Christie's has unveiled its forthcoming Renaissance auction - a sale dedicated to artworks created between 1300 and 1600 that will provide the highlight of New York's Old Masters Week.
The auction, which will take place on January 30 at the Rockefeller Centre, will celebrate the "golden age that produced some of the most extraordinary innovation in poetry, music and literature, painting, sculpture and architecture."
 Bronzino was regarded as one of the finest Florentine portraitists |
Christie's Nicholas Hall commented: "This dedicated sale is perfectly tailored to the collecting tastes of today's art connoisseurs, who prize exceptional works from the leading masters of European art from the 14th century and beyond."
Selling as top lot will be Agnolo Bronzino's Portrait of a Young Man with a Book, which is expected to bring $12m-18m. Recently discovered, the piece is one of the earliest known portraits from the premier Florentine portraitist and its subject is believed to have been a close friend of the artist.
Following is Fra Bartolommeo's The Madonna and Child, which is to sell with a $10m-15m estimate. The piece has been beautifully preserved and is still set in its original frame. A recent addition to the artist's oeuvre, it is another early work, executed in the mid-1490s.
Continuing with the religious theme common in Renaissance works is Sandro Botticelli's Madonna and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist. The piece, which was intended for "private devotional use", is expected to see bids in the region of $5m-7m.
Paul Fraser Collectibles will be bringing you more from this sale and Old Masters Week in the coming weeks, so be sure to check back with us. Ensure you never miss out on an important auction by signing up to our free weekly newsletter.
