images, Ltd.

Estimate: $150,000 to $250,000

Final Price: $2.67 million

When and Where: Christie’s New York, January 20, 2022

 

8. Adriaen Coorte, Still Life of Fraises-de-bois in a Wan-Li Bowl Upon a Stone lLedge (1704)

Adriaen Coorte, <i>Still life of fraises-de-bois in a Wan-Li bowl upon a stone ledge </i>(1704). Courtesy of Sotheby's.

Adriaen Coorte, Still life of fraises-de-bois in a Wan-Li bowl upon a stone ledge (1704). Courtesy of Sotheby’s.

Estimate: $1.5 million to $2 million

Final Price: $2.44 million

When and Where: Sotheby’s New York, January 27, 2022

 

9. Andrea del Sarto, Portrait of a Man (Ottaviano de’ Medici?) Wearing a Large Hat

Andrea del Sarto, <i> Portrait of a man (Ottaviano de' Medici?) wearing a large hat, with a box of wax seals resting on a ledge before him</i>. Courtesy of Sotheby's.

Andrea del Sarto, Portrait of a man (Ottaviano de’ Medici?) wearing a large hat, with a box of wax seals resting on a ledge before him. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.

Estimate: $2 million to $3 million

Final Price: $2.2 million

When and Where: Sotheby’s New York, January 27, 2022

 

10. Francisco Goya, Portrait of the Marquis de Caballero

Francisco Goya, <i>Portrait of the Marquis de Caballero, seated three-quarter length, wearing uniform, the Cross of Carlos III and the Badge of the Order of Santiago</i>. Courtesy of Sotheby's.

Francisco Goya, Portrait of the Marquis de Caballero, seated three-quarter length, wearing uniform, the Cross of Carlos III and the Badge of the Order of Santiago. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.

Estimate: $400,000 to $600,000

Final Price: $2.2 million

Where & When: Sotheby’s New York, Jan 27, 2022

 

11. Artemisia Gentileschi, Susanna and the Elders

Artemisia Gentileschi,<i> Susanna and the Elders</i>. Courtesy of Sotheby's.

Artemisia Gentileschi, Susanna and the Elders. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.

Estimate: $1.8 million to $2.5 million

Final Price: $2.14 million

When and Where: Sotheby’s New York, January 27, 2022

 

12. Ambrosius Benson, Mary Magdalene Holding an Ointment Jar

Ambrosius Benson, <i>Mary Magdalene holding an ointment jar</i>. Courtesy of Sotheby's.

Ambrosius Benson, Mary Magdalene holding an ointment jar. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.

Estimate: $500,000 to $700,000

Final Price: $1.96 million

When and Where: Sotheby’s New York, January 27, 2022

 

13. Italian School 17th century, “The Newbattle Turksset of six historical portraits 

Italian School, (17th century), <i>"The Newbattle Turks": A set of 6 historical portraits comprising: Tamerlane (1336-1405); Bayezid I (1360-1403); Mehmed I (1381-1421); Murad II (1404-51); Bayezid II (1447-1512); Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1566)</i>. Courtesy of Sotheby's.

Italian School, (17th century), “The Newbattle Turks:” A set of 6 historical portraits comprising: Tamerlane (1336-1405); Bayezid I (1360-1403); Mehmed I (1381-1421); Murad II (1404-51); Bayezid II (1447-1512); Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1566). Courtesy of Sotheby’s.

Estimate: ÂŁ50,000 to ÂŁ70,000 ($68,212 to $95,497)

Final Price: ÂŁ1.35 million ($1.83 million)

When and Where: Sotheby’s London, January 20, 2022

 

14. Anne Vallayer-Coster, Still Life of Flowers in a Vase on a Table Beside a Bust of Flora (1774)

Anne Vallayer-Coster, <i>Still life of flowers in a vase on a table beside a bust of Flora, with fruit and other objects with a curtain beyond </i>(1774). Courtesy of Sotheby's.

Anne Vallayer-Coster, Still life of flowers in a vase on a table beside a bust of Flora, with fruit and other objects with a curtain beyond (1774). Courtesy of Sotheby’s.

Estimate: $1.5 million to $2.5 million

Final Price: $1.83 million

Where & When: Sotheby’s New York, January 27, 2022

 

15. Fra Bartolommeo, Head of a Young Woman, Looking Down to the Left

Fra Bartolommeo, <i>Head of a Young Woman, looking down to the left</i>. Courtesy of Sotheby's.

Fra Bartolommeo, Head of a Young Woman, looking down to the left. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.

Estimate: $400,000 to $600,000

Final Price: $1,835,000 million

Where & When: Sotheby’s New York, January 26, 2022 

 


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