2024-04-23
A Titian painting once part of Charles I Stuart's art collection will appear at Sotheby's in early February.
The two-metre tall work was painted in the mid-1560s and is one of two versions on the same subject which is St Margaret trying to escape from the mouth of Satan in the shape of a dragon. The painting was owned by the royal plumber, John Embry, who got it as a part of the payment for palace repairs, and it was valued at £100 at that time.
"Margrett Afraid of a Monster" will be on view at Sotheby's New York from 26 January and the auction will begin on 1 February. The painting is expected to reach a respectable $2m-3 m.
At the same time, as the sale will begin, the Royal Academy of Arts prepares to open one of the most exciting exhibitions this year. The show features about 150 works by artists including Holbein, Van Dyck, Rubens and Mantegna. All the paintings from Charles I’s collection will reunite for the first time in 400 years.