Auction Arcadia in Rome offers a selection of ancient paintings from the 14th to the 18th century, with rediscovered works, historical collection nuclei, and high-profile commissions.
Which works open the catalog of ancient paintings of Arcadia?
The auction house Arcadia brings to Rome, on December 2, 2025, the sale “Important Ancient Paintings. Works from a historic Roman collection and other prestigious commissions.” The public exhibition is scheduled from November 27 to December 1, offering collectors the opportunity to see previously unseen works on the market and from important private collections.
The auction of ancient paintings, in fact, constructs a journey through painting from the 14th to the 18th century. Particularly emerging are the Florentine Renaissance season and the Caravaggesque season of the 17th century, up to the figurative research of the following century, in an itinerary that intertwines the history of taste, commissions, and ancient collection nuclei.
Why is the Sterbini collection central to the Arcadia auction?
Among the protagonists stands out the historic collection Giulio Sterbini, one of the most well-known private Roman nuclei of the early 20th century, started between the late 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. This group of 31 lots, long kept in private hands, comes to the market for the first time through Arcadia.
Already in 1906, Adolfo Venturi highlighted the Sterbini collection for its coherence and high-quality level, with a precise focus on 15th and 16th-century painting in the Florentine and central Italian area. Today, that corpus reemerges at auction, offering scholars important material for comparison and collectors rare access to works hitherto little visible.
What are the standout lots from the Sterbini collection?
Among the most significant lots is a Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, a rare small panel on a gold background, part of a predella, attributed to the circle of Lippo d’Andrea, with an estimate of €15,000–20,000. The work, typical of late Gothic Florentine production, combines material preciousness and great narrative intensity.
Alongside it appears a tondo with the Madonna adoring the Child with the young Saint John and an angel, from the workshop of Lorenzo di Credi, estimated at €80,000–120,000. It is a particularly significant example for its full devotional rendering and the finesse of the ductus, representative of the mature Florentine Renaissance.
What other ancient paintings emerge in the auction catalog?
In addition to the Sterbini nucleus, the catalog includes other highlights of the Renaissance. Standing out is the Madonna with Child and the young Saint John by Arcangelo di Jacopo del Sellaio, with an estimate of €20,000–30,000, which testifies to the continuity of the Florentine figurative language between the 15th and early 16th centuries.
In the same chronological context, but of a different matrix, is the Holy Family with Saint Catherine of Alexandria and the young Saint John by Giacomo Francia, an important example of 16th-century Bolognese painting, valued at €15,000–20,000. The work shows the assimilation of Emilian classicism, in dialogue with the Florentine tradition.
What role do Siena and polychrome sculpture play in the auction?
From a noble Sienese collection comes a very rare gilded terracotta cover depicting the Holy Family by Bartolomeo Mazzuoli, dating to the 16th century and estimated at €4,000–8,000. This type of artifact, conceived as a covering for a devotional image, testifies to the use of polychrome sculpture in a domestic setting.
From the same provenance comes the Portrait of Girolamo Piccolomini, bishop of Montalcino and Pienza, painted by Simondio Salimbeni. It is an elegant example of 17th-century Sienese portraiture, documenting the representation of the high ecclesiastical hierarchy in Tuscany.
How does Caravaggesque painting fit into the sale?
The catalog also includes the Caravaggesque season of the 17th century, characterized by a strong exploration of chiaroscuro. Among the most representative works is a Mary Magdalene by a 17th-century Caravaggesque painter, where the grazing light constructs the volume of the figures and accentuates the spiritual dimension.
Alongside this is a Saint Jerome by Aurelio Martelli, known as Il Mutolo, which recalls in structure and drama the famous Saint Bartholomew by Jusepe de Ribera housed at the Prado Museum in Madrid. The comparison highlights the spread of Ribera’s naturalistic models in the Italian area.
The market context for ancient paintings at auction
Overall, the proposal of Arcadia fits into a phase of renewed interest in paintings from the Middle Ages and early modern period. Compared to the contemporary market, still dominant in global turnover, the sector of ancient works continues to stand out for its particular selectivity and the centrality attributed to well-documented historical provenances and attributions.
In this context, the presence of a compact nucleus like that of Giulio Sterbini, which has remained almost intact since the first half of the 20th century, represents a strong attraction. The estimates, ranging from €4,000 to €120,000, suggest a calibrated strategy to engage both established collectors and new buyers.
That said, the auction on December 2, 2025 in Rome is announced as a significant testing ground to understand the demand’s responsiveness to reemerged historical nuclei. The combination of Renaissance works, Caravaggesque examples, and rare Sienese artifacts offers a privileged observatory on the current dynamics of ancient painting collecting.
As expert in digital marketing, Amelia began working in the fintech sector in 2014 after writing her thesis on Bitcoin technology. Previously author for several international crypto-related magazines and CMO at Eidoo. She is now the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Cryptonomist and Econique.
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