Category: Auctions
Sleeper Alert!
January 13 2025
Picture: clarkeny.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News on social media (spotted via @mbrehe) that the following picture catalogued as 'FLORENTINE SCHOOL (POSSIBLY 14TH/15TH CENTURY)' sold for $230,000 over its $3k - $5k estimate at Clarke Auctioneers in NY yesterday.
Musée George Sand acquires Carolus-Duran's Portrait of Émile Aucante
January 10 2025
Picture: Nicolas Nouvelet
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
La Tribune de l'Art has shared news that the Musée George Sand in La Châtre, France, has acquired Carolus-Duran's portrait of the publisher Émile Aucante (1822-1908). The work was pre-empted from Nicolas Nouvelet's auction last October for 5,850 EUR (inc. fees).
According to the auctioneer's catalogue note:
Émile Aucante was a publisher and journalist, godson and close collaborator of George Sand. He began his career as a fervent disciple of the theoretician Pierre Leroux, for whom he contributed to the Revue Sociale. Condemned to exile during the coup d'état of 1851, he was called by George Sand, who made him her secretary in Nohant, inheriting all her manuscripts and papers. He then negotiated all publications with publishers on her behalf. In 1858, following Orsini's attempt on the life of Emperor Napoleon III, Émile Aucante was arrested once again. Our painting shows him at the age of 38, in his period as a political opponent of the Second Empire. Under the Third Republic, he developed his publishing activities, directing L'Univers Illustré and then several collections at Calmann-Lévy, alongside his printing business.
Sotheby's New York Master Paintings Part II
January 10 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's New York have published their upcoming Master Paintings Part II sale online. The auction will take place on 6th February 2025 at 14.00 EST.
As usual with these sales, I won't spoil the fun by pointing out way may or may not be interesting.
George Washington's pastel makes $317,500
January 9 2025
Picture: maineantiquedigest.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm very late to this rather fascinating story (spotted via @MaryMWalsh) that a unattributed pastel of St John the Evangelist realised $317,500 at the The Potomack Company auctioneers in Alexandria, Virginia, last October. This enormous sum is explained by the fact that the artwork had documented provenance back to its original owners George and Martha Washington and had descended with members of the family. Even if we forget that the estimate was $250,000 - $500,000, this is still quite a price! Click on the link to read more.
Sotheby's New York Master Paintings Part I
January 8 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Sotheby's New York Master Paintings Part I sale has been uploaded online. The auction will take place on 6th February 2025 at 10.00 EST.
Amongst the top lots are a Rubens sketch of the Annunciation at $4m - $6m, a hairy Saint Mary Magdalene by Raphael at $2m - $3m, a portrait of a noblewoman by Bernardino de Conte at $2m - $3m, a Nest Robber by Pieter Brueghel the Younger at $1.2m - $1.8m, and a crucifixion by Jacob Cornelisz. van Oostsanen at $1.2m - $1.8m. Being musically minded though, my favourite is this Cornelis de Vos portrait showing a young girl playing the virginal, estimated at $600k - $800k (pictured).
It is also worth drawing attention to the Aso O. Tavitian single-owner sales, which contain a selection of fine selection of Old Masters from various centuries and national schools, the top lots being a portrait of Margaret of Austria at $1.5m - $2m and a Mary Magdalene by Ambrosius Benson at $600k - $800k.
Sotheby's New York Drawings Online
January 3 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Whilst we're waiting for the upcoming Sotheby's New York Old Master Paintings sales to be published, here's the upcoming Master Works on Paper from Five Centuries auction. The sale will take place on 5th February 2025 at 11.00 EST.
Top lots include this fine study of heads by an artist in the Circle of Gerard David (pictured), a marine drawing by Caspar David Friedrich, a Swiss watercolour by JMW Turner and a mythological drawing by Claude Lorrain.
Christie's New York Sale
December 21 2024
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's New York have uploaded their upcoming Old Masters sale online. The auction will take place on 5th February at 10am EST.
Amongst the top lots are the aforementioned El Greco of Saint Sebastian estimated at $7m - $9m. The painting already has a third-party guarantee, meaning the work is technically already sold. Other notable works are a fine Pieter de Hooch interior at $2.5m - $3.5m, a portrait of a gentleman, possibly Dirck Dircksz Tjarck, by Frans Hals at $2m - $3m, and a Cranach the Elder of Hercules and Omphale at $1m - $2m. My favourite picture of the bunch is this musical Michael Sweerts, an artist who appears in most evening sales these days, which carries an estimate of $700k - $1m. There are also a selection of paintings being sold by the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (to fund future acquisitions), more of which can be read in this article.
Christie's New York Part II Sale
December 21 2024
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The upcoming Christie's New York Old Master Paintings & Sculpture: Part II sale has been published online. The auction will take place on 5th February at 2pm EST (straight after their Part I sale, it seems).
As usual, I won't spoil the fun by pointing out any paintings which may or may not be interesting.
Holkham Attic Sale at Sworders
December 21 2024
Picture: Sworders
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Exciting news that Holkham Hall, the ancestral home of the Earls of Leicester and one of the greatest country houses in England, are holding an Attic Sale at the auction house Sworders in February. There aren't that many pictures included in the sale, but, it's a rare opportunity to purchase some odds and ends of furniture, fixtures, fittings and decorative features from one of the finest stately homes ever erected.
Kauffman soars in Paris
December 21 2024
Picture: Theirry de Maigret
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Paris (via. Drouot) that the following Portrait of Elisabeth Vernon, Countess Harcourt by Angelika Kauffman soared to an impressive 244,720 EUR over its modest 12,000 - 15,000 EUR estimate earlier this week at Theirry de Maigret.
Prado acquires Pedro Machuca from Christie's Sale
December 12 2024
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Spain that the Prado in Madrid have acquired Pedro Machuca's Baptism of Christ from the recent Christie's London Old Masters Part II sale. The painting had sold for £63,000 over its £25k - £35 estimate. It had previously come up at Sotheby's in 2023 but failed to find a winning bid.
Day Sale Surprises
December 6 2024
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
There were some rather strong results in both the Christie's and Sotheby's Old Masters Day sales in London during the second half of this week.
Amongst the pictures that soared was this 'Follower of Holbein - Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger' (pictured above), a painting which had formerly been in the collection of Charles I, which realised £327,600 (all prices inc. premiums) over its £40k - £60k estimate. The catalogue note, which goes into the question of dating and provenance, is worth reading. Another strong price was achieved by Pietro Antonio Rotari's The Meeting of Alexander the Great and Roxana, behind a trompe l'oeil curtain which made £189,000 over its £50k - £80k estimate and Alessandro Turchi's The Abduction of Helen which realised £126,000 over its £60k - £80k estimate.
At the Sotheby's sale, where there were also quite a few strong prices which soared past their top estimates, it was a nineteenth century painting by Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer which claimed the top spot of £1,020,000 over its £200k - £300k estimate. Other surprises were a pair of scenes ascribed to the Circle of Carlo Maratta which made £144,000 over their £15k - £20k estimates and a A fowl piece with Alexander Pope’s villa at Twickenham by Pieter Casteels III which achieved £180,000 over its £26k - £36k estimate.
Rediscovered Ter Brugghen Soars
December 6 2024
Picture: Ivoire
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A rediscovered painting of Esau selling his birthright by Hendrick Ter Brugghen made 1,150,000 EUR over its 200k - 300k EUR estimate at the auction house Ivoire in France yesterday. The work, dated to roughly 1627, was last at auction back in 1918 (according to the catalogue note provided by the auction house).
Louvre buys Tiepolo from Christie's London Sale
December 4 2024
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Louvre in Paris has announced its acquisition of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo's Guilty Punchinello from last night's sale at Christie's London. The picture, which had been in France since c. 1934, made £2,460,000 over its £1m - £1.5m estimate.
Zoffanys soar at Bonhams
December 4 2024
Picture: Bonhams
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The aforementioned pair of Johann Zoffanys soared past their £300k - £500k estimate at Bonhams today to realise £991,000 (including premium). They did look absolutely fantastic in the preview of the sale earlier this week and will undoubtedly clean beautifully once careful conservation reveals their original colours underneath that yellowed varnish. We shall wait and see if they turn up anywhere interesting!
Sotheby's London Evening Sale
December 4 2024
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Sotheby's London Evening Sale realised a total of £24,164,000 (with commission) with a sell-through rate of 76.93% / 73.08% including withdrawn lots.*
The Italian pictures, heavily featured within the auction, did rather well at the high end of things. The top lot was Botticelli's Madonna and Child Enthroned which had at least 4 or 5 frantic bidders to eventually reach an impressive £8.6m (hammer) over its £2m - £3m estimate. This is £9,960,000 including commission. Catherine the Great's Rosso Fiorentino made £2.8m (inc. commission) over its £2m - £3m estimate, although Artemisia's Magdalene came in at well below its low estimate. There were also strong results for paintings by Rubens, Antonio Joli and Pieter Claiessens the Elder.
The crescendo of the sale was Gustav and Ernst Klimt's Hanswurst Delivering an Impromptu Performance in Rothenburg which reached £2,220,000 over its £300k - £500k estimate, a phenomenal work which as one of my old friends remarked felt more like a collage of photographs rather than a painting, due to the almost photorealistic quality of the various faces encountered in the scene.
* - 1 lot was withdrawn.
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Christie's London Part I Sale
December 3 2024
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Christie's London Old Masters Part I sale realised a total of £13,990,220 (inc. premiums) this evening with a respectable 88.47% of lots sold / 76.93% if one includes withdrawn lots.*
Several pictures managed to soar past their top estimates, including a Clara Peeters Still Life with Cheese which realised £655,200 (all figures inc. premiums) over its £100k - £150k estimate, alongside two nineteenth century pictures. Gustav Courbet's Le poète ou Le sculpteur realised £945,000 over its £250k - £350k estimate and Francesco Hayez's Bathsheba made £1,492,000 over its £600k - £800k estimate. With premiums added, many pictures managed to break past their upper guide prices, including the top ticket works Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and Gabriel Metsu.
The top lot went to Van Dyck's much anticipated Andalusian Horse, which fetched a hammer price of its high estimate to realise £3,428,000 including premiums added.
All eyes on the Sotheby's sale tomorrow evening!
* - 3 lots were withdrawn, I'm sure someone will get in touch if I was incorrect with this figure!
New York pictures in London
December 2 2024
Picture: Sotheby's via AB
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
One of the joys of the December Old Master Paintings auctions are the 'highlights' of the upcoming January / February 2025 season in New York. This year does not disappoint.
Sotheby's New York have some rather choice pictures on display, including a Rubens sketch of the Annunciation at $4m - $6m, this surprisingly modern looking Portrait of a Lady by Bernardino de' Conti at $2.5m - $3.5m (pictured) and a rather hairy small-scale Saint Mary Magdalene by Raphael at $1m - $1.5m.
Christie's have their fair share of masterpieces, including works that are being deaccessioned from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Amongst the works from private collections are a fine interior by Pieter de Hooch at $3m - $5m and a Frans Hals portrait at $2m - $3m. The picture that has captured most of the attention on social media is this very handsome El Greco Saint Sebastian at 'estimate on request' (pictured below). The wall label does not provide a designation for the picture, so, we'll have to keep guessing where it has come from for now.
London Auction Previews open Today - plus Goyen, Goyen, Gone
November 29 2024
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Both the Sotheby's and Christie's Old Master Paintings previews open today in New Bond Street and King Street respectively. The Bonhams preview opens on Sunday. As usual, many hundreds of pictures to admire and peruse including the highlights from the upcoming New York sale season. Keeping an eye on social media, and which pictures people are sharing on their accounts, is usually a good indication of what will do well I find.
In addition to this, Christie's are also previewing a Selling Exhibition amusingly entitled Goyen, Goyen, Gone, featuring nine works by the Dutch landscape painter Jan van Goyen.
Portrait of Rasputin's Murderer Soars
November 27 2024
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A pastel portrait of Prince Felix Yusupov, who is most famous for his hand in the murder of Grigori Rasputin, soared at Sotheby's London yesterday. The portrait was one of three by the Russian female artist Zinaida Evgenievna Serebriakova offered in the recent Fabergé, Imperial & Revolutionary Art sale in New Bond Street. Felix's realised £276,000 (inc. premiums) over its modest £40k - £60k estimate, and his wife Irina Romanova's (niece of Emperor Nicholas II) realised £204,000 over its £50k - £70k estimate.
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As it happens, Felix's life has become of great interest to me in recent years and I would heartily recommend his rather eccentric memoir entitled Lost Splendour to anyone who'd like a colourful account of what it was like to be a Prince in late Imperial Russia. Both his Romanov wife Irina and him managed to escape persecution from the Bolsheviks and eventually settled in between France and England for the remainder of their years. Plagued by debts and depressed jewellery prices (the easiest way Russian emigrees could raise funds in those days) Felix Yusupov eventually had to part with his family's prized Rembrandts (1) (2) to stay afloat, paintings which eventually made their way into the National Gallery of Art in Washington via. the dealer Joseph Wiedner (and eventually resulted in a very messy legal battle). I sometimes daydream of whether the changing attitudes to questions of restitution, evident in many western galleries and museums these days, will ever reconsider the ownership of these two pictures in the future.
