Vienna's prestigious Dorotheum auction house has launched its highly anticipated Classic Week, featuring an exceptional collection of masterworks that includes a recently restituted painting by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller and significant pieces by Francisco de Goya and Jan Brueghel. The auction showcases some of the most valuable artworks to come to market this fall, with several pieces carrying estimates in the hundreds of thousands of euros.
The highlight of the sale is Waldmüller's "Hansl's First Outing," a Biedermeier masterpiece dated 1858 that carries a remarkable history of wartime theft and recent restitution. The painting was looted by the Nazis 86 years ago from its original Jewish owner, Grete Klein, a businesswoman who was forced to flee Austria in 1938. Until June of this year, the artwork was housed in the Wiesbaden Museum in Germany, but in July, the Federal Republic of Germany returned the painting to Klein's rightful heirs. The work is now estimated to sell for approximately 500,000 euros.
Another major attraction is a portrait of the young Duke of Alba by Francisco de Goya, created around 1783. This early work already demonstrates the artist's characteristic blend of naturalistic and psychological realism that would later define his mature style. The Goya portrait carries a similar estimate of around 500,000 euros, making it one of the most valuable lots in the auction.
The sale also features significant works by the Brueghel dynasty, including two pieces that represent different generations of this influential artistic family. Jan Brueghel the Younger contributes a still life featuring a flower garland, jewelry box, and pocket watch, with an estimated value between 120,000 and 180,000 euros. His father, Jan Brueghel the Elder, is represented by a dramatic depiction of Aeneas and Anchises fleeing from burning Troy, carrying the same estimate range of 120,000 to 180,000 euros.
Spanish still life paintings form another focal point of the auction, reflecting the continued market interest in this genre. The selection includes a fruit still life from the 17th-century Spanish School and a work by Juan de Espinosa, both estimated to fetch between 80,000 and 120,000 euros. These pieces demonstrate the technical mastery and artistic sophistication that characterized Spanish Golden Age painting.
The Classic Week represents a significant moment for the international art market, bringing together works that span several centuries and artistic movements. The inclusion of the restituted Waldmüller painting adds particular historical significance to the sale, highlighting ongoing efforts to return Nazi-looted artworks to their rightful owners and their families' descendants.
