Duke of Norfolk purchases Duke of Norfolk at Sotheby's
December 5 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Arundel Castle, the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk, have announced the acquisition (on Instagram) of Hans Eworth's portrait of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk (1538–1578) in the recent Sotheby's London Old Masters sale. The picture, formerly in the Rothschild Collection and kept at Waddesdon Manor, realised £3,212,000 over its £2m - £3m estimate.
Habsburg European and Spain celebrated in Alejandro Sanz Peinado Collection Exhibition
December 5 2025
Video: MEET Málaga Espacio Expositivo Tabacalera
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A new exhibition has just opened in Málaga, Spain, of 80 paintings from the collection of Alejandro Sanz Peinado which examines the art of Habsburg Europe and the Spanish Golden Age. The display will run until 30th September 2026.
Artemisia acquired by Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson
December 5 2025
Picture: Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Spain that the Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson have acquired Artemisia Gentileschi's The Virgin Nursing the Child. The picture was last sold at the Dorotheum back in 2024 for €565,000.
Day Sale Surprises
December 5 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Several pictures that performed well in the Christie's Old Masters to Modern Day sale included the following Neapolitan School, 17th Century Allegory of Painting, which realised £120,650 (all prices inc. commission) over its £6k - £8K estimate. A Follower of Rembrandt portrait also made £101,600 over its £20k - £30k estimate, and a very fun 16th century Brussels School hawking party £120,650 over its £12k - £18k estimate.
Down the road at Sotheby's no particular unattributed pictures soared past their estimates. Although, there were several very strong results against estimates achieved by pictures by Guercino, Sebastian Vrancx, Willem Claesz Heda, Simon Luttichuys and Eglon Hendrik van der Neer.
Burlington Travel Bursaries to Study European Drawings
December 5 2025
Picture: burlington.org.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Burlington are offering a generous set of travel bursaries presently for the study of European drawings.
According to their website:
Funded by the Rick Mather David Scrase Foundation, the bursaries will support travel to major collections anywhere in the world to view works of Western art on paper from the Renaissance to 1900.
Such travel will typically form part of a post-graduate project but may include curatorial research.
Awards for travel within Europe are expected to be £2000–£2500 and awards for intercontinental travel £3000–£3500.
Applications must be in by 1st February 2026.
Poole Museum Reopens
December 5 2025
Picture: poolemuseum.org.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I forgot to mention that Poole Museum in Dorset reopened to the public last month after a £10m renovation project. The refurbishment has included the creation of new galleries and exhibitions, all of which began back in 2018.
Sotheby's London Results
December 3 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Sotheby's London Old Master & 19th Century Paintings Evening Auction realised £30,670,450 (all prices inc. commission) tonight with a sell-through rate of 76.66%.*
The big lots managed to attract bids within and at the top of their estimates, including the Hans Eworth, Rembrandt, Rubens, Turner and Brueghel the Younger, as the total above demonstrates. Lots that performed well against their pre-sale estimates were the triptych from Sherborne Almshouse which soared to £5,664,000 over its £2.5m - £3.5m estimate, the Teniers Village landscape which made £215,900 over its £80k - £120k estimate, the Eglon van der Neer Mousetrap which realised £254,000 over its £80k - £120k estimate and the early German portrait of an architect which realised £317,500 over its £100k - £150k estimate.
* - Not lots were withdrawn.
Christie's London Results
December 2 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Christie's London Old Masters Evening Sale achieved £12,712,000 (all prices inc. commission) tonight with a sell-through rate of 67.74% / 63.63% including withdrawn lots.
The selling lots did hit most of their expected values. The highlights that performed well against their pre-sale estimates were Gerrit Dou's Flute Player which realised £3,832,000 over its £2m - £3m estimate, two of William Hodges' Indian scenes did well realising £571,500 and £139,700 over their estimates respectively, a theatrical Charles-Antoine Coypel which made £482,600 over its £250k - £350k estimate and a rather evocative Bonington marine which realised £889,000 over its £400k - £600k estimate.
Women Artists of Düsseldorf
December 2 2025
Picture: kulturstiftung.de
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm slow to news that the Düsseldorf Kunstpalast opened a new exhibition in September drawing attention to the female artists of the Düsseldorf School of Painting. Drawing on artists from the 19th and early 20th centuries, the show will include works by the likes of Paula Monjé (1844–1919), Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann (1819–1881), Marie Wiegmann (1820–1893) and Gabriele Münter (1977–1962).
The show will run until 1st February 2026.
Bendor on AI Connoisseurship
December 2 2025
Picture: FT
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm sure Bendor would like me to draw attention to his recent article on AI & Connoisseurship in the FT. Click on the link to read what he has to say on the subject (I'm sure the majority of readers will be able to guess).
Rediscovered Rubens reaches €2.9m
December 2 2025
Video: ABS CBN News
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The aforementioned rediscovered Rubens Crucifixion realised €2,940,799 (inc. commission) over its €1m - €2m estimate at Osenat in Versailles yesterday.
Latest Burlington Issue
December 2 2025
Picture: burlington.org.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Here are the main articles featured within December's edition of The Burlington Magazine:
Fashionable equivocation of gender: a portrait of a lady in hunting garb - By Valerio Zanetti
Artemisia Gentileschi in England - By Niko Munz
Projects, plans and politics: a Scottish architectural tour by Lord Mar and James Gibbs in 1712 - By Margaret Stewart
Benjamin West’s ‘lost’ history painting - By Adam D.C.B. Chen
Ludwig Pollak, Denis Mahon and Guercino’s ‘Mystical ecstasy of St Francis’
Nehemiah Partridge: an early colonial American portrait painter in Jamaica
Assist Research at Oxford
December 2 2025
Picture: University of Oxford
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The University of Oxford are currently looking for a Research Assistant in Global Renaissance Studies.
According to their website:
We seek a dynamic and self-motivated individual with expertise in the ‘Global Renaissance’ (defined temporally as c. 1400 to c. 1650) to facilitate research and engagement work in relation to a major exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, which addresses the theme of sensory experiences and exchanges across the early modern world (co-curated by Geraldine A. Johnson and Leah R. Clark). The working title of the exhibition is ‘Sensory Wonders of the Renaissance World’ and the opening is planned for June 2027. The post is based at the University of Oxford’s History of Art, Faculty of History, based in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford OX2 6AH.
The post comes with a salary of between £39,424 - £41,636 and applications must be in by 9th December 2025.
Good luck if you're applying!
Courtauld Institute Unveil £82m Campus Project
December 1 2025
Picture: The Guardian
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Courtauld Institute in London (1) (2) have unveiled their plans for a £82m renovation project for their campus in Central London. Plans include revamping the teaching spaces at Somserset House, helping supports schools with the teaching of art history, a new lecture theatre and 'increasing its focus on global geographies such as the Americas, the African diaspora and the arts of Asia.'
Rembrandt in Florida
December 1 2025
Video: Norton Museum of Art
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm slow to news that the Norton Museum of Art in Florida just recently opened an exhibition, drawing on loans from the Leiden Collection, entitled Art and Life in Rembrandt's Time. It will run until 29th March 2026.
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As the Leiden collection's owner Thomas Kaplan recently floated the idea of selling shares in his art collection, might this show provide the perfect opportunity for prospective investors to take their pick?
The Brueghels in Milan for 2026
December 1 2025
Picture: 24oresystem.ilsole24ore.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Some early news (spotted via @MarteVelazquez) that the Palazzo Reale in Milan will be opening an exhibition on the Brueghel dynasty in October 2026. Entitled THE BRUEGHELS. THE ORIGINS OF PICTORIAL GENRES IN EUROPE, the travelling exhibition will afterwards head to the Museo Thyssen in Madrid in March 2027.
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Apologies if AHN is a little 'exhibition heavy' at present. More news on the big Old Master sales happening in London this week in due course.
Van Eyck Portraits at The National Gallery in 2026
December 1 2025
Picture: The National Gallery
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National Gallery in London announced last week that it will be hosting an exhibition focusing on the portraits of Jan van Eyck in November 2026.
According to the gallery's website:
For the first time in history, see all of Jan van Eyck’s portraits together. Only once, only at the National Gallery. [...]
‘Van Eyck: The Portraits’ brings together from across Europe all nine of the artist’s known painted portraits, making up half of his surviving works worldwide. [...]
Precious and fragile, van Eyck’s paintings rarely travel, including 'The Arnolfini Portrait'. This is one of the most popular paintings in our collection and and has only ever left the Gallery once in over 100 years. The exhibition marks the first and only time these works can be brought together. And this incredible display can only happen here, at the Gallery.
The show will run from 21st November 2026 until 11th April 2027.
Winston Churchill at the Wallace Collection in 2026
November 27 2025
Picture: The Wallace Collection
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Wallace Collection in London will be holding an exhibition of Winston Churchill's paintings in 2026.
According to their press release:
In this major retrospective and first exhibition of Churchill’s creative oeuvre in the UK since his death, the Wallace Collection will bring together more than 50 paintings that represent the very best of the former Prime Minister’s output.
Half of the loans are coming from private collections and have rarely, if ever, been seen before in public. The exhibition will also showcase a large group of works from Chartwell, a major lender to the exhibition, which was Churchill’s family home for over 40 years of his life and is now managed by the National Trust.
Following a chronological approach, Winston Churchill: The Painter will span his activity as an artist from his first attempts during the First World War (1914-18) through to the 1960s, shortly before his death. Churchill’s own paintings will be complemented by a small group of loans of works by his artistic mentors and friends, such as Sir John Lavery (1856-1941) and Sir William Nicholson (1872-1949), which will help visitors to explore his artistic development.
The show will run from 23rd May until 29th November 2026.
The Pattle Sisters at The Watts Gallery
November 27 2025
Picture: The Watts Gallery
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Watts Gallery in Surrey are opening a new exhibition today dedicated to the Pattle sisters.
According to the gallery's website:
This exhibition brings to life the legacy of seven extraordinary Anglo-Indian sisters whose influence rippled through the worlds of art, literature, photography, and society.
Nicknamed “Pattledom” by the writer William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863), the sisters’ world was one of rich cross-cultural exchange, where Anglo-Indian heritage, European influence, and artistic experimentation converged in a vibrant social sphere that defied Victorian convention.
Whilst the photographer Julia Margaret Cameron (1815–1879) is today the most celebrated of the seven Pattle sisters, this exhibition uncovers their collective impact through artistic experimentation, intellectual exchange, and the creation of an extraordinary cultural salon at Little Holland House in Kensington. Here, artists, writers, scientists, musicians, and politicians gathered each week, drawn into the orbit of the dynamic Pattle women and the visionary painter G F Watts, who lived and worked amongst them.
The show will run until 3rd May 2026.
Hubert Robert Drawing acquired by MET
November 27 2025
Picture: @curatornadine
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm slow to news that the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have acquired Hubert Robert's Self-Portrait in Saint-Lazare Prison, 1793 (spotted via @gazette_Inter).
According to curator Nadine Orenstein's post on Instagram:
Robert was imprisoned during the Terror. Here, he depicts himself, easily recognizable by his dark eyebrows and receding hairline, in his cell at the Saint-Lazare prison. His correspondence and inkwell sit on his desk. The large drawing or engraving tacked to the wall is related to one of his best-known paintings, the portfolio of drawings leaning against the table is inscribed, “Robert a St Lazare,”.
