$34.3 Million Marble Torso Sets Roman Antiquity Record at Sotheby’s
The 3.5-foot marble fragment drew a 14-minute bidding war and topped Sotheby’s $8 million to $12 million estimate.
- An ancient 1st century Roman emperor torso from the Julio-Claudian dynasty sold for $34.3 million on Wednesday night at a Sotheby auction called Magnum Opus, setting a record for a Roman antiquity.
- For years, the sculpture resided with heirs of 19th-century collector Wilhelm Aloys Maximilian Neumann in Graz, Austria; they hid it during World War II before its 2010 rediscovery during a home renovation.
- Generating a 14-minute bidding war, the marble fragment sold for nearly triple its $12 million high estimate, despite Sotheby's initial $8 million valuation.
- Wednesday's auction generated $63 million total, with the Roman torso accounting for more than half, alongside significant paintings by Canaletto, Luis Mel, Jacob, and Ruisdael.
- Part of a 600-object collection from the mystery buyer's holdings, additional sales are scheduled in New York and Paris through 2027 to disperse the entire assemblage.
12 Articles
12 Articles
$34.3 Million Marble Torso Sets Roman Antiquity Record at Sotheby’s
A marble sculpture fragment depicting the cuirass-clad torso of a Roman emperor hammered for $34.3 million at Sotheby’s on October 21, nearly three times its $12 million estimate and the highest amount ever fetched by a Roman antiquity at auction. Artnet News reports that the hammer price topped the $28.6 million commanded by a bronze […]
Almost 35 million dollars, the highest price for an antiquity of Roman times (ANSA)
A 2,000-year-old sculpture of a Roman emperor’s torso has sold for a record sum of 34.4 million dollars, equivalent to approximately 30.5 million euros. The auction was heated and lasted fifteen minutes at Sotherby’s auction house in New York.
A marble torso of a first-century Roman emperor sold for $34.3 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York on Wednesday night, a world record for an ancient classical sculpture sold at auction, according to the auction house.
Sotheby's writes on its website that the sculpture probably depicts one of the emperors from the Julio-Claudian dynasty, such as Augustus, Tiberius or Claudius.
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