An immaculately preserved Flemish painting of the Nativity, from the workshop of Hans Memling (around 1430-94), became one of a handful of works to sell for seven figures through the Viennese auction house Dorotheum in April. The painting was bought over the telephone by a European private buyer for €1.1m (€1.2m with premium). “It’s a connoisseur’s painting, with extraordinary detail,” says Damian Brenninkmeyer, an Old Masters specialist at the auction house. The picture, which is stylistically different to works by Memling, has yet to be attributed, but Brenninkmeyer says that research continues.
