In a moment marked by uncertainty and heightened selectiveness among international collectors—who are now far more cautious than in the past, particularly with high price ranges—the modern and contemporary art sale at Il Ponte in Milan (27–29 May) not only confirmed the authority and effectiveness of the auction house’s catalogue, but also signalled a renewed momentum in the buying behaviour of those who see art as both a coveted object and a safe haven, combining cultural value with investment potential.

A rich haul for the Milan-based, French-owned auction house. The two-day high jewellery sale brought in € 4 million, with a 90% sell-through rate and a 132% increase on starting prices. 200 lots came from the historic Pasqui Jewellery House in Genoa. A rare necklace signed by René Lalique stole the show, selling for € 315,000 and reaffirming collectors' passion for the great names of jewellery art.

The auction dedicated to Furniture and Old Master Paintings concluded with a total turnover of over € 1,6 million, 77% of lots sold, and a 134% increase on pre-sale estimates. The undisputed top lot of the sale was Vanitas with Winnowing Fan, attributed to the Castilian School of the early 17th century, which achieved € 256,000. Its complex iconography and masterful execution captivated collectors and connoisseurs alike.

The bibliophilic market turns a new and significant page with the auction of Antique Books and Livres d'Artistes. Strong international participation confirmed the enthusiasm and keen interest surrounding a catalogue rich in rarities. Three dynamic sessions were marked by outstanding results, including the first edition of Jean de La Fontaine’s Fables Choisies (€ 47,880) and the monumental work Historia naturalis by Ulisse Aldrovandi (€ 47,880).

Very positive outcome for the jewelery auction organized by the Ponte Casa d'Aste in Milan. With a high note: a 35.27-carat emerald which totaled 1.6 million euros, a new sales record. The auction at Palazzo Crivelli, which coincided with the fiftieth birthday and the entry of the company into the Millon Auction Group, sold overall for over 4.7 million, with 88% of the lots sold and 145% of revaluation of the starting estimates: a more than flattering result.

An important result for Il Ponte Casa d'Aste, in the prime of its fiftieth year of activity and a few months after joining the Millon Auction Group. The Milanese maison recorded one of the highest auction results in Italy in 2024: a 35.27-carat Colombian emerald has just gone under the hammer for the monstrous price of over €1.6 million. «The jewelery event has now become an unmissable event for enthusiasts from all over the world», they comment hotly from Il Ponte, «also characterized on this occasion by new heights of excellence alongside the absolute top lot».

It is instead in the name of the color blue that the best results of the modern and contemporary art auction that Il Ponte held in Milan on 26 and 27 November stand out, totaling over €4.9 million in turnover. It is a Spatial Concept, Attese by Fontana from 1966, absent from the market for 50 years, which reached 640 thousand euros (estimate 300-500 thousand) and an extroflection by Bonalumi, Blu, from 2000, of museum dimensions (190x360 cm) sold for 108,800 euros (from 35-50 thousand). «The latter was not an easy work, also due to its size, but starting from low estimates it found an admirer who fell in love with it», comments Freddy Battino.

The two-day session dedicated by Il Ponte Casa d'Aste to modern and contemporary art ended with a total of over €4.9 million, on 26 and 27 November 2024. A highly anticipated event for our national market, for which the maison, acquired a few months ago by the French Millon & Associés, was ready, with an extensive catalog of 134 lots focused on the futurist avant-garde of the early twentieth century, without neglecting the most contemporary Italian, but also foreign influences with the presence of works by Vladimir Velickovic, Sam Francis, Wilfredo Lam and Pablo Atchugarry.

Like the starting whistle of a memorable match, the inaugural auction on November 22, 2024 launches a new era for collectors and enthusiasts from all over the world and various sports. With the aim of revitalizing the Italian and European sporting tradition and becoming a solid and authoritative point of reference, the department presents itself to the public with a catalog full of moments of glory, memorabilia that offer the opportunity to relive the exploits of great athletes and the stories of those champions who inspired entire generations.

The auction dedicated to antique furniture and paintings focused on medieval charm, bringing back into vogue a chivalric imagery which, as it spans the centuries, today finds great appreciation among collectors and enthusiasts. Total turnover of 2.8 million euros, 80% of lots sold and 160% average revaluation of estimates. From the first session, with the session dedicated to the Melissa Gabardi-Minervino Collection, the strong appeal of this collection of works of exceptional value, characterized by the presence of particularly rare artefacts, was felt.

Millon, one of the leading independent French auction houses, has announced the acquisition of Il Ponte. Founded in 1974, Il Ponte Casa d'Aste is among the top three auction houses in Italy, with twenty specialized departments. For the first time a group of auctioneers acquires an auction house in our country, opening up new opportunities for Italian collectors, buyers and sellers. The combined results of the two companies, which reached €130 million in 2023, will create a new independent European leader in the auction market.

As usual, the most followed summer auction season in Italy maintains a special focus on vintage design and the world of decorative arts, this time with an important female affirmation on the international market, as reflected in the recent results at Il Ponte in Milan: leading the auction Arti Decorative del '900 e Design (July 3, 4, and 5) was the top lot The Annunciation (1896) by British painter, illustrator, and decorator Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh (€ 176,400).

Two auction houses with a long family tradition behind them, whose combined results reach a turnover of 130 million euros in 2023, are building a new European leader: Maison Millon founded in 1928 with four generations of auctioneers behind it and first independent auction group in France has acquired 95% of the youngest company Il Ponte Casa d'Aste founded by Stefano Radaelli in 1974 and of the Redaelli family.

The 19th and 20th century Paintings and Sculptures department of Il Ponte closed the two auction rounds on 25 and 26 June 2024, in Milan, totaling a turnover of 700 thousand euros thanks to 86% of lots sold and 193 % revaluation of estimates. Among the undisputed protagonists, the pictorial homage to Princess Ada Troubetzkoy with her son Gigi by Daniele Ranzoni was the absolute top lot thanks to a sale of 44.1 thousand euros. Immediately below we find Emilio Longoni with Il canto del ruscello (37.8 thousand euros) and Angelo Morbelli, with Marina ligure (Veduta di Vado Ligure) from 1908 (30.2 thousand euros) and Pergolato, Colma di Rosignano from 1917 (20.1 thousand euros).

A treasure from the Urbino Renaissance re-emerges after 5 centuries: the "Santini Code" goes up for auction. It will be put up for auction by the Il Ponte Auction House in Milan on 27 February: it is a very rare manuscript, privately kept for over five centuries and already officially recognized as cultural heritage by the Italian State in 2012.

It’s not often that a work on paper recognized as a piece of “National Cultural Heritage” by a sovereign nation comes up for sale at auction, but this month, that is exactly what is happening. Il Ponte Casa d’Aste, the Milan-based auction house, will be auctioning the Santini Codex, a renaissance masterpiece that was officially declared a part of National Cultural Heritage by the Italian State in 2012.