Large painting of the evangelist John holding a book, with putti beside him and a landscape behind.

Catalogue No. 1717 · Christie's · London

Saint John the Evangelist

Sold for

$15.2million

Christie's, London · 8 December 2009 · 129th of 392 in the Record Book

About $23.7 million in today’s money: 270 years of the typical US household’s income. Source

Artist: Domenichino (Italian, 1581-1641)
Title: Saint John the Evangelist
Date: c.1627-29
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 259 x 199.4 cm (102 x 78 1/2 in.)

Domenichino painted Saint John the Evangelist in oil on canvas around 1627 to 1629. The canvas is large, 259 by 199.4 centimetres, and shows the evangelist with a book.

The provenance records the painting in the 1638 inventory of Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani, in the Palazzo Giustiniani, Rome. It then went to his heir, Andrea Giustiniani, and stayed in the family; an offer of 6,500 scudi made in 1804 was declined. It was later taken to Paris and sold there to Alexis Delahante, who took it to London. After W. Harris of Bond Street it went to Richard Hart Davis, and about 1813 it was sold with his collection to Phillip John Miles of Leigh Court, Somerset.

At Christie's in London the picture failed to sell twice. In 1884 it was bought in at 700 guineas. In 1899 it was bought in at 100 guineas and afterwards sold for 70 guineas to M. Colnaghi. It later belonged to A.L. Christie, of Tapeley Park and Glyndebourne, and then by descent.

On 8 December 2009 Christie's sold it in London as lot 28 for £9,225,250, which was $15.2 million with buyer's premium, against an estimate of £7 million to £10 million. Christie's describes the price as a new world auction high for Domenichino.

The sale

Auction house: Christie's, London
Date: 8 December 2009
Lot: 28
Estimate: £7,000,000-10,000,000
Sold for: $15.2 million (including buyer’s premium) · £9,225,250
Record: World auction record for the artist at the time of sale (Christie's says so) (as of December 2009)

Estimate Price · sold for within the estimate. Estimates don’t include the buyer’s premium; the price does.

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Provenance

1621
Possibly painted for Cardinal Benedetto Giustiniani (1554-1621), Palazzo Giustiniani, S. Luigi dei Francesi, Rome; first recorded in his posthumous inventory, 1621 Reported
1638
His brother, Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani (1564-1637), Palazzo Giustiniani, posthumous inventory, 1638; by descent through his heir, Andrea Giustiniani, until 1804 (when an offer of 6,500 scudi was declined)
before 1806
Taken to Paris for Prince Giustiniani, probably before 1806, and sold there to Alexis Delahante, by whom taken to London; with W. Harris, Bond Street, by whom sold to Richard Hart Davis, M.P. (1766-1842)
about 1813
Sold en bloc with his collection in about 1813 to Phillip John Miles, M.P. (d. 1845), of Leigh Court, Somerset, and by descent to his grandson, Sir Philip Miles, 2d Bt. (1825-1888)
1884-06-28
Christie's, London, 28 June 1884, lot 22 (bought in at 700 guineas)
1899-05-13
Sir Cecil Miles, 3d Bt. (1873-1898); his posthumous sale, Christie's, London, 13 May 1899, lot 19 (bought in at 100 guineas and subsequently sold for 70 guineas to M. Colnaghi)
after 1899
A.L. Christie, Tapeley Park, Devonshire and Glyndebourne, East Sussex, and by descent

Sources

Prices include the buyer’s premium, in US dollars at the time of sale, unless marked as a hammer price.

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