Old Masters of Their Domains

Sotheby's Old Masters
Overall sales for this Old Master season in New York were 20 percent higher than last year, when the combined sales of the Old Master works, works on paper, and various collections of art and collectible antiques totaled a little more than $72 million. Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
Marion Maneker
February 9, 2025

The Old Master sales are generally hit or miss. It’s the nature of the category, which still behaves more like a trading floor between dealers than a retail channel to collectors. So there’s a much higher tolerance for lower sell-through rates. This season, the pattern seemed to be more pronounced than in the past. Nevertheless, overall sales for this Old Master season in New York were 20 percent higher than last year, when the combined sales of the Old Master works, works on paper, and various collections of art and collectible antiques totaled a little more than $72 million. With the last of the Tavitian sales taking place as I write this, we’re already at more than $86 million. In terms of raw dollars spent, the category isn’t declining. It seems to be behaving just like the rest of the art market, where bidders and buyers start becoming scarce above the million-dollar mark.