It’s not just the leap and the profit, but a move that leaves an international footprint. The sale of a painting by Carlo Bossoli (1815-1884) that changed hands through Vergos Auctions at a recent auction in Athens activated an audience with liquidity. Titled Constantinople, the work’s initial price (oil on canvas, mounted on cardboard, 36 x 59 cm) ranged between €3,000 and €4,000. However, the final value climbed to €24,464, whetting the appetite of a special category of investors and collectors who move strategically in seascape art – with the shipping lobby having a chronically strong presence.
Vergos Auctions: Power signal in art market with Bossoli work sale that makes a leap
The boards at foreign auction houses have already shown the way. About a year ago, Bossoli’s painting titled A view of the Dardanelles sold for £72,000 (€82,310) at Sotheby’s saleroom in London, while in 2022 the work View of Venice, Grand Canal had sold for $37,600 (€32,000).
Looking at older examples, we see that in 2020 the painting Valletta, a view of the Grand Harbour (gouache on paper technique, 58.2×76.4cm) had changed hands for €21,600.
A milestone in Bossoli’s price trajectory remains the sale of the work A panorama of Constantinople from Uskudar. It had appeared at a Christie’s auction in 2010 with an initial estimated price of £250,000 (€285,850). The final value reached £553,250 (€632,557).
