Category: Auctions
A forgotten Bernini (?) Withdrawn from Sale?
November 29 2021
Picture: arsmagazine.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Spanish arsmagazine.com have published an article on news that the gilded bronze above representing The Ganges River was withdrawn from auction last week.
The auction house La Suite in Barcelona had removed the bronze from sale just an hour before it was due to start. Further information has emerged that a government ministry had placed an export ban on the item so that more time could be spent on research.
The bronze has been connected to a small scale sculptural fountain produced by Lorenzo Bernini for Pope Innocent X. This sculpture survives in an altered state in the Patrimonio Nacional without the figures that once adorned it.
Versailles Acquires Marie-Antoinette from Auction
November 26 2021
Picture: Aguttes
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from France that the Palace of Versailles have stepped in to acquire Joseph-Siffred Duplessis's Portrait of Marie-Antoinette. The portrait sold at Aguttes auction house yesterday for €175,500 (inc. commission) over its €20k - €30k estimate.
Unrecorded Lawrence to lead Bonhams December Sale
November 24 2021
Picture: Bonhams
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Bonhams London have uploaded their upcoming December Old Master Paintings sale online. The sale will be held on 8th December 2021.
Their top lot is a previously unrecorded portrait by Thomas Lawrence, depicting Jane Allnutt with her pet spaniel. The artist is known to have painted several members of the Allnutt family, who made their fortune in selling wine and brandy.
The Lawrence will be sold on 8th December carrying an estimate of £150k - £250k.
Sotheby's December Day Sale
November 22 2021
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's London have uploaded their Old Masters Day sale. This online auction will run from 3rd - 9th December 2021.
As usual, there are many beautiful and interesting things up for sale. I won't spoil the fun by pointing any out in particular. However, who cannot not admire this fine portrait of an Old Man attributed to Frans Hals (pictured) from the collection of Greystoke Castle, Penrith, Cumbria.
Tudor Portrait Realises $120k
November 22 2021
Picture: Butterscotch Auctions
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The aforementioned Tudor Portrait realised $120,000 over its $5k - $10k estimate yesterday afternoon at Butterscotch Auctions. J Stephan Edwards has revealed the painting was purchased by an individual American collector.
Bendor adds; I was interested to see this before the sale and ordered some high-res photos, which were revealing. In the end, I wondered if it is actually Tudor. Some things puzzled me, like the technnique in the hands, the drying cracks in the face, the overly 'sweet' characterisation, and the apparent lack of the usual style of gilding you'd expect to see in areas like the collar. I'd be interested to know of any dendrochronology tests the new owners do on the panel. The reason this matters is that the portrait has for a long time been held up as 'the original' of a portrait type which has been identified as a member of the Grey family, copies of which have been identified as Jane, the Nine Days Queen, or her sister Katherine, Countess of Hertford, or even Elizabeth I.
Rediscovered Constable Study at Sotheby's
November 22 2021
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
It seems that this season's Old Masters sales will truly be the battle of the Constables.
Now that Sotheby's have uploaded their full catalogue note for Constable's study for Glebe Farm, one is able to appreciate what an interesting rediscovery the picture is. The provenance is particularly curious and raises the question of how such a notable picture could have been forgotten within such a short period of time. Despite having been publicly exhibited and passed through the hands through the likes of Arthur Tooth & Sons, the painting had been sold in October last year as 'After Constable' in a regional auction house in the US.
Probably the artist’s studio sale, London, Fosters, 15–16 May 1838, lot 13 (one of two in the lot, together with a ‘Salisbury Cathedral’), to Carpenter; Probably William Hookham Carpenter (1792–1866); Probably his sale, London, Christie’s, 16 February 1867, lot 79, to Joseph Hogarth for £91 (a high price, suggesting a study of some importance); With Arthur Tooth & Sons, London, circa, 1917; Edward William Edwards (1874–1956), Cincinnati, by 1922; By descent to his grandson, Thomas Edwards Davidson (1928–1994); Thence by descent until sold, Cincinnati, Cowan’s Auctions, 2 October 2020, lot 3 (as after John Constable), where acquired by the present owner.
Furthermore, the auction house have also uploaded a full technical analysis undertaken by Sarah Cove, an interesting text which is worth reading too.
Sotheby's December Evening Sale
November 19 2021
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's London have uploaded the online catalogue for their upcoming Old Master Paintings Sale on 8th December 2021.
Amongst the top lots are two portraits by Van Dyck of Jacob de Witte and Maria Nutius estimated at £4m - £6m (pictured); John Constable's Glebe Farm estimated at £3m - £5m; a still life by Rachel Ruysch estimated at £1.2m - £1.8m; a set of the Four Seasons by Sebastiaan Vrancx estimated at £600k - £800k; a Lucas Cranach the Elder of the Infant Christ and John the Baptist estimated at £550k - £700k; a Crucifixion by the Master of Charles of Durazzo estimated at £400k - £600k and JMW Turner's Cilgerran Castle, Wales estimated at £300k - £500k.
Christie's December Online Sale
November 19 2021
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's London have uploaded their December Online Sale of Old Master Paintings and Sculpture. This online only sale, the equivalent of the old 'day sale', will run until 8th December 2021.
As usual, there are many fascinating lots to browe through. I won't spoil the fun by pointing any out in particular.
Macklowe Collection Realises $676m
November 16 2021
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
It seems that all's well at the top end of the art market.
Sotheby's New York's Macklowe Collection sale of Modern and Contemporary Art realised an eye watering $676m (inc. commission) yesterday evening. The sale was instigated by the divorce of collector Harry Macklowe and his museum trustee ex-wife Linda.
Press reports have heralded the sale as the greatest test for the high-end art market since the beginning of the pandemic. In fact, the sale passed the test with flying colours as each of the 35 lots in the evening sale were sold. The top lot was Rothko's No. 7 (1951) which realised $82.5m (inc. commission).
Deaccessioned (?) Tudor Portrait Interest
November 16 2021
Picture: Butterscotch Auctions
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Twitter is awash with Tudor fans excited about the reappearance of a Portrait of a Lady catalogued as 'Anglo-Dutch School 17th Century - Mary Queen of Scots'. Auction watcher Francis Mouton has already pointed out that the portrait is not that of Mary, but, perhaps a member of the family of Lady Jane Grey. Furthermore, the painting may have been owned by John Pierpont Morgan and was later deaccessioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1954.
The painting will be sold at Butterscotch Auctions, NY, on 21st November 2021 carrying an estimate of $5,000 - $10,000.
Christie's December Evening Sale
November 15 2021
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's London have uploaded the online catalogue for their upcoming December Old Master Paintings Evening sale. The auction will take place on 7th December 2021.
Amongst the top lots are Constable's sketch of Salisbury Cathedral estimated at £2m - £3m; Valentin de Boulogne's The Dream of Saint Joseph estimated at £1.2m - £1.8m; El Greco's Portrait of a Man estimated at £800k - £1.2m; a Massacre of the Innocents by Pieter Brueghel the Younger estimated at £1m - £1.5m; a church interior by Emanuel de Witte estimated at £500k - £800k and a charming group portrait of the Nugent Family by Johann Zoffany estimated at £800k - £1.2m.
Amongst the more interesting resurfaced pictures is this portrait by Thomas Gainsborough possibly depicting the composer Antonín Kammel (1730–1784 or 1785). Regular readers might remember that the story of this painting was published in the press back in April having been purchased at a French auction for £2,500. The work will now be sold by Christie's carrying an estimate of £70k - £100k.
Cox Collection Achieves $332m
November 12 2021
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's New York's sale of The Cox Collection achieved a very impressive $332,031,500 last night.
Many of the impressionist and post impressionist masterpieces on offer soared past their estimates. The pictured Monet realised $6,270,000 (all prices inc. commission) over its $700k - $1m estimate; Van Gogh's Young Boy realised $46,732,500 over its $5m - $7m estimate; a Degas dancer realised $1,950,00 over its $500k - $800k estimate; and a Pissaro landscape of Rouen achieved $2,010,000 over its $600k - $900k estimate. Important and impressive landscapes met or exceeded their estimates, including those by the likes of Cezanne which achieved $55,320,00, and two by Van Gogh which realised $35,855,000 and $71,350,000 respectively. The most anticipated lot, Gustave Caillebotte's Young Man at a Window, achieved $53,030,000.
Update - There are rumours on Twitter (via. @artdetective) that The Getty Museum was the buyer of Caillebotte's Young Man.
€600, €13,500 and finally €130,000
November 10 2021
Picture: artcurial
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
@AuctionRadar on Twitter has posted a rather interesting observation regarding a previous 'Sleeper' he has been following over the past year. The following portrait, then unidentified and described as 'Dutch School 18th Century', realised €13,500 over its €600 estimate in a regional auction house earlier in March. The same painting, now given to Jan de Bray (1626-1698) in full, realised a total of €169,000 (inc. commission) at Artcurial in Paris yesterday. A good example what a difference the right attribution can make!
Equally, the aforementioned Mona Lisa copy made a respectful €210,000 (hammer price) over its €150k - €200k estimate in the very same sale. Have we finally seen the end of bonkers prices for these Leonardo copies?!
Update - I've been informed that the painting had in fact been sold as a Jan de Bray as recently as 1922. Here's a Twitter thread which explains more.
Constable Oil Sketch at Christie's
November 9 2021
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's London have shared news that they will be offering a £2m - £3m oil sketch by John Constable in their December sale. Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds is the last known version of the scene in private hands and will be auctioned for the first time in its history (although it had been with dealer Simon Dickinson in the past).
According to the article linked above:
Constable first did a pencil sketch of this view in 1811 and then made an en plein air oil sketch in 1820. As Clementine Sinclair, the head of Old Masters Evening Sale at Christie’s London, says: "The bishop [of Salisbury] commissioned a finished painting of that view on the basis of the oil sketch, and that finished painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy [of Arts in London (RA)] in 1823." It now resides in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, while the oil sketch is in the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. "The bishop's daughter gets engaged and she requests a version of this painting, so Bishop Fisher commissions a second version from Constable," Sinclair says. "But Constable being Constable doesn't just do a slavish copy, he actually wants to improve on his initial exhibition painting. So he executes this sketch as a full scale compositional sketch." Two years later, Bishop Fisher commissioned a third version of the subject, the sketch for which is in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, and the finished painting in the Frick Collection, New York.
Constable to lead Sotheby's December Sale
November 5 2021
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's London have uploaded a few the highlights from their upcoming Old Master Paintings sale in December. The top lot seems to be John Constable's The Glebe Farm, estimated at £3m - £5m. Other lots featured include works by Rubens, Rachel Ruysch, Jacques Linard and Jacopo del Sellaio. The evening sale will be held on 8th December 2021.
Rediscovered Ribera Up for Sale in Paris
November 2 2021
Picture: Drouot
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Drouot Paris have drawn attention to the above unpublished painting of The Penitent Saint Peter by Jusepe de Ribera (1588-1656) which is coming up for auction next month. The work, which was rediscovered in a private collection, bears the collectors seals of Cardinal Flavio Chigi (1631-1693) and eventually came into the collection of Blaise Léon Rochette de Lempdes (1809-1876) where it descended to the present owners.
The painting will be offered by the auctioneers Gros & Delettrez on 13th December 2021 carrying an estimate of €200k - €300k.
Dorotheum November Sale
November 1 2021
Picture: Dorotheum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Dorotheum auction house in Vienna have published their November Old Master Paintings Sale online. The auction will be held on 10th November 2021.
Amongst the many interesting lots is this Portrait of a Man with a Red Beard by Giovanni Battista Moroni (pictured). This painting was featured within the RA's Moroni exhibition in 2014 and carries and estimate of €300k - €400k.
Update - I also wanted to point out this rather special 'Self Portrait' of the ceramic painter Marie-Victoire Jaquotot (1772-1855) at work on a monumental vase. One imagines that this painting might well soar past its €12k - €18k estimate.
Restituted Pictures head to Christie's
October 31 2021
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Artnews.com have published an article on a set of restituted paintings which will feature in Christie's December Old Master Paintings sale in London. The works, including paintings by the likes of El Greco (pictured) and Emmanuel de Witte are being offered by the heirs of Julius and Camilla Priester, whose collection of paintings were seized by the Nazis in 1944. The recent restitution of the pictures was made possible with assistance from the Commission for Looted Art in Europe (CLAE), who spotted several paintings with various art dealers.
The El Greco Portrait of a Gentleman (pictured) will be offered for sale at Christie's London on 7th December 2021 carrying an estimate of £800k - £1.2m.
Sleeper Alert!
October 29 2021
Picture: Tajan Auctions
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News on Twitter (via. @auctionradar) that the following drawing of Juno catalogued as 'Florentine School, follower of Rosso Fiorentino' achieved €300,000 over its €500 - €700 estimate at Tajan Auctions in Paris yesterday.
One imagines that the new owner is hoping that this is the original drawing which this print by Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio is after.
Sleeper Alert!
October 25 2021
Picture: New Orleans Auction Galleries
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News on Twitter over the weekend (via. @Claudia05086940) that the above painting catalogued as 'Italo-Flemish School (16th/ 17th Century)' realised $170,000 over its $2.5k - $4k estimate at the New Orleans Auctions Galleries on Saturday.
