Sotheby's Old Master sales
June 22 2011
Picture: Sotheby's
Sotheby's Old Master sales catalogues have gone online. There are some nice things, including the whopping £15-25m Guardi. However, it looks like Christie's have trumped them this time round thanks to the Cowdray collection.
Perhaps the most interesting picture at Sotheby's is Lely's full-length portrait of Nell Gwyn. It is catalogued as 'Portrait of a Young Woman and Child... Almost certainly Nell Gwyn.'
I'm convinced it is her. It seems always to have been called Nell, right back to the Royal Collection in Charles II's day - but was doubted when the late Sir Oliver Millar suggested (I don't know why) that it might instead be Barbara Villiers.
The picture was offered at Christie's in 2007 (as 'almost certainly either Barbara Villiers... or Nell Gwyn') with an over-enthusiastic estimate of £1.5-2m. It failed to sell, but found a buyer after the sale for £1,588,000 including premium. The estimate now is £600-800,000. Ouch.
I'll post a review of the sales next week.
