Old Master Drawings

As a market leader in Old Master Drawings, Christie’s offer a wide range of European drawings by 15th- to 19th-century artists, regularly achieving auction records for works by many of history’s greatest draughtsman, from Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael to Francisco de Goya, Anthony van Dyck and Jean-Honoré Fragonard.

Christie’s is the only auction house to present drawings throughout the year across its three international salerooms, with dedicated auctions in New York and Paris, and selling alongside Old Master Paintings in London. A focus on quality, scholarship and distinguished provenance ensures that these sales attract a wide audience of collectors and public institutions.

Alongside auctions, the department offers a bespoke private sales service, providing our clients with flexibility and discretion when buying or selling works of art outside of the auction calendar.

Please contact one of the department’s specialists based in London, New York and Paris for any enquiries.

The artist's right hand by Hendrick Goltzius | A detailed ink drawing of an outstretched human hand, showing anatomical features and shading.

Upcoming auctions

VIEW PAST AUCTIONS

23 Sep
Live
Graziella Patiño de Ortiz Linares Collection - Evening sale
Paris

Graziella Patiño de Ortiz Lina auction at Christies

23 Sep

Live

Graziella Patiño de Ortiz Linares Collection - Evening sale

Paris

Loading component...

Market report: 2024 Old Master Drawings

Find out more about our market leadership

READ NOW

Loading component...

Contact us

From free valuations to market advice, our specialists are here to answer your questions.

Zack Boutwood
Cataloguer
London
Call+44 (0) 20 7389 2025
E-mailzboutwood@christies.com
Annabel Kishor
Specialist
London
Call+44 (0) 20 7389 2709
E-mailakishor@christies.com
Having completed a BA in History of Art at University College London, and an MA in 18th Century British and French Drawings at the Courtauld Institute of Art, Annabel worked in the Prints and Drawings department at the British Museum, and at another major auction house. She has been working in the British Drawings department at Christie’s since 2015, working on both the Early British and Victorian sales. She has also been involved in single-owner collection sales including Stunners and The Collection of William Drummond, and was Head of Sale for The Astor Collection from Tillypronie, Aberdeenshire.
Noël Annesley
Senior Consultant
London
Call+44 (0)20 7389 2405
E-mailnannesley@christies.com
Noël Annesley joined Christie’s in 1964. Fifty-four years later he is still working there, and in September 2016 he organised the sale at King Street of the collection of Brian Sewell, his first boss, who had left Christie’s in 1967 and gone on to become a celebrated journalist. Together they set up the department of Prints and Drawings. Over the years Noël has made some exciting discoveries. One of them, a magnificent drawing by the early 16th Century Venetian artist Sebastiano del Piombo, now belonging to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, was included in the exhibition ‘Michelangelo and Sebastiano’ at the National Gallery, London, earlier this year. It was in the Michelangelo drawings exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum, New York, November 2017-February 2018. Noël took his first auction in 1967, and over the years achieved record prices for Titian, Canaletto, Michelangelo and Raphael. He organised and conducted the celebrated sales of Old Master Drawings from Chatsworth in 1984 and 1987, and Old Master Prints in 1986. In 2007 he sold Turner’s famous watercolour ‘The Blue Rigi’ for £5.8 million. It is now in the Tate Gallery. He served as Deputy Chairman of Christie’s International plc from 1992-2000, and was a long serving Trustee of the Dulwich Picture Gallery, and a Governor of the Yehudi Menuhin School.
Holly York
Sale Coordinator
London
Call+44 (0)20 7389 5192
E-mailhyork@christies.com
Giada Damen, Ph.D.
AVP, Specialist, Head of Sale
New York
Call+1 212 641 7532
E-mailgdamen@christies.com
Prior to joining the Old Master Drawings Department in New York, Giada held curatorial positions at the Frick Collection, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Morgan Library & Museum, and the Princeton University Art Museum. A specialist of Italian art, and of Italian drawings in particular, she has widely published in scholarly journals, exhibition and collection catalogues, and in other publications. After moving to the United States from her native Italy, Giada earned a Ph.D. in art history from Princeton University in 2012. She has curated and co-curated several exhibitions in New York, including Pierre-Jean Mariette and the Art of Collecting Drawings at Morgan Library & Museum, New York (Winter 2016).
Sallie Collins
Sale Coordinator
New York
Call+1 332 280 0839
E-mailscollins@christies.com
Hélène Rihal
Head of Department
Paris
Call+33 (0)1 40 76 86 13
E-mailhrihal@christies.com
Hélène Rihal joined Christie’s in 2004 after having graduated in History of Art. As an expert in 18th century French drawings, with a focus in the graphic artworks of Charles Parrocel, she joined the Old Master Paintings department before becoming Specialist in the Old Master Drawings department in 2006.

With over 10 years of experience, Hélène was instrumental in some of the most remarkable sales at Christie’s Paris, including a private drawings collection from 1500–1900 in 2007 (€ 2,100,000) and the Pierre Bergé & Yves Saint Laurent sale in 2009. She led the remarkable drawings section in auctions such as the Trésors de la collection Veil Picard (€9,700,000). In 2015, she assisted in the sale of a study for the famous painting the Death of Socrates in the Old Master Drawings New York auction. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which owns the painting, acquired the drawing for US$593,000.

She was involved in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts drawings exhibition in Paris, Une Dynastie de Peintres, les Parrocel (2008) and she also wrote several essays for the Musée des Beaux-Arts of Marseille exhibition catalogue, L’art et la manière. Dessins français du XVIIIe siècle (2018).
Georgina Hilton
Head of Classic Art, Asia Pacific
Hong Kong
Call+852 2978 6862
E-mailghilton@christies.com
Georgina is responsible for developing the market and taste for European Classical Art across Asia. Prior to moving to Hong Kong in 2019, Georgina was in the Old Master Paintings department in London. She is also a global Christie’s Auctioneer, taking flagship sales in Hong Kong, New York and London.
Melody Lin
Associate Vice President, Senior Representative Classic Art Group, Asia Pacific
Hong Kong
Call+852 2978 6850
E-mailmelodylin@christies.com
Melody is responsible for expanding the market and interest of Western Classical Art in Asia, focusing on the International highlights tour and educational panels in Hong Kong, Taipei and mainland China. She joined Christie’s through the Graduate Trainee Program in 2018, and officially joined Classic Art Group in 2019. Melody was involved in number of major sales such as the Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of 13 in Verona, Leonardo da Vinci The Head of a Bear, and rare manuscripts by Isaac Newton.
Nicole Portmann
Business Development Associate
Zürich
Call+41 44 268 10 18
E-mailnportmann@christies.com