The orangerie at Versailles by Hubert Robert – €110,000 (£100,000) at Christie’s Paris. The painting was pre-empted and then acquired by the Château of Versailles itself.
The 18 x 15in (46.5 x 38cm) oil on panel appeared in Christie’s Paris sale of Old Masters and 19th century paintings on September 14, timed to coincide with the Paris Biennale fair.
The painting was by the Parisian artist Hubert Robert and depicted the orangerie as built by Jules-Hardouin Mansart between 1684-88 to replace Le Vau’s construction. It had been in the collection of Paul-Louis Weiller (1893-1993), passing by descent to the vendor.
Bidding reached a triple-estimate €110,000 (£100,000), at which point it was pre-empted by the Château.
The 175 lots at the Christie’s sale raised a hammer total of €2.51m.
