Painting by Vermeer sells for $30 million

LONDON — The first painting by the Dutch Old Master Johannes Vermeer to be sold at an auction in decades was bought for more than $30 million Wednesday.

The 10 inch-by-8 inch picture, “Young Woman Seated at the Virginals,” far exceeded the reserve price of $5.5 million when it went under the hammer at Sotheby’s in central London.

The work, showing a young woman playing music, with her face turned toward the viewer, was the first Vermeer painting be put up for auction in more than 80 years, Sotheby’s said.

A company spokeswoman said it was sold to an anonymous buyer for $30,101,472, including a buyer’s premium. There are just 35 other paintings around the world attributed to Vermeer, making auctions of his work a rare event. The last time a Vermeer was offered for sale at auction was 1921, Sotheby’s said.