A white marble bust of a veiled woman just cleared the hammer at Dorotheum in Vienna for €1.925 million. That figure isn't just high; it’s a world record for Antonio Corradini, the 17th-century Italian Baroque master. The price tag landed roughly 120 times higher than the auction house’s top estimate of €16,000.
The sculpture, standing 60 centimetres tall, captures Corradini’s signature style: a face partially obscured by a veil that looks impossibly soft, as if carved from silk rather than stone. It’s a technical feat that has baffled and delighted collectors for three centuries. Dorotheum confirmed the sale went to a telephone bidder, leaving the identity of the new owner a secret.
Corradini’s fame wasn’t built in a day. Born in Venice in 1688, he carved for kings and tsars, including Augustus the Strong and Peter the Great, before serving as court sculptor to Emperor Charles VI in Vienna. His figures still stand in the city’s public spaces, like the Marriage Fountain on Hoher Markt. This particular bust has a twin: a plaster model sits in the Ca’ Rezzonico museum in Venice, recently restored to help scholars verify the marble’s authenticity.
The bidding war was fierce, with competitors in the room and on the phone pushing the price skyward. But it was the remote bidder who held firm until the end. For the art market, the sale signals a massive surge in demand for Corradini’s work. Expect similar prices for his other pieces to follow suit in upcoming auctions.