Old Masters in Dubai: Botticelli and Rembrandt works to be exhibited for one day only

Sotheby's will exhibit two works by major Old Masters in Dubai: Sandro Botticelli's late 15th-century Young Man Holding a Roundel and Rembrandt van Rijn's Abraham and the Angels, from 1646.

The works are expected to fetch $80 million (Dh293.8m) and $20–30m respectively, and will go under the hammer in New York in January 2021.

They will be exhibited in Dubai for one day only, on Wednesday, December 16, at Sotheby’s DIFC spaces.

"It is a real thrill to be able to bring to the UAE works by two titans of art history," said Katia Nounou Boueiz, head of Sotheby's UAE, in a statement.

“Exhibiting the highest-estimated Old Master in Sotheby’s history in the heart of Dubai not only reinforces our long-standing commitment to bringing the best of our worldwide offering to the region, but also the standing of the UAE in the global art scene.”

Sotheby's Dubai exhibition also reflects the growing influence of the Emirates, particularly of Louvre Abu Dhabi, which continues to expand its collection.

In October 2018, the Saadiyat Island museum acquired Rembrandt's Head of a Young Man with Clasped Hands, Study of the Figure of Christ (circa 1648-1652) from Sotheby's. That painting was also taken to Dubai beforehand.

The current painting with Sotheby's, Abraham and the Angels, depicts the important moment in the Old Testament when Abraham is visited by God and his angels and learns that he and his wife will have a son, the future Isaac.

Despite its diminutive size – it measures 16 centimetres x 21 centimetres – it benefits from its strong history of documentation as well as its rarity on the market: Rembrandt produced 136 biblical scenes, and this is one of only five left in private hands.

The work last appeared at auction in London in 1848, where it sold for an appreciably modest sum: £64 ($85).

Painted somewhere in the 1470s or early 1480s, the Botticelli work is a significant example of Renaissance portraiture, with its clear, fine lines and naturalistic depiction.

It shows a young man from Florence, where Botticelli lived, holding a roundel, or circular image of a saint. If the work achieves the sum of $80m, which Sotheby's gave as its estimate when they first announced the sale of the painting in September, the seller also stands to gain a remarkable profit: it was bought for $1m in 1982.

However, auction houses' initial strong performance in the Covid-19 storm, from March onwards, has begun to stumble.

A handful of works across all categories at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonhams have failed to sell in the most recent November auctions or were withdrawn before the sales, so it is unclear how much either work will go for come January.