Category: Auctions
Fragonard Drawings at Christie's
January 19 2021
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's have published a short article on their website about a series of 14 drawings by Fragonard in their upcoming Cornelia Bessie Old Master Drawings Sale. The series, which includes illustrations of the Italian epic Orlando Furioso, are believed to be the largest group that remain in private hands.
Cornelis van Poelenburgh Self Portrait Soars Past Estimate
January 18 2021
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A rare Self Portrait by the Dutch landscape painter Cornelis van Poelenburgh (1594-1667) soared at Sotheby's last Thursday. It made £100,800 (inc. commission) over its £5k - £7k estimate. Sotheby's catalogue note suggests that it was made when the artist was staying in London and producing cabinet pictures for King Charles I between the years 1637-41. The prestigious provenance must have helped too, as it was reputedly owned by William Beckford and later made its way into the collection of the Dukes of Hamilton.
Update - I've just spotted that the painting has already appeared on dealer Sander Bijl's Instagram page.
Sotheby's Master Paintings II Sale
January 13 2021
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's have published their NY Master Paintings Part II Sale onto their website. This online sale, the equivalent of the old 'day sale', will be held between 22 - 30 January 2021.
There are lots of pictures worth highlighting, but I don't want to spoil too much of the fun. Perhaps worth pointing out is Van Dyck's Virgin and Child, estimated $400k - $600k. This version was taken by William III from the British Royal Collection back to the Netherlands. Recent conservation has revealed many pentimenti, some of which are now visible, showing perhaps that the other version in the Royal Collection might be a repetition of the present picture.
A few others worth pointing out are a Madonna and Child by Lorenzo di Bicci estimated at $200k - $300k; a Roelandt Savery of Venus and Adonis estimated at $150k - $200k; a recently upgraded Gerrit Honthorst violinist estimated at $200k - $300k; and a Guercino Mars at $150k - $200k.
Unrecorded Jan Massys at Christie's
January 9 2021
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's are offering a previously unrecorded painting of Mary Magdalene by the Flemish mannerist Jan Massys (1509-1575) in their upcoming sale of the collection of Mr & Mrs John H Gutfreund. It will be offered for sale on 26th January 2021 and carries an estimate of $120k - $180k.
The painting doesn't seem to have been known to Max J. Friedländer, who compiled the most authoritative catalogues of early Netherlandish paintings during the 1970s. Christie's catalogue note explains that other versions are known, yet the quality of this particular work suggests that it is the primary autograph version on which the others were based.
The work also bears the artist's signature and date (albeit slightly scrubbed):
Bernini & Son up for Auction
January 9 2021
Video: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
It's not often that you get the chance to purchase an Bernini. Let alone a piece of sculpture by the hand of two Berninis! But it seems that these unprecedented times are bringing all sorts of treasures to the marketplace. Sotheby's New York have made the above video to accompany the sale of an early marble sculpture of Autumn by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and his father Pietro. The work will be sold later this month with an estimate of $8m - $12m.
Christie's Halt Archive Enquiries
January 8 2021
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A reader has been in touch, alongside a post made by @MulraineArt on Twitter in December, that the Christie's Archives is no longer responding to requests from researchers.
The Christie's Archives has provided an incredibly valuable service to researchers over the years. The service was particularly useful when it came to identifying old stencil marks on the back of paintings (pictured). In hindsight, it is rather remarkable that they provided this service free of charge for so long. But, it seems that the virus crisis has finally put an end to that.
To provide a short example of my own experience, I had emailed the department in May 2020 and received an auto-reply explaining that staff had been furloughed. A few days later I then received a message that staff were working remotely from home without access to materials.
A reader who had emailed the department in December was told that the member of staff who used to deal with archive enquiries has now left the company. The Department has been closed to outside enquiries since 2nd November 2020.
One wonders whether a subscription or pay-as-you-go system might help the problem of funding resources, if it is indeed money that is the issue.
Update - Christie's have supplied the following comment:
As a courtesy Christie’s has previously supplied complimentary archival information for the purposes of research. However, with regret, the archives team has had to be reduced and can now only serve the needs of our own specialist teams.
Masks are Everywhere These Days
January 6 2021
Picture: Dreweatts
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
"Well you don't see that everyday" - I thought to myself when I was scrolling through upcoming lots at auction last night. How many nineteenth century portraits feature such ridiculous masks?
In fact, these two original portraits Attributed to John Graham Gilbert had masks painted onto them as recently as up to five years ago. They are included in the upcoming Aynhoe Park Sale held by the auction house Dreweatts, an eccentric collection amassed by the entrepreneur and collector James Perkins. The catalogue notes show that Perkins's Studio had these masks added after they had been purchased at Christie's in 2015. I wonder what Archibald Buchanan of Auchentorlie and Mary Lyon would have made of these alterations to their painted likenesses.
Perhaps the collector was following Banksy for inspiration, who famously defaced an eighteenth century portrait by Thomas Beach in The Rude Lord (sold by Sotheby's in 2007). Subsequently, my art historian friend James Innes-Mulraine managed to uncover the identity of this previously unknown sitter in a blog of his.
I wonder if the added masks will be kept by whoever buys the portrait at the sale. One hopes these additions are reversible.
Do Television Dramas Increase Prices at Auction?
January 4 2021
Picture: Tatler
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Telegraph and other news sources have posted articles in the past few days concerning the alleged effect of Netflix's series The Crown on increasing the price of works by Winston Churchill at auction. It has been suggested that his sympathetic portrayal in the show has perhaps helped to bolster the price of his works.
Sotheby's Senior Director of Modern & Post War Art Simon Hucker is quoted as saying:
What The Crown does is bring these figures from British political history very much to life – and makes them very human. John Lithgow portrayed Churchill as this warm and genial old man, guiding the young Queen as best he can, whilst his own health fades and perhaps it is this side of Churchill that people see in his paintings.
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Personally, I think this is just a bit of click-bait marketing spiel. Television series surely have some effect placing certain individuals in the spotlight, but it must be near impossible to judge its effect on sales results. The case of Churchill is particularly difficult. He is a figure who has always been in the spotlight in this part of the world at least. If anything, there has been a noticeable growing trend by certain groups seeking to revise his legacy in a less positive light.
Yet, it's seemed to me that Churchill's prices at auction had already been growing rather steadily over the past decade or so. In fact, Bendor penned this post for AHN back in 2011 on this very trend.
But if I'm wrong about this, let's have more drama series on old master painters, I'd say!
Van Dyck Drawing at Sotheby's
January 4 2021
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The highlight of Sotheby's upcoming Old Master Drawings sale in New York is this rather fine Study of an Old Bearded Man by the young Anthony Van Dyck.
The work is a preparatory drawing for his painting of Christ Healing the Paralytic, a version of which is currently on display in the Royal Collection's Queen's Gallery. Quite hard to imagine that Van Dyck was barely twenty years old when he completed it.
The estimate of $2.5m - $3.5m seems rather punchy. With that money you could buy several of this monumental Van Dyck portrait that failed to sell in Sotheby's London December sale. One supposes that they're comparing it with the Rubens drawing that was sold from private collection of Netherland's Monarchy in 2019. That particular example, which estimated at the same price, eventually made $8.2m (inc. commission). The stylistic similarities are very evident. Will the unfinished face make any difference to its appeal?
Sotheby's NY Evening Sale
December 29 2020
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's have uploaded their upcoming NY Old Master Paintings Evening Sale online. The sale will take place on 28th January 2021.
Alongside the aforementioned $80m Botticelli Portrait and $20m-30m Rembrandt are some other rather fine pictures that are worth pointing out. Firstly, a rare Descent from the cross by Hugo van der Goes carrying an estimate of $3m - $5m; an Ecce Homo by Guido Reni carrying an estimate of £1.2 - £1.8m; a marvellous still life by Willem Claesz Heda carrying an estimate of $2.5m - $3.5m; a beautifully preserved still life by Rachel Ruysch estimated at $1m - $1.5m; and two fine Wright of Derby works including a double portrait of Mr and Mrs Chase estimated at $300k - $500k and a Cottage on Fire estimated at $100k - $150k.
Also included is this rather interesting upgraded portrait of the Earl of Strafford by Sir Anthony Van Dyck estimated at $700k - $1m. It had sold at Christie's in 2012 for £15,000 (inc. commission) where it was catalogued as by a 'Follower of Van Dyck'. They have supplied some interesting infra-red images which shows the pentimenti in the positioning of the figure.
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One imagines that this sale will really draw a great deal of attention. How high will the Botticelli go for, and will the uncertainty of the current global events have any effect on prices? We'll wait and see.
Sleepy Sleeper Alert!
December 22 2020
Picture: Wannenes
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Here's a drawing that swept through social media yesterday (via. @auctionradar / @jansixxi and others). The drawing on parchment catalogued as 'Follower of Cornelis Visscher' made €160,000 (hammer) over its €800 - €1,200 estimate at the auction house Wannenes in Italy.
Christie's Results
December 15 2020
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
This evening's Old Master Paintings Evening Sale at Christie's London managed to achieve £22,816,750 (inc. commission) with 86.37% of lots sold. Three lots were withdrawn before the sale, including the highly estimated £3m - £5m Bernardino Luini.
The lots that did sell sold rather well. Here are a few of the highlights. By far the top lot was Domenico Ghirlandaio Salvator Mundi, which made £2,180,500 (inc. commission) over its £300k - £500k estimate. This lot really was always going to do well, and one waits to see if the new owner will have the very yellowed varnish carefully removed. It's also rather fortunate that the pre-war provenance that this blog highlighted didn't get in the way of it coming to sale.
The large De Heem still life was hammered down at £4.8m over its £4m - £6m estimate. A Rachel Ruysch floral still life made £412,500 (inc. commission) over its £100k - £150k estimate. A portrait of a Lady by Bartolome Gonzalez y Serrano made £237,500 (inc. commission) over its £50k - £80k estimate. Finally, the finely painted Frans van Mieris Drummer Boy made £1,450,000 (hammer price) over its £800k - £1.2m estimate. Two very nice pictures by John Constable also managed to break their top estimates after commission is factored in.
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It seems that Christie's managed to achieve no less than double the value of paintings sold by Sotheby's last week. Overall, it seems that Christie's may have had the more commercially attractive paintings this time.
This will all be forgot when the bumper January sales come up. How much exactly will the Sotheby's Botticelli and Rembrandt achieve? I'm sure the amounts will make headlines around the world as soon as they are sold.
Dorotheum Sleeper!
December 15 2020
Picture: Dorotheum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Imagine the shock of the staff at the Dorotheum auction house in Vienna today, after this painting catalogued as 'Follower of Govaert Flinck' made €320,500 (inc. commission) over its €8k - €12k estimate.
I remember trying to zoom into the faded signature on their website last week and wondering whether it was much better than the work of a follower. I do recommend zooming right into the details of the face and beard, which seem to be rather finely painted to me!
Sotheby's vs. Christie's
December 15 2020
Picture: prnewswire.co.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Artmarket.com, via. prsnewswire.co.uk, have presented an interesting report on the comparison between Sotheby's and Christie's as of this year. According to their graphs it shows that Sotheby's has opened up a large lead against their rivals in 2020. Albeit, this year was quite an unusual one for both companies as the graph also shows.
The article quotes Thierry Ehrmann, President and Founder of Artmarket.com, who says:
The global supremacy of Sotheby's and Christie's on the international art market should not make us forget that the two houses only handle 6% of the fine art lots offered at auction. The two houses have however acquired a virtual monopoly on results above $20 million in the West. Their rivalry is historic and has been reflected in the closely correlated development of their respective revenues over the past 30 years.
Sleeper Alert!
December 14 2020
Picture: Burstow & Hewett Auctioneers
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Reader Luke Bodalbhai has been in touch regarding the above painting of a Man with a Bugle, catalogued as '18th Century' which realised £52,000 over its £200-£300 estimate last Friday at Burstow & Hewett. It has been tentatively suggested that the painting may by northern European and in fact date to the seventeenth century.
Sotheby's Results
December 10 2020
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Tonight's Sotheby's December Old Master Paintings Evening Sale realised £10,634,700 (inc. commission) in total. 85.2% of lots sold, excluding four lots that were withdrawn from the sale.
Most of the top lots hammered down around their low estimates, including the Teniers that was hammered down at £3m over its £3m - £5m estimate. Their superb Ruisdael also hammered down at its low estimate of £800,000.
Lots that did particularly well include Hans Eworth's striking portrait of Joan Thornbury which made £983,000 (inc. commission) over its £400k - £600k estimate; a Frans Francken mythological scene made £277,200 (inc. commission) over its £60k - £80k estimate; a Jan Brueghel the Younger flower piece made £252,000 (inc. commission) over its 80k - 120k estimate; and a sturdy Jupiter by Heinrich Friedrich Fuger made £163,800 (inc. commission) over its £40k - £60k estimate.
It's quite clear that Sotheby's New York Old Masters sale will be the one to watch in January (!). Let's hope someone swoops in to save the Countess of Carnarvon with a post-sale offer.
Scrubbed or Unfinished (?)
December 8 2020
Picture: Bernaerts Auctions
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Here's a detail of a sixteenth century painting that was posted by @AuctionRadar on his Twitter account. The anonymous group portrait sold for €7,000 over its €1,500 estimate at Bernaerts Auction in Antwerp today.
You'll notice that the condition of this picture is rather mystifying. Was it simply that the painting was left unfinished and in a sketchy state? Or was it scrubbed down by some overzealous conservator at some point in the last few centuries? There are some loose brush strokes evident to suggest the former, but others to suggest the latter.
Or was it for some other reason? I thought this might be a fun opportunity to share one of my favourite anecdotes about Sir Joshua Reynolds who was obsessed with the techniques and materials of earlier masters. His quest for greater understanding took him to some rather dark places at times. James Northcote, his pupil, later wrote this about him:
In his [Reynolds's] investigations also into the secrets used by the old masters, he was indefatigable. I remember once, in particular, a fine Parmegiano, that I bought by his order at a sale, which he rubbed and scoured down to the very panel on which it had been painted, so that at last nothing remained of the picture.
I've wondered if he learnt anything from this destructive experience?
Sotheby's Old Masters sent to Dubai
December 8 2020
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Thenationalnews.com has published an interesting story that Sotheby's will be sending their top-ticket Old Master Paintings to Dubai for one day. On the 16th December 2020 interested parties will be able to see the $80m Botticelli and the $20-30m Rembrandt that are coming up in their New York sales. The paintings will be on display in the auction house's premises in the DIFC area of the city (pictured).
After having been told how much it costs to send such works to such temporary exhibitions, it is quite amazing to consider the extravagance of such a short trip! I suppose the ongoing COVID crisis has played its part, but it also highlights how important these new markets are for these significant old masters.
Sleeper Alert!
December 4 2020
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The above painting of Saint Paul catalogued as 'Studio of Rubens' made €201,600 over its €20k - €30k estimate yesterday at Sotheby's Paris.
The cataloguing gives a very interesting account of the thought process behind the attribution. The matter is complicated further by the fact that the original central panel had been added to in the past, which was the fate of many head studies by Rubens and Van Dyck. Despite its rejection by the current Rubens authorities, I personally find it a very compelling image indeed.
Georges de La Tour at Lempertz
December 3 2020
Video: Lempertz
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The German auction house Lempertz has released the following video highlighting a work by Georges de La Tour in an upcoming sale. A Girl Blowing on a Brazier will be featured in their Bischoff Collection sale on 8th December 2020 and will carry an estimate of €3m - €4m. Works by de La Tour rarely come onto the market, so we'll see how much this painting fetches! It's quite astounding that this painting last made £17,850 when it last came up for sale at Christie's in 1975.
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As a side note, and speaking as someone who is particularly sensitive to music, I wonder why on earth they picked Handel's Zadok the Priest to accompany this mysterious chiaroscuro scene? Considering how much wonderfully haunting and beautiful seventeenth century music there is out there, I find this very eighteenth century piece rather jarring.
Update - The painting made €3,600,000 (hammer price).
