The international market for old paintings once again confirmed its vigor at the auction organized by Dorotheum on Oct. 23, 2025. The event, which brought together collectors and institutions from all over Europe, featured as its undisputed star Francisco de Goya’s Portrait of the Young Duke of Alba, a recently rediscovered work that was immediately received with great interest by the public and experts in the field. The painting was adjudicated for 520,000 euros, a figure that establishes its historical and artistic importance within the Goya corpus.
Executed around 1783, the portrait represents a significant moment in the Spanish master’s production. The work, intended for a noble patron, combines the naturalistic observation typical of the Goya portraitist with the psychological depth that would characterize all his later evolution. The intensity of the gaze, the precision of the details and the sobriety of the composition highlight the artist’s ability to restore the intimate and moral dimension of the subject. The success at auction confirms the renewed interest in the Spanish neoclassical period and in portraits commissioned by aristocrats that document the social transformations of late 18th-century Europe. Goya’s achievement was not the only highlight of the evening. Among the most sought-after authors were Michele Marieschi and Luigi Querena, both leading exponents of the Venetian vedutista tradition. Their works, characterized by a balance of perspective precision and atmospheric rendering, attracted numerous bidders, both in the room and remotely.
A painting by Giovanni Paolo Panini, entitled Allegory of Medicine, a work of great formal elegance and iconographic complexity, also attracted particular attention. Originally commissioned by the celebrated British physician Richard Mead, a central figure in 18th-century European scientific culture, the canvas was awarded for 395,500 euros to a telephone bidder. The subject, which links allegorical elements and references to science, testifies to Panini’s ability to combine Roman artistic sensibility with the intellectual demands of his time. The adjudication confirms the market’s continued interest in the masters of the Baroque and early neoclassicism, particularly those works born of the dialogue between art and international patrons.
Rounding out the top results, the auction recorded a lively confrontation among collectors for the painting The Incredulity of St. Thomas, from Caravaggio’s circle. The work, characterized by a powerful luministic rendering and strong realism, reached 292,500 euros, far exceeding initial estimates. The overall results of the October 23 auction confirm Dorotheum’s strength on the international scene and the centrality of European collecting in sustaining the market for old paintings. The highest adjudications, particularly those for Goya, Panini and the Caravaggio circle, show an orientation toward works of ascertained provenance and recognized art-historical value, in line with the trends of increasingly selective collecting.
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| Goya stars at Dorotheum auction: portrait of the Duke of Alba sold for 520,000 euros |
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