Il Ponte Auction House closes the first half of 2026 with € 18.1 million total turnover, 84% sell-through rate and 83% increase on starting prices.
The results of every auction, and of every six-month period, are the outcome of continuous commitment and constant achievement. In today's market, nothing is predictable and nothing can be taken for granted.
For the past two years, Il Ponte has enjoyed a privileged vantage point as an integral part of the Millon Auction Group (MAG), which, in the first six months of the year, achieved aggregate sales of €96.3 million (including buyer's premiums), marking a 36.4% increase compared to the same period last year.
“Responsibility and credibility” have always been the core values upon which Il Ponte has built its history and on which its European presence within the Millon Group is founded. For more than fifty years, these principles have guided our growth in the Italian market, shaped our reputation, and continue to make every new phase of development possible.
From January to July 2026, Il Ponte held 78 auctions across its two Milan venues, Palazzo Crivelli and Via Medici del Vascello: 10 more than during the same period in 2025. A total of 11,271 lots were offered through 28 specialist departments, reflecting an ongoing commitment to expanding areas of expertise that engage an ever-wider range of collecting categories and international markets. This strategy demands extensive knowledge across the Group and an exceptionally close collaboration between Italian and French specialists, fostering dialogue with internationally renowned experts to strengthen the authority we offer to both private collectors and institutional clients.
It is precisely thanks to these increasingly established relationships with leading figures in the museum and academic worlds that 2026 opened with the remarkable sale of the Tito Livio manuscript once owned by Princess Ippolita Maria Sforza, which achieved €537,600 and became the top lot of the semester. This auction not only enabled the Books and Manuscripts Department to set a new record for a single sale but also demonstrated its expertise in successfully handling works already designated as items of historical and artistic significance.
Auction 758 / Lot 101
The Rediscovered Manuscript of Princess Ippolita Maria Sforza. TITO LIVIO. (59 a.C - 17 d.C.) - AB URBE CONDITA. FIRST DECADE. Illustrated manuscript on parchment, mid-15th century
Sold € 537,600
Throughout these six months, Il Ponte has successfully completed a number of significant transactions that demonstrate the ability of our specialists to work closely with the Italian Cultural Heritage Authorities (Soprintendenze) and other leading institutional bodies. This collaboration facilitates the reintroduction to the Italian market of works subject to cultural protection through fully transparent and traceable procedures. Such activity contributes both to safeguarding Italy's cultural heritage and to ensuring that owners can place important works on the market while fully respecting all conservation requirements.
Another important example of this successful collaboration was the sale of the rare Vallardi Album (€102,400), formerly owned by the renowned Milanese publisher Giuseppe Vallardi. Offered in the March Fine Antique Furniture and Old Master Paintings auction, the album was subsequently donated by Fondazione EQUITA to the Brera Academy of Fine Arts on the occasion of the institution's 250th anniversary. The album represents one of the most significant collections of Neoclassical drawings by Giuseppe Bossi and includes three sheets attributed by Professor Fernando Mazzocca to Andrea Appiani during the research conducted for the auction catalogue. The same sale also featured an exceptionally rare 15th–16th century Feuille de Chou tapestry from the Oudenaarde workshops, which realized €96,000.
Auction 762 / Lot 114
Giuseppe Bossi (Busto Arsizio 1777 - Milan 1815) and Andrea Appiani (Milan 1754 - 1817) "GIUSEPPE BOSSI / MILANESE / These drawings, executed by him / bear witness / to his profound learning and philosophy / in the art of which he was a master / and in grateful recognition / GIUSEPPE VALLARDI / collected them / in the year MDCCCXXI". Album containing 380 drawings of various sizes collected by Giuseppe Vallardi (Milan, 1784 - 1861), three of which have been traced to Appiani: sheet 70, no. 263; sheet 100, no. 377 (?); sheet 106, no. 386 (56.5x73x7.5 cm approx.)
Sold € 102,400
Auction 762 / Lot 107
Oudenaarde Manufacture, 15th–16th century. Feuille de Chou tapestry with the heraldic coat of arms possibly of the Ubaldini-Chigi family at the corners of the border (328 × 272 cm)
Sold € 96,000
A similarly significant institutional trajectory characterized the May Modern and Contemporary Art auction. Among its highlights was Leonor Fini's Portrait d'Italo Svevo, which realized €358,400 and was acquired by Fondazione CRTrieste as a unique testament to Trieste's Mitteleuropean cultural heritage and two of its most distinguished protagonists. Equally important was the sale of Josef Albers' Study for Homage to the Square: Full Tenor (€384,000), further confirming the department's standing as one of Italy's foremost specialists in internationally significant artists and works.
Auction 774 / Lot 14
Leonor Fini "Portrait d'Italo Svevo" 1928, oil on panel, 54x45.5 cm
Sold € 358,400
Auction 774 / Lot 75
Josef Albers "Study for Homage to the Square: Full Tenor" 1959, oil on masonite, 45,7x45,7 cm
Sold € 384,000
During the spring season, the Jewellery and Collectors' Watches departments achieved combined sales exceeding €5.6 million. Outstanding results included two platinum rings: one set with a 20.52-carat emerald-cut diamond (€189,000), the other with a 7.77-carat emerald-cut sapphire (€132,300). In the watch department, the Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 7018/1A-10 stood out, selling for €57,600.
Auction 777 / Lot 607
A platinum ring set with a 20.52 ct octagonal diamond and two baguette diamonds on the shank
Sold € 189,000
Auction 777 / Lot 614
A platinum ring set with an octagonal sapphire weighing 7.77 carats and two triangular diamonds totalling approximately 1.20 carats
Sold € 132,300
Auction 778 / Lot 1041
Patek Philippe, Nautilus Ref.7018/1A-10 Steel wristwatch
Sold € 57,600
19th and 20th century Paintings and Sculptures continue to lead the recovery of the sector by focusing on works and artists of outstanding quality who have too often remained confined to regional contexts and, consequently, less visible within the national collecting landscape. Among them, Giuseppe Biasi da Teulada established a new auction record with Ballu Tundu (€64,000), while Giovanni Battista Galizzi achieved €51,200 for La Baraonda. Both artists fully deserve the growing recognition they are now receiving from the market and collectors alike.
Auction 783 / Lot 131
Giuseppe Biasi da Teulada
"Ballu tundu" oil on canvas (110x160 cm)
Sold € 64,000
Auction 783 / Lot 137
Giovanni Battista Galizzi
"La Baraonda" oil on canvas laid on masonite (94x162 cm)
Sold € 51,200
The Decorative Arts of the 20th Century and Design department attracted particular attention with an important group of furnishings designed by Ico Parisi between the late 1940s and early 1950s for a private residence in Como. The collection included rare prototype versions produced by Ariberto Colombo, among them the pair of Model 813 Egg Chairs, which sold for €20,480 and became one of the highlights of an unusually warm June auction. Equally sought after were furnishings from the Monza apartment of Aurelio Zanotta, designed by Jonathan De Pas, Donato D'Urbino and Paolo Lomazzi, as well as George Nakashima's Conoid Bench, which realized €25,600 in what remains a rare appearance on the European auction market.
Auction 784 / Lot 111
Ico Parisi
Pair of egg-shaped armchairs model "813". Execution by Ariberto Colombo, Cantu, 1951ca. Black-painted metal legs, wooden frame, foam padding, and a checkered aqua-green fabric cover. (82x81x83 cm)
Sold € 20,480
Auction 784 / Lot 125
George Nakashima. Bench, USA, 1960s/1970s. Solid American black walnut, hickory, and Indian rosewood
Sold € 25,600
Strong performances also came from the Group's more specialized departments, where integration between Il Ponte and the Millon Group continues to play a key role in expanding both expertise and international visibility. This is exemplified by the co-curated Vintage Fashion catalogues, where Milan and Paris – two of the world's fashion capitals – combine their expertise to source exceptional pieces from the most prestigious maisons.
The same collaborative spirit has characterized the Comic Art department, which presented its first catalogue jointly curated by the Milan, Paris and Brussels offices, featuring, among other highlights, the Milo Manara collection dedicated to Valentino Rossi. The Asian Works of Arts department – including Chinese, Islamic and Indian Art – also achieved notable success, led by the sale of a rare Ming dynasty imperial bronze censer, which realized €17,920.
Auction 787 / Lot 211
Rare mercury-gilt bronze censer, China, Jiajing mark and period, 16th century. China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644) (g 4330 ca.) (23 × 20 cm)
Sold €17,920
Stamps and Coins likewise maintained strong momentum by presenting rare and highly desirable material. Finally, Sport has become another department where the exchange of expertise across the Group has proved especially valuable, contributing to the record-breaking "Football" auction held in Paris in May 2026, which achieved more than €1.3 million in total sales. Among the Italian highlights was the official match ball from the 1982 FIFA World Cup Final between Italy and Germany, formerly in the collection of Antonio Cabrini, which sold for €42,900. The 1982 World Cup occupies a unique place in Italy's collective memory. Every match was intense, dramatic and fought until the final whistle; every minute had the power to change the outcome. And, as so often in sport, it is the final moments that deliver the greatest excitement and the most enduring rewards.
It is with the spirit of that unforgettable World Cup – so profoundly Italian and yet so universally shared – that Il Ponte approaches the second half of the year: with a calendar full of exceptional auctions, new challenges and exciting opportunities. Every auction is a chance to step onto the field, give our very best, inspire our audience and continue striving for excellence.
Because, just as in sport, the most exciting match is always the one yet to be played.