Category: Auctions
Blog on!
May 4 2021
Picture: David Lay Frics
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Apologies for the delay in getting the blog restarted this week, bank holiday weekends are the perfect time for getting lost in long overdue chores I find!
The short break also allowed me to have a good look through the upcoming provincial sales here in the UK, which seem to be filled full of interesting things at the moment.
In particular, the auction house David Lay Frics are auctioning off the above portrait of John Badcock by John Opie later this month. It is a marvellous portrait and was completed in c.1780 when Opie was around the age of twenty. This homage to the likes of Rembrandt and Van Dyck is skilfully done, I think.
Update - Opie's portrait made £7,800 (hammer price).
Sotheby's Results
April 30 2021
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The April online Old Master Paintings and Miniatures sale at Sotheby's London realised a total of £2,101,176 with roughly 68.5% of lots sold.
After a quick scan through the results, it seems that the works that did sell realised some rather strong prices. Amongst the most impressive results were Benedetto Caliari's The Finding of Moses which realised £189,000 (all results include fees) over its £30k - £50k estimate; A portrait of a boy by the 'Circle of Stephen Slaughter' (pictured) which realised £69,300 over its £7k - £10k estimate; A South-German School portrait of a Lady which realised £47,880 over its £6k - £8k estimate; a pair of Venetian views by the Master of the Langmatt Foundation Views realised £100,800 over their £30k - £40k estimate; a curiously catalogued 'Manner of Canaletto c.1900' view of Venice made £47,880 over its £6k - £8k estimate; an Oak Tree in Richmond Park by James Ward which made £40,320 over its £5k - £7k estimate; and three Dutch landscapes by Joseph van Bredael, Joost Cornelisz. Droochsloot and Dutch School 17th Century which more than doubled their high estimates.
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The high price achieved for the 'Circle of Stephen Slaughter' portrait is rather curious, especially as it's the sort of picture that often appears in regional auction houses. Overall, it looks like the picture is in good condition and probably has a beautiful clean in it.
Possible Isaac Oliver Miniatures for Sale (?)
April 30 2021
Picture: coutaubegarie.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
@Drouot on Twitter have drawn attention to these two miniatures that are coming up for sale at La maison Coutau-Bégarie & Associés next week. Both bear traditional attributions to Isaac Oliver (c.1565-1617). The gentleman on the right depicts an unknown sitter in armour, painted onto ivory, and is estimated at €10k - €12k. The miniature on the right bears an inscription identifying the sitter as Queen Elizabeth I (?) and Isaac Oliver as the painter, also estimated at €10k - €12k. We'll wait till the sale on 7th May to see exactly what the market makes of them!
Update - The armoured gentleman realised €12,000 and the Elizabeth (?) went unsold.
Bellotto of Verona coming up at Christie's
April 29 2021
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Financial Times has reported that Christie's will be offering Bernardo Bellotto's View of Verona with the Ponte delle Navi in their London Old Master Paintings evening sale on 8th July 2021. The picture, which had previously been on loan to the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh, will carry an estimate of £12m - £18m. The painting was last sold at Christie's in November 1971 where it made £300,000. Its companion piece, purchased by 'Clive of India' in the 1770s, hangs in Powis Castle.
An Alonso Cano (?) from the same collection as the potential Caravaggio (?)
April 28 2021
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Spanish Newspaper El País have published an article speculating whether an unattributed painting by Alonso Cano (1601-1667) was an additional 'missed' work sold from the Pérez de Castro collection this month. Notably, the work was sold by the same family who consigned the potential Caravaggio up for auction earlier in April. Unlike the potential Caravaggio, this painting of Saint Francis of Assisi (catalogued as 'Spanish School') was not pulled from the sale and eventually made €12,000 over its estimate of €1,100. The article claims that both works appear in inventory of goods of the diplomat and politician Pérez de Castro (1769-1849). The painting is currently awaiting restoration.
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An interesting story and result but it all feels like a rather premature piece of media speculation to me. It would have been better if they had waited for the results of conservation and the support of a credible Alonso Cano expert before going to print. Sheer optimism isn't always enough, as many a dabbler in sleepers has discovered.
Could this be by Caravaggio (?) (ctd.)
April 26 2021
Picture: larazon.es
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The story surrounding the potential Caravaggio that appeared in Spain the other week is gathering pace. Hardly a day has passed without some new article in the Spanish press regarding developments surrounding the picture. It seems the work is already being heralded in Spain as something of a national treasure.
The Guardian published an article a few days ago giving perhaps the most concise account of recent developments, including the accounts from various experts who have weighed in with their opinions.
The most amusing image to arise from the tale is a selfie made by the Italian art dealer Andrea Ciaroni (pictured). Ciaroni made the journey to Spain specifically to see the work on view before it was withdrawn from the auction house. He is quoted saying “It was a thrilling adventure. For a few hours, while on my way to Spain, I fantasised that it was already mine.”
What are the next steps for the painting? The article has supplied the following information:
On Friday, the Colnaghi gallery in London, one of the oldest commercial art galleries in the world, announced that it would be leading the restoration and sale of the painting and revealed that the owners were the three children of Antonio Pérez de Castro, founder of Madrid’s IADE design school, and the artist Mercedes Méndez Atard.
Update - Jorge Coll, the London-based Director of Colnaghi, has given an interview with El Pais about his involvement in the painting's research and restoration.
Christie's Results
April 23 2021
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's New York's Old Master Paintings sale brought in a total of $17,966,250 yesterday evening.*
Most of the top lots managed to hit their estimates, with the Sebastiano del Piombo coming in top at $3,150,000 (all results inc. fees) over its $3m - $5m estimate. Lots that did particularly well include the Cranach Resurrection which made $2,190,000 over its $800k - $1.2m estimate; the Veronese Evangelists which made $1,350,000 over its $600k - $800k estimate; Joseph Wright of Derby's portrait of Miss Carver which made $212,500 over its $80k - $120k estimate; the Attributed to Botticelli Madonna and Child which made $1,350,000 over its $600k - $800k estimate; and finally a Bruges Tapestry featuring a Unicorn which made $400k over its $100k - $150k estimate.
* - Unfortunately, as Christie's tend to delete unsold and withdrawn lots from their website it is rather difficult to work out the exact rate of how many lots sold. A simple count shows that 26 numbers out of the 63 lots are missing.
Women in Art Sale at Christie's
April 21 2021
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I've just spotted that Christie's Paris will be hosting a Women in Art sale on 16th June 2021. Last week I posted news that Sotheby's would be holding a similar single-sex sale in May. I'm not sure which auction house was the first with this idea.
According to their website:
Women artists will showcase a curated selection of paintings, works on paper, books, manuscripts, prints, sculptures, jewelry, photos, and design by women artists spanning 500 years of art.
Christie’s specialists are currently welcoming consignments ranging from Old Masters to Post-War and Contemporary Art, Impressionists and Modern art. The sale will also comprise 20th-century design, along with 19th century paintings and Contemporary works of art. Our selection already includes works by Niki de Saint Phalle, George Sand, Dorothea Tanning, Ayako Rokkaku, Claude Cahun, and Berthe Morisot, among others.
More Works from American Museums at Auction
April 20 2021
Picture: artnet.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Artnet.com have published an interesting article on news that more American Museums are selling valuable paintings at auction this season.
This includes the New-York Historical Society, the city's oldest museum, who have decided to auction off Childe Hassam's Flags on 57th Street, Winter 1918 (1918) at Sotheby's carrying an estimate of $12m - $18m. They're not alone however, as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Art Institute of Chicago, the San Diego Museum of Art, the Newark Museum of Art, and the Brooklyn Museum will all be offering works for sale this season. The article suggests that the ongoing virus crisis is to blame, and that the majority of works are in the American category.
The article ends with this quote from the art lawyer Nicholas O'Donnell who said:
If you view the collection as a revenue source, will you keep managing a nonprofit institution as carefully as you should? If, in the back of your mind, you know that if things don’t work out, you can make up the difference here and there by selling a painting?
The Duke of Grafton's Van Dyck Coming up For Sale
April 20 2021
Picture: artscouncil.org.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A reader has alerted me to news that the Duke of Grafton's portrait of Thomas Wentworth by Sir Anthony Van Dyck has been posted on the UK Arts Council Website. It explains that the work is due to be sold at Christie's London on 8th July 2021 carrying a guide price of £5m. The painting has been in the Grafton collection since the late seventeenth century and has been kept at the family's ancestral seat at Euston Hall.
A notice of intention to sell the painting had appeared in 2019 but was pulled before the catalogue was published for reasons unknown.
The painting is an outstanding example of Van Dyck's armoured portraits, showing a great debt to Titian in the painterly execution. The composition recalls Dosso Dossi's Portrait of St William in the Royal Collection, a picture which Van Dyck must have known as it was in King Charles I's collection at the time. Curiously, the Dossi portrait must have been rather special as the Duke of Buckingham was also painted in this guise by Balthasar Gerbier (notice the same fluted armour and helmet).
Update - Amusingly, here's Cromwell in exactly the same composition.
Christie's Withdraws Murillo from Sale
April 20 2021
Picture: Left - The Museum of Fine Arts of Seville / Right - Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Interesting news today on social media that Christie's has withdrawn a Murillo from their upcoming Old Master Paintings sale in New York. The painting was catalogued as a newly discovered 'ricordo' of St Francis Embracing Christ on the Cross (right), of which the primary version survives in The Museum of Fine Arts of Seville (left). The Christie's version had been estimated at $1.2m - $1.8m. Notably, the lot and accompanying press release has been removed from the auction house's website.
Christie's are yet to make any public statement as to why the painting was withdrawn, so any suggestion of exactly why remains mere speculation.
On what might be a completely unrelated note, the Spanish art historian Pablo Hereza, writer of an alternative catalogue raisonné on the artist, has been making several posts on Twitter this month explaining why he thinks that the work is a later copy. Alongside his various pieces of evidence is the fact that the work was sold as 'Andalusian School 18th Century' in 2009 estimated at €6,000 - €7,000, a description which he claims is more representative of the painting's quality as a copy.
Update - Christie's have kindly replied to a message I sent yesterday confirming that the work has been withdrawn from the sale. They have also indicated that they will not be making a statement.
(Women) Artists Sale at Sotheby's
April 16 2021
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's have unveiled a brand-new sale for May 2021 that they've called (Women) Artists. As the name suggests, the sale will contain works made by women across four centuries of art.
As the auction house's website explains:
Sotheby’s inaugural (Women) Artists auction celebrates contributions by women to art history across 400 years. Featuring a stand-out selection of works by the likes of Dorothea Tanning, Rachel Ruysch, Dame Elisabeth Frink, Dame Laura Knight and Helen Frankenthaler among others, the auction will offer original perspectives, initiate innovative dialogues and generate fresh appreciation for each work presented.
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This is the latest development of a growing trend for the reappreciation of previously neglected women artists. It is perhaps notable that over the past few years we've seen an increasing number of commercial arts organisations following this much wider trend established by the academic and museums sectors decades ago. The recent high prices achieved for works by the likes of Mary Beale, Judith Leyster and Artemisia Gentileschi is a sign perhaps that it has had an effect on the market for old masters. We'll look forward to seeing how the sale fayres!
Tomasso Brothers at Sotheby's
April 15 2021
Video: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's have uploaded details of their latest collaboration with an established fine art dealer. Between 21st - 29th April 2021 the auction house will be hosting a sale with Tomasso Brothers Fine Art who are based in St James's. This is their most recent large scale collaboration since The Dealer's Eye, Danny Katz and Rafael Valls sales last summer.
Seurat Studies at Christie's
April 15 2021
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's New York have announced that they will be offering two rare studies by Georges Seurat in their upcoming 20th Century Art sale in May. Paysage et personnages (La jupe rose), 1884 (pictured) and Le Saint-Cyrien (1884) have been in private collections for over a century and are now being sold by the relatives of the Boston-based collector Robert Treat Paine II. The estimates for these works are $7m - $10m and $3m - $5m respectively.
Sotheby's April Sale
April 10 2021
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's London have uploaded their upcoming April Old Master Paintings and Portrait Miniatures sale. This online sale will take place between 23rd - 28th April 2021. As usual with these sorts of sales, the estimates are very tempting.
I don't want to spoil the fun of going through the lots, however, perhaps one of the most intriguing paintings for sale is Benedetto Caliari's The Finding of Moses, estimated at £30k - £50k. Some readers might remember that this picture was featured in last July's edition of the Burlington Magazine.
National Museum of Sweden Acquires John Russel Pastel
April 10 2021
Picture: National Museum of Sweden
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National Museum of Sweden in Stockholm has acquired a pastel of Lady Georgiana Cavendish by John Russel (1745-1806). The work came up for sale at the auction house Artcurial in Paris last November where it made €45,500. The acquisition was made possible by the support of the Axel and Nora Lundgren Fund.
Christie's NY Sale
April 7 2021
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's New York have uploaded their upcoming Old Masters sale online. The sale will be held on 22nd April 2021.
Perhaps one of the most exciting lots is the recently rediscovered The Vision of Saint Anthony the Abbot by Sebastiano del Piombo (pictured). The work has reappeared in an English collection, where it has been since the nineteenth century. Another version of the work survives in Musée National du Château de Compiègne, although it has been suggested that the Christie's picture might well be the primary version. The painting carries an estimate of $3m - $5m.
Other interesting lots include a Landscape by Dosso Dossi commissioned by Alfonso I d’Este, Duke of Ferrara, estimated at $400k - £600k, a Still Life of a Mallard by Chardin estimated at $1.5m - $2.5m, a Dirck van Baburen scene of Christ driving out the money changers at the temple estimated at $1m - $1.5m, a Ressurection by Lucas Cranach I estimated at $800k - $1.2m, a late thirteenth century Roman painting of Scenes from the life of Christ estimated at $1.5m - $2.5m, and a ricordo of Saint Francis Embracing Christ on the Cross by Murillo estimated at $1.2m - $1.8m.
Could this be by Caravaggio (?)
April 7 2021
Picture: Casa Ansorena
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The above Ecce Homo was due to be sold at the Madrid auction house Casa Ansorena tomorrow with an estimate of €1,500. However, rumours of the painting's quality and whispers of the name 'Caravaggio' encouraged the auction house to withdraw the painting from sale in order to make further investigations. Furthermore, the Spanish State has already pre-empted the significance of the painting by placing an export ban on it, a highly unusual move indeed.
This article in the Spanish press has made a link to a lost painting that Caravaggio painted for Cardinal Massimi, a picture which had been seen in Spain during the later seventeenth century. The Ribera scholar Nicola Spinosa has already come out to express his opinion that the work is not by Caravaggio.
It will be interesting to see how this story develops.
Lost Gainsborough Purchased in France for £2,500
April 5 2021
Picture: The Guardian
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Guardian published a story over the weekend about a recently remerged portrait by Thomas Gainsborough which was purchased at auction in France for £2,500. The portrait depicts the Czech born composer Antonín Kammel (1730–1784 or 1785), who was a friend of the artist.
The work has been authenticated by Hugh Belsey, compiler of the recent Gainsborough catalogue raisonné. He is quoted as saying:
This is a really exciting addition to his work. It is so rare to find a picture that’s totally unknown.
Gainsborough had a great deal of interest in musicians and likened a picture to a piece of music, once writing: ‘One part of a Picture ought to be like the first part of a Tune; that you can guess what follows, and that makes the second part of the Tune, and so I’ve done.’
The work has been conserved by Simon Gillespie. Curiously, the article does not seem to mention who the owner of the work is.
Here's an evocative example of Kammel's music (the only example on YouTube it seems), in case you're wondering what his work sounded like!
Update - The conservator Simon Gillespie has uploaded some images onto Instagram showing some more details of the restored work.
Cheffins to Auction Gainsborough's Earliest Self-Portrait
April 1 2021
Picture: Cheffins
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The auction house Cheffins in Cambridgeshire will be auctioning-off Thomas Gainsborough's earliest self-portrait later this month. It was created c.1740 when the artist was thirteen years old. The painting has been in a private collection since 2008 and was formerly with the art dealer Philip Mould. The press releases haven't provided a formal estimate, however, the figure £40,000 has been quoted.
The painting will be sold on 21st April 2021.
Update - Here's the official press release from the auction house.
It also explains a little more about the work's provenance:
The self-portrait has changed hands three times since 1974 when it was purchased from the estate of Ernest Albert Butcher (a descendant of Robert Butcher) in Australia by the collector, dealer and philanthropist Neville Podmore. It was subsequently purchased by Felder Old Master Paintings in 2001 and then Philip Mould, Historical Portraits, in 2005 before entering the collection of the current owner. It is not altogether clear how the picture was acquired by the Butcher family, but a possible explanation is that it was acquired by Robert Butcher, Steward to 4th Duke of Bedford (1710-1771). The Duke was one of Gainsborough’s earliest patrons and it’s believed that the artist and Butcher had direct dealings with each other whilst Gainsborough painted portraits of the Duke and Duchess in the 1760’s.
Update - The painting sold for £90,000 (hammer price) and the dealer Philip Mould has announced on Twitter that he was the lucky buyer of the work.
