While the unfinished aesthetic endows the image with a sense of spontaneity, recent scientific imaging further reveals the complex and lengthy creative process behind the painting. Titian is known to have turned his new works to the wall, only returning to them several months later to scrutinize every detail, reforming and remodelling forms with precise and almost surgical detail. Here too, recent X-radiograph images reveal that Titian adjusted the placement of Christ’s rod and right arm several times while he perfected his vision.

Conceived on a large scale, the painting depicts Christ being presented to the people by Pontius Pilate during one of the most poignant moments of the Passion. Crowned with thorns, Christ is central with a soldier to his right – a composition similar to Titian’s depiction of the same subject in the Saint Louis Art Museum.

A trio of recently rediscovered portraits by leading Rococo artist Giandomenico Tiepolo will emerge on the market for the first time this January. Executed circa 1757, these previously unknown and unpublished works mark an important addition to the artist’s oeuvre. They form part of a group of fantasy portraits of philosophers and exotic figures produced by Tiepolo and his father, Giambattista, and each is inscribed with the name of a Greek philosopher: a head of a bearded man in a blue and yellow collared robe, identified as Demosthenes (estimate $100,000 – $150,000); an arresting head of a man in a green and red robe with a gold clasp and necklace, identified as Socrates (estimate $100,000 – $150,000); and the third, inscribed Aristotle (estimate $80,000 – $120,000).

Making its auction debut this January, Sebastiano del Piombo’s Portrait of a woman holding a crown of laurels is a recently rediscovered mature work by the artist, one of the greatest Venetian painters of the 16th-century (estimate of $1.5 – $2 million).

DEDICATED AUCTIONS OF MASTERWORKS FROM RENOWNED COLLECTIONS Baroque: Masterpieces from the Fisch Davidson Collection:

Collected with passion and rigor over three decades, the Fisch Davidson collection distils the essence of Baroque art between 1600 and 1650, comprising some of the very finest paintings in private hands by Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Guercino, Bernardo Cavallino, Valentin de Boulogne, Orazio Gentileschi and more, which together provide a comprehensive sense of the key artistic currents flowing through early 17th-century Europe.

Comprising twelve paintings produced in Holland during the seventeenth century, The Theiline Scheumann Collection features landscapes, seascapes, still lifes and urban views which encapsulate the artistic trends which defined the period. One of the first female collectors in America to put together such a collection, Mrs. Scheumann assembled only the finest quality pieces with distinguished provenance, showcasing the very best Dutch painting has to offer. The sale marks the first time many works have appeared on the market in over 30 years.

There is the serene An Imaginary View of a Quiet Canal in Amsterdam by Jan van der Heyden (est. $1,000,000 – $1,500,000), the foremost painter of cityscapes in the 17th century, whose landscapes depicting Amsterdam are among his most prized works. A similar piece by the artist, Amsterdam: A View of the Sint Antoniespoort, achieved a record-breaking £4.4 million at Sotheby’s London in 2006.

Elsewhere, Aert van der Neer’s Marshy forest at sunset with harts and a view of a town beyond (est. $1,000,000 – $1,500,000) an idyllic depiction of a wintry sunset showcases the artist’s command of atmosphere and light. Van der Neer’s winter landscapes were considered revolutionary at the time, and his pioneering approach went on to influence an entire generation of Dutch romantic landscape painters in the first half of the nineteenth century. There is also the hauntingly beautiful A Young Woman Sealing a Letter by Frans van Mieris the Elder (est. $1,500,000 – $2,000,000). Completed in 1667, this work sees Van Mieris working within the fijnschilder (meaning ‘fine painting’) tradition developed by artists like Gerard Dou. The work is meticulous in detail, with some features likely executed with brushes made from a single hair.

Among the works representing still lifes is Jan van de Velde III’s Still Life with an Earthenware Jug, Tobacco Box, ‘Gouda’ Pipe, Glass of Beer and Tobacco Smoking Implements (est. $600,000 – $800,000). Highly regarded today as a subtle and inventive master of still life, Van de Velde had for many generations remained in obscurity. Works by the artist are extremely rare, this being among only forty known by the artist today. Van de Velde arranges a few objects on a tabletop, and, using a very restricted palette, creates a remarkable range of surfaces and textures. Visible at the bottom of the scene is the most flamboyant aspect of the painting; an oversized signature, the curves of which reflect the influence of his father's calligraphy.

n the heels of exceptional results for The Grasset Collection - one of the very best private collections of Dutch & Flemish still lifes and landscapes, which made an above estimate $15.5m / £12.7m in London this December - the New York sales will include further rare still lifes by renowned artists spanning the genre.

Dating 1621, Pieter Claesz’s vibrant tablescape, A Still Life with Cherries and Strawberries in Wanli Dishes is the earliest known work by the artist. Estimated at $1-1.5m, it is also among the most significant works by the artist to come to auction in recent times.