18th Century
The Sobieskis and Stuarts at the Palace at Wilanów
November 13 2025
Picture: wilanov-palac.pl
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Museum of King Jan III's Palace at Wilanów, Warsaw, opened a new exhibition last month entitled The Sobieskis and Stuarts – the Splendour and Spectre of the Crown.
According to their website:
The exhibition The Sobieskis and Stuarts – the Splendour and Spectre of the Crown is the first in Poland to trace a common thread in the modern history of two distant countries: the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland. It has its origin in the marriage in 1719 between Maria Clementina Sobieska (known as Clementina), the granddaughter of King Jan III, and James III/VIII of the royal House of Stuart, claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland. [...]
In tracing the story of its main characters, this exhibition illustrates intricate dynastic relationships, the lives of individuals in the face of high politics, and of the art that became a political tool, yet which retains its high, timeless aesthetic value.
The show will run until 31st May 2026.
Imagining Shakespeare: Mythmaking and Storytelling in the Regency Era
November 11 2025
Picture: Folger Shakespeare Library
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A reader has very kindly been in touch to alert me to the following exhibition entitled Imagining Shakespeare: Mythmaking and Storytelling in the Regency Era which opened at the Folger Shakespeare Library last month.
According to their website:
Displayed together for the first time since 1805, 14 paintings from the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery in London are now on view at the Folger. The paintings, created by leading artists of 18th-century England, depict scenes from Shakespeare’s plays.
The Boydell Gallery contributed to the story of Shakespeare as a genius from birth—the Bard, a symbol of British imperialism and economic power. This exhibition offers visitors the chance to consider both the stories Shakespeare created and the stories that were created about him.
The show will run until 2nd August 2026, so there's lots of time to make your way (including myself, perhaps) to Washington D.C. to see it!
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As it happens, this exhibition has provided me the chance to publish an image of one of my favourite paintings of all time, George Romney's The Infant Shakespeare attended by Nature and the Passions. It is a composition where Romney almost seems to leap decades ahead in a very strange yet beautiful reimagining of Shakespeare in the quasi-guise of the Christ Child. An example, perhaps, of a very concerted effort to show that English painting (as the Boydell Gallery tried to demonstrate) could produce works of a native inspired genius (although many of its most prominent artists like Fuseli were foreign born, of course). Romney's work for the gallery proved to be amongst some of his best, even during this late stage of his career when the quality of his painting did begin to wane somewhat. I have a Boydell print of the composition, which I admire almost every day.
Uffizi acquire Ceruti from Robilant+Voena
November 10 2025
Picture: Robilant+Voena via Instagram
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Art dealers Robilant+Voena have announced that the Uffizi in Florence have acquired the following Portrait of a Moor by Giacomo Ceruti (1698–1767).
According to their Instagram post:
It is among the earliest known portraits of a Black African in Italian painting; Black figures had appeared in Italian art since the Renaissance, but almost always as generic ‘types’, in set roles such as magi or servants. Yet here, Ceruti – nicknamed ‘Il Pitochetto’, meaning ‘Little Beggar’ – paints the figure with an empathy and realism akin to his treatment of other protagonists from the margins of society, for which he is best known.
This is a significant addition to the Uffizi’s 18th-century collections, demonstrating the museum’s commitment to its mission of creating a comprehensive history of Italian painting.
Gainsborough Exhibition at the Frick in 2026
November 4 2025
Picture: Frick Collection
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Frick Collection in New York have announced a new exhibition scheduled for next year entitled Gainsborough: The Fashion of Portraiture.
According to their website:
Beginning February 12, 2026, The Frick Collection will present its first special exhibition dedicated to the English artist Thomas Gainsborough, and the first devoted to his portraiture ever held in New York. Displaying more than two dozen paintings, the show will explore the richly interwoven relationship between Gainsborough’s portraits and fashion in the eighteenth century. The works included represent some of the greatest achievements from every stage of this period-defining artist’s career, drawn from the Frick’s holdings and from collections across North America and the United Kingdom.
Perceptions of Rembrandt in 18th Century France
October 31 2025
Picture: Museum of Fine Arts of Draguignan
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Museum of Fine Arts of Draguignan in France will be opening a very interesting exhibition next month entitled Le phare Rembrandt. The show will examine the perception of Rembrandt's paintings in 18th century France. It will contain no fewer than 50 works by the artist and 18th century French painters who collected his artworks and came under the Dutch master's spell
The show will run from 15th November 2025 until 15th March 2026.
Reynolds at LAPADA
October 31 2025
Picture: Winsor Birch
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Instagram has alerted me to the fact that dealers Winsor Birch are currently offering this rather nice portrait of 'The Yellow Boy' Lord George Seymour Conway by Sir Joshua Reynolds at LAPADA (The Association of Art & Antiques Dealers fair in Berkley Square which runs until 2nd November 2025). The painting, if it is the same one which I have seen, had been on loan to the Ashmolean for a while. Curiously, the painting had been acquired by H.M. King Carol of Romania in 1938 and eventually bequeathed it to a mistress.
Prado Finds Mengs but Owners Say No to Loan
October 31 2025
Picture: abc.es
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Regular readers may remember an appeal the Prado put out a few months ago for an untraced painting by Anton Raphael Mengs. Well, the appeal worked and the painting was found in a private collection in Rome. However, it appears the owners do not want to lend it, due to questions about the impact of applying for an export permit. Readers of ABC can access the full article providing latest developments here (spotted via @Boro_RR).
$30m Canaletto coming up at Christie's New York
October 28 2025
Picture: Christie's via @old_master_fletch
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Big news today that Christie's New York will be offering Canaletto's The Bucintoro At The Molo On Ascension Day in January 2026. Press reports suggest it is expected to sell for over $30m. It had made £11,432,000 over its £4 - 6m estimate at Christie's London back in 2005. The auction house appear to be on Canaletto streak presently, having sold a similar Venetian scene by the artist for £27.5m earlier in July.
According to the article linked above:
The oil on canvas was commissioned around 1754 by the King family (later Earls of Lovelace) and remained in their possession for almost 200 years, according to the auction house.
Wright of Derby: From the Shadows
October 28 2025
Video: The National Gallery
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National gallery's new show Wright of Derby: From the Shadows will be opening next Friday (7th November 2025). Here's the video they've made to promote the exhibition.
Prado announce acquisition of Boucher pair
October 16 2025
Video: Europa Press
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Prado in Madrid have officially announced their recent acquisition of The Birth and Death of Adonis by François Boucher (although, several Spanish social media accounts had already pointed them out for several months now). The works, which date to shortly after 1731, were acquired for €2.2 million 'using funds generated by the generous bequest of Juan José Luna Fernández.'
Master drawings by Christoph Heinrich Kniep at the Casa di Goethe
October 14 2025
Picture: Casa di Goethe
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Casa di Goethe in Rome opened an exhibition at the end of last month entitled Italy in lines – Master drawings by Christoph Heinrich Kniep (1755-1825).
According to their website:
On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his death, the Casa di Goethe is the first museum in Italy to dedicate an exhibition to the draughtsman Christoph Heinrich Kniep (1755-1825).
Kniep is best known today as Goethe’s companion and draughtsman on his journey to Sicily. The artist, who became friends with Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein, Friedrich Bury, Johann Heinrich Schütz and Jakob Philipp Hackert during his almost three-year stay in Rome, spent the rest of his life in Naples after his return from Sicily. Here he developed a rich artistic oeuvre. Working for travellers on the ‘Grand Tour’ and the local aristocracy, Kniep created both realistic views of the Neapolitan countryside and large-scale ideal landscapes with mythological staffage, which were very popular among the public.
The show will run until 11th January 2026.
Upcoming Release: Jeremiah Meyer Catalogue Raisonné
October 14 2025
Picture: ad picturam
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Exciting news that the publishers ad picturam will be release Peter Knaus's new monograph and Catalogue Raisonné on the miniature painter Jeremiah Meyer in 2026.
According to their blurb:
This book is the first comprehensive account of Jeremiah Meyer’s life and work. Its content is based almost exclusively on historical and contemporary sources. Numerous visits to archives in England and Germany provided access to these often difficult-to-obtain documents and yielded authentic and unbiased information about Jeremiah Meyer’s life and work.
The detailed catalogue raisonné, which currently lists 821 works, is intended to serve as a basis for research into Meyer’s artworks and to provide greater clarity in the attribution of his works. In addition, it will be a useful aid for auctioneers and art dealers in assessing and evaluating miniatures.
As is the custom with such worthy projects, the publication wins Knaus a place within the much coveted 'Heroes of Art History' section of this blog.
Recently Opened: Mary Linwood - Art, Stitch and Life
October 10 2025
Picture: Leicester Museum & Art Gallery
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm a little slow to news that the Leicester Museum & Art Gallery opened a new show last month dedicated to the pioneering textile artist. Mary Linwood (1755-1845).
According to the museum's website:
Leicester’s Mary Linwood was a celebrity artist in the early 1800s but has since been largely forgotten.
She created detailed embroidered versions of famous British paintings using a technique known as needle painting. Linwood was not only a talented artist but also an innovator and entrepreneur. Alongside running a successful school for young ladies in Leicester, she exhibited her embroidered works in touring exhibitions and established the first gallery in London to be run by a woman.
In her lifetime, she was supported by the wealthy and powerful, and was widely respected and well known. Since her death, however, she has been overlooked and undervalued.
The exhibition will run until 22nd February 2026.
Not Marie Antoinette
October 10 2025
Picture: The Times
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Times ran an interesting story this week regarding research which shows that a Liotard pastel in Geneva, which was long thought to depict Marie Antoinette as a child, is actually the likeness of ill-fated Queen's sister Maria Carolina instead. Prof. Catriona Seth, of the University of Oxford, looked into the Liotard portraits in preparation for a book she is writing where she spotted a discrepancy in the brooches worn by the girls. Marie Anoinette is in fact the girl illustrated in the portrait on the right.
Early View of Bilbao acquired by Museum
October 7 2025
Picture: El Pais
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Spain that the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum have acquired the following view of the city. Dating to 1700, and completed by an unknown hand, the work had remained with the English descendants of the merchant John Seale was acquired by the museum from the dealers Delamano Old Masters.
Restored Hogarth Murals reopened to Public
October 7 2025
Picture: bdonline.co.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Exciting news that William Hogarth's recently restored murals undertaken for St Bartholomew's Hospital in London have been reopened to the public. The whole project to restore the hospital's North Wing cost £9.5m and has taken 5 years to complete.
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Apologies for the slightly small image, do let me know there are any high-res images of the actual paintings themselves (rather than just room shots) available anywhere!
Highmore Masquerade Portrait acquired by MFA Houston
October 7 2025
Picture: MFA Houston
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston has shared images on their social media account their 2025 acquisition of a Masquerade Portrait by Joseph Highmore. The signed picture, dating to the 1740s, was acquired from London dealer Philip Mould & Co and funded by Cecily E. Horton.
Stubbs at The National Gallery in 2026
October 2 2025
Picture: National Gallery, London
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National Gallery in London announced yesterday that they will be hosting a special temporary exhibition in 2026 entitled Stubbs: Portrait of a Horse. The true headline of the exhibition is that the artist's painting of Scrub, which remains in the collection of the Earls of Halifax, will feature nearby* the gallery's famous painting of Whistlejacket. It appears that the last time they were actually hung next to another was at the Leeds City Art Gallery in 2008.
The free display will run from 12th March until 31st May 2026.
* - The NG have kindly been in touch to let me know that actually 'Scrub will be shown in Room 1 whilst Whistlejacket will remain in Room 34.'
Recently Opened: Squalor City: William Hogarth's London
September 30 2025
Picture: Pruzan Art Center
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Pruzan Art Center at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, have just opened a temporary exhibition entitled Squalor City: William Hogarth's London (spotted via enfilade18thc.com).
According to their website:
A peerless storyteller with great satirical flourish, William Hogarth (1697–1764) brings spectators into the raucous streets and parlors of Georgian London, at once the center of a mighty empire and, in the artist’s view, a den of grifters, social climbers, cynics, and fools. Though his images teem with references to actual personalities and places of 18th-century London, Hogarth’s concerns were more universal than specific. With a balance of humor and sincerity, his art contends with the quandaries of how to hew to a moral path within a competitive, market-driven society; how to build social institutions that serve their communities faithfully; and fundamentally, what kind of society the people of a given time and place ought to build—all questions that demand our attention in the present. This exhibition draws from the Davison Art Collection’s deep holdings of Hogarth’s prints.
The show will run until 13th December 2025.
Carriera Pastel makes £508,000 including fees
September 18 2025
Picture: Cheffins
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The aforementioned Rosalba Carriera pastel of Coulson Fellowes (1696-1769) realised a total of £400,000 hammer (£508,000 inc. fees) over its £15,000 - 25,000 estimate at Cheffins in Cambridgeshire yesterday. The press release from the auction house claim this is a new auction record for the artist (confirmed by a search on Artnet too), which is rather impressive indeed!
