A painting estimated at 150,000 euros, sold for 2 million .. What happened?

Antoine Briscadieu tells us about this historic moment for a Bordeaux auction houseAntoine Briscadieu, the auctioneer during the sale. - Briscadieu A painting by Alexandre-François Desportes estimated at 150,000 euros was sold for more than 2 million euros by the Briscadieu auction house in Bordeaux. Private collectors fought for several minutes to pocket this still life considered to be the masterpiece of the French painter of the 18th century. During this historic auction, a s

Antoine Briscadieu, the auctioneer during the sale.

Briscadieu

A painting by Alexandre-François Desportes estimated at 150,000 euros was sold for more than 2 million euros by the Briscadieu auction house in Bordeaux.
Private collectors fought for several minutes to pocket this still life considered to be the masterpiece of the French painter of the 18th century.
During this historic auction, a series of paintings representing Inca emperors also went for nearly a million.

The Briscadieu auction house experienced a new historic moment this weekend.

They have been linked for a few years.

She set a new sales record for a painting by Alexandre-François Desportes.

But it is above all the difference between the starting price and that of the sale that makes this auction exceptional.

The still life of the 18th century French painter estimated at 150,000 euros was finally awarded ... two million euros (1,650,000 for the work, plus the costs of the sale) after a fierce battle between several private collectors.

Antoine Briscadieu, the auctioneer, returns for

20 Minutes

on this "extraordinary" moment.

Are you recovered from your emotions?

Yes, yes but it is true that I realize that there is a very strong echo of this sale, and rightly so because the price is important.

We expected a big price because there was a strong interest in this painting from the beginning of the year since the sale was to take place in March before containment.

As the months went by, the interest was growing on the part of buyers.

I am very happy with the result.

The still life of François Desportes.

- Briscadieu

But did you expect such a price?

Given the enthusiasm and the opinion of specialists, we realized quite early that it was the masterpiece of the artist, Alexandre-François Desportes.

We expected to beat the painter's record which was 300,000 euros for a single painting, but it is true that we pulverized it!

Frankly, I thought maybe to reach the million euros but this is two million.

It's extraordinary.

The sellers are in heaven.

How do you explain its starting price (150,000 euros)?

Already, there were references to paintings by this painter so I didn't want to put the price too high.

And then, to have the maximum number of bidders at the start, the price should not be set too high.

We had a base of around ten buyers at the start and that's great.

This is important for creating emulation.

Is this an exceptional sale for you?

Yes of course !

But it is part of a larger movement that is taking place in the provinces.

Before reaching large sums, sales often took place in Paris, London or New York.

Today, we realize that since the appearance of a powerful Internet platform with a large network of experts, we have managed to make big sales in the provinces.

Why ?

Because there is often a proximity between the discovery of the object and the place of sale, buyers attach importance to it and that can also reassure about the authenticity of the object.

Finally, we must not forget that old paintings are a safe bet.

2 M € for a still life by François Desportes

It takes a world record for its author at @Briscadieu_Bx!

It was a work lost since 1888 which had belonged to Philippe d'Orléans.https: //t.co/zkuHzXVBLd

- La Gazette Drouot (@gazette_drouot) September 21, 2020

How did the sale go?

Above all, we respected the sanitary rules.

The room was not full as usual.

There were quite a few people on the phone.

Over 600 people watched the distance selling.

The auctions went very quickly, there was a base of bidders between 250,000 to 800,000 euros and from there, the large private collectors competed for the auction.

They climbed from 50,000 to 50,000 to reach two million!

It was a great bidding battle that lasted several minutes, mainly with Europeans on the phone.

And it was one of the favorites that won the bet.

The sellers must have been delighted ...

Obviously!

This family from the great South West was unaware of its price.

The painting was also hung in the house.

The owners were not at all aware of its true value.

They were very surprised and very happy.

We had warned them a bit, but we really didn't think it was going to reach those heights.

And you, on your side, did you have another record that day?

Yes, it was a happy surprise.

We were entrusted with eleven paintings representing Inca emperors, these paintings are not artistically fantastic but they have great historical value.

There was no precedent so we didn't start high… At 6,000 euros and finally we went up to one million euros!

This was played out in particular between buyers from across the Atlantic.

So that's two millionaire auctions in one afternoon.

It is important for the art market in France.

The still life of François Desportes.

- Briscadieu

You must be very happy?

It's a lot of emotions because there is something at stake!

It was necessary to be up to it, that there were no hiccups.

The pressure of the event is important.

In the end, we sell a masterpiece of French painting.

It is a form of consecration for us and our work in recent years.

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