With exceeding €38.3 million in sales, up 10.2% compared to 2024, the results reflect a season of great solidity, based on coherent offerings and a vision consistently aligned with both the national and international markets.
Auction after auction, Il Ponte has strengthened its identity as a reliable and authoritative operator, drawing on over fifty years of experience and an approach focused on providing concrete solutions to its clients. Alongside the continuity of its history, the company has maintained a keen awareness of new dynamics in the Italian market, contributing significantly to the results of the Millon Auction Group.
In 2025, 132 auctions were held across Palazzo Crivelli and Via Vascello, presenting 15,046 lots with 84% increase on starting prices, a testament to a robust organisational structure capable of operating on an ever larger scale. The strengthening of specialisations, with 28 active departments and new introductions such as Russian Art, Islamic and Indian Art, ComicArt, and Discovery & Tech, further confirms the desire to meet increasingly sophisticated and innovative demand.
The Modern and Contemporary Art department consolidated its leadership, achieving a turnover of over €15 million and an impressive 30% growth compared to 2024, along with a significant strengthening of the Prints and Multiples segment. Each auction reflects the meticulous work of a team capable of setting benchmarks in the Italian market while acting as an international barometer, thereby affirming Il Ponte’s strategic role within the Millon Group. Among the standout results was the sale of a portrait by Amedeo Modigliani for €2,816,000, an all-time record for the artist in Italy. From Giorgio de Chirico with "Piazza d’Italia" (€448,000) and "Il Trovatore" (€422,400), to Osvaldo Licini with "Angelo ribelle su fondo rosso" (€384,000), the department demonstrated exceptional expertise in artwork selection and critical reliability, becoming a key interlocutor for discerning national and international collectors.
Amedeo Modigliani
"Portrait de Beatrice Hastings", 1915 circa, oil on cardboard.
Sold € 2.816.000
Giorgio de Chirico
"Piazza d'Italia", 1953, oil on canvas.
Sold € 448.000
Jewels and Watches achieved a combined turnover exceeding €9.5 million, maintaining a positive and stable trend throughout the year, supported by the resilience of the luxury segments. Jewels, in particular, has consolidated as a reference asset, offering pieces ranging from rare historical items to recognisable icons and major designer names, synonymous with reliability and investment security. Among the most significant sales were a Bulgari flower vase brooch (€126,000), a brooch by Robert Schwan for Bolin (€85,680), and a Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5712/1 watch (€76,800).
BULGARI
Cabochon ct. 20.00 circa sapphire, diamond, emerald, sapphire, ruby, yellow 18K gold and platinum flower shaped brooch, diamonds in all ct. 4.80 circa.
Sold € 126.000
BOLIN - ROBERT SCHWAN
Cabochon ct. 17.70 circa emerald, old mine diamond and yellow 14K gold brooch, ct. 3.40 circa main diamond, diamonds in all ct. 10.10 circa.
Sold € 85.680
Patek Philippe, Nautilus Ref. 5712/1
steel wristwatch
Year 2009
Sold € 76.800
The Antiques department recorded a total turnover exceeding €5.6 million, distinguishing itself through its ability to keep pace in a market where demand is both fluctuating and selective. A careful selection of historically and artistically significant objects ensured continued interest in the sectors of Old Master Paintings, with works of strong iconographic impact such as the "Vanitas with a Ventilabro" by the Castilian School (€256,000), and Furniture, including a mosaic-topped table with Dionysus (€51,200) and a collection of French snuff boxes in chased gold and enamel, including a box signed by Gabriel-Raoul Morel (€42,240).
20th-Century Decorative Arts and Design have reached full maturity, closing the year with a turnover of €2.5 million. The ability to capture public interest in the artistic-decorative field was reflected in outstanding results, first and foremost the extraordinary console by Lucio Fontana and Osvaldo Borsani, sold for €435,200.
Antique mosaic floor on marble with geometric decorations centered by the face of the god Bacchus in hexagonal medallion.
Sold € 51.200
Castilian School of the First Half of the 17th Century, Vanitas with a Ventilabro, oil on panel.
Sold € 256.000
Osvaldo Borsani e Lucio Fontana
Console decorated with sculptural group. Execution by Arredamenti Borsani, Varedo, 1950-51.
Sold € 435.200
The 19th and 20th century Paintings and Sculptures department ended the year with a turnover exceeding €2 million, benefiting from both expansion into the French market and the ability to engage with the evolving tastes of collectors. A highlight was "La Regata sul Canal Grande" by Luigi Querena, sold for €128,000.
The Books and Manuscripts department surpassed €1.4 million in turnover. The offering continued to range from ancient manuscripts to artist’s books, with notable sales in both halves of the year, including the first edition of La Fontaine’s "Fables Choisies" (€47,880), Ulisse Aldrovandi’s monumental work "Historia naturalis" (€47,880), and Johannes Hevelius’ celestial atlas "Prodromus Astronomiae" (€44,800).
Luigi Querena "Regata sul Canal Grande", oil on canvas (cm 131x189).
Sold € 128.000
ALDROVANDI, Ulisse
[Opera omnia]. Bologna: Bellagamba, Benacci, Bonomi, Tebaldini, Ferroni, 1599-1668.
Sold € 47.880
Stamps closed with a turnover exceeding €700,000, including the sale of the Pontremoli to Genoa envelope, universally recognised as “the most spectacular franking of the Duchy of Parma” (€94,500).
Finally, Oriental Art closed with over €600,000: a significant first result for the new Italo-French team, which offered true rarities such as a six-panel Korean chaekgeori folding screen (€57,600) and, in the second half of the year, accompanied the debut of the first Indian and Islamic Art collection, already marked by notable results, including a magnificent silk sejjâda tapestry (€35,840).
PARMA 1857 (23 nov.)
1st and 3rd Issues.
Cover from Pontremoli to Genoa franked at 4.80 lire with three examples of the 10c black, two single examples and two extremely rare strips of four of the 40c blue, in addition to a pair of the 25c brown-lilac.
Sold € 94.500
Attributed to Yi Taek-gyun (Korea, active after 1883), a rare six-panel chaekgeori screen with hidden seal. Korea, second half of the 19th century, Joseon dynasty.
Sold € 57.600