Category: Auctions
Jacob Jordaens Self Portrait and others coming up in July
May 31 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
This is the time of year Old Master addicts like me start to hang around auction house landing pages waiting for glimpes of what is to come in the upcoming London July sales. Amongst the interesting previewed lots at Christie's is this Self Portrait by Jacob Jordaens, which will carry an estimate of £300,000 - £500,000. The entry for the picture on the RKD suggests it was last on the market in the 1960s and has been on permanent loan to Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel in recent years.
The Sotheby's London landing page shows that they will be offering a signed and dated David and Goliath by Artemisia Gentileschi, presumably the one unveiled by conservator Simon Gillespie in 2020, alongside mentions of works by Clara Peeters (featuring a presumed self portrait), Dirck van Baburen, David de Haen, Vilhelm Hammershøi and Ivan Aivazovsky.
More news as and when it appears.
Christie's Paris Online Sale
May 27 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's Paris have published their upcoming Maîtres Anciens : Peintures - Sculptures, Online sale. Bidding for this online auction opens today and ends on 12th June 2025.
Sotheby's Paris Online Sale
May 27 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's Paris have published their upcoming Tableaux 1400–1900 Online. Bidding for this online sale will close on 6th June 2025.
Luxembourg Musée d'Histoire et d'Art acquire Shepherd Boy
May 27 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
La Tribune de l'art have shared news that the Luxembourg Musée d'Histoire et d'Art acquired the following painting of a Shepherd Boy at the Sotheby's New York sale earlier in February. Catalogued as Netherlandish School, 17th century, where it made $60,000 (inc. commission) over its $20k - $30k estimate, the article explains that the museum's director Ruud Priem has suggested a new attribution to Hendrick Bloemaert.
$78.8m in New York and a John Vanderbank in Wolverhampton
May 23 2025
Picture: Wolverhampton Art Gallery via. ArtUK
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
This was quite a week for the sale of Old Master Paintings. Totting up the recent four big sales in New York shows that $78.86m of art was sold during the past five days. Although less than forecasts had projected, this is still a rather colossal amount for a period which is usually considered 'mid-season' (not to mention the breaking of several artist records also). With lots of exciting announcements made for the July season in London, and surely many more to come, will 2025 be a record year for our small corner of the art world?
In less significant news, I've had the pleasure to spend quite a bit of time in the early-eighteenth century recently (for reasons I'll explain another time). One of the accidental 'finds' on my journey has been this beautifully painted head study by John Vanderbank (1694-1739). The Wolverhampton Art Gallery, where the picture has been since 1887, had catalogued it as by 'an unknown artist'. Vanderbank's vigorous brushwork, which he may have picked up whilst studying at Kneller's academy, is very distinctive along with the rather pointy face pattern he uses. It's quite possible this is a preliminary study for the full-length portrait of James, 2nd Duke of Hamilton, dated 1732, which was sold from Hamilton Palace in 1919 (2). An example, perhaps, that some artists really couldn't rise to the challenge of scaling up sometimes.
Wishing readers of AHN a very good weekend ahead.
Sotheby's Paris Sale
May 23 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's Paris have uploaded their upcoming Tableaux 1400–1900 sale online. The auction will take place on 11th June 2025.
Catherine Lusurier Soars
May 23 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
One of the highlights of the Private Collection - No Reserve sale at Christie's New York last week was this Portrait of a Young Artist by Catherine Lusurier which realised $478,800 over its $60k - $80k estimate.
To quote the catalouge note in full:
Very little is known about Catherine Lusurier, who lived to be just 28 years old. She was the niece of Hubert Drouais (1699-1767), under whom she was apprenticed until his death. In his workshop she likely would have worked closely with Drouais’ son, Francois-Hubert Drouais (1727-1775), a leading portraitist of the time. The Drouais's stylistic influences are clearly seen in the present painting as well as her other works, primarily depicting portraits of children and artists. Although only a few signed paintings by Lusurier have survived – most notably the Portrait of Jean-Germain Drouais, the son of Francois-Hubert, now in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (fig. 1.; inv. no. 6406) – scholars such as Helen Ashmore have used these to reconstruct her small corpus of works (see H. Ashmore, 'Catherine Lusurier (1752-81): A woman painter in eighteenth-century Paris', Apollo, May 2001, pp. 34-40).
Update - A reader has been in touch with the following interesting observation:
I think your readers might be interested to see -- notable for the shifts in the market and desire for women artists -- for that re: the high-priced Lusurier that it actually fits what have always been considered works by Nicolas Bernard Lépicié. Compare to this, for example.
Tipu Sultan Picture makes £2.1m
May 22 2025
Picture: Bonhams
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The market for Indian scenes by western artists seems stronger than ever at present. The aforementioned picture by Henry Singleton, an artist who never went to India yet painted the capture of Tipu Sultan's sons after the capitulation of Seringapatam in 1799, realised £2,105,400 (including commission) over its £200k - £300k estimate at Bonhams today.
New York Sales
May 22 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The recent Old Masters sales in New York yielded $4,206,748 for Sotheby's and $6,887,412 at Christie's.*
Standouts from the Christie's sale included a fragment of Galatea by Artemisia Gentileschi (pictured) which realised $428,400 over its $50k - $60k estimate, a very curious Agasse of Androcles and the Lion which reached $567,000 $100k - $150k estimate and a Lorenzo Veneziano gold ground which achieved $352,800 over its $80k - $120k estimate.
Highlights from the Sotheby's sale included a playful Francisca Rodero y Gregory composition which realised $215,900 over its $20k - $30k estimate, a nice early Titian copy which realised $104,140 over its $20k - $30k estimate and a Jan Olis interior with still life that made $107,950 over its $40k - $60k estimate.
* - This doesn't take into account yesterday's Saunders Collection sale.
Chardin Melon ends up in Kimbell Art Museum
May 21 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News has broken this evening that Chardin's Le Melon entamé, which sold for €26.73m (including fees) at Christie's Paris last June - although the winning bidder failed to pay, has been acquired post-sale by the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. It transpires that they had been the underbidder and are apparently thrilled to have had a second chance to acquire it.
According to the article linked above:
In an interview with ARTnews, museum director Eric Lee called the painting and Basket of Wild Strawberries the “two most important Chardin still lifes that were still in private hands.”
“In my opinion, The Cut Melon is absolutely as wonderful as [Basket of Wild Strawberries]. I just could not be more thrilled to be able to acquire it,” Lee said. “I was so sad when we lost the painting at auction and when this came back around it was almot like a miracle. The painting is so right for the collection. It looks like it’s always been here and it seems impossible to think of the Kimbell without this painting.”
Saunders Collection Results
May 21 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Sotheby's New York Elegance & Wonder: Masterpieces from the Collection of Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III auction totalled $64,663,350 (including commission) this afternoon with a sell-through rate of 60.98% / 58.14% if withdrawn lots are included.
The best performing lots where the De Heem (pictured), Luis Meléndez, Sassoferrato, Frans Post and beautifully executed and preserved Frans Hals pair. Lots which didn't find bidders included the Lawrence portrait, the Bosschaert the Elder Still Life, a Pierre Subleyras portrait, and a pair of Guardis.
More coverage of the various owners sales from Christie's and Sotheby's tomorrow.
Update - Here's coverage of the sale from The Art Newspaper and ArtNet.
£3m - £5m De Heem coming up at Christie's London
May 19 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's London have shared news of another highlight of their upcoming Old Masters Evening sale in July. The following still life by Jan Davidsz. de Heem, signed and dated 1649, will be offered carrying an estimate of £3m - £5m.
According to the press release:
The painting reprises themes from an extraordinary group of four large-scale paintings that de Heem executed earlier in the decade, but with greater refinement of execution, perhaps in part due to its more manageable scale. Two of these paintings are today at the Louvre (inv. no. 1321) and Musée des Beaux-Arts, Brussels (inv. no. K 1878/5). A third is in a private collection, and the fourth was sold for a world auction record at Christie's in London on 15 December 2020. Much like the present painting, the variety of textures and sheer number of expensive foods and objects the artist managed to compose within a relatively tight pictorial space offers the viewer an example of virtually everything de Heem was capable of and perhaps served as a calling card to display the range of his abilities.
Versailles pre-empt Anne of Austria and Louis XIV Portrait
May 19 2025
Picture: Osenat
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from France that the Palace of Versailles have pre-empted Charles and Henri Beaubrun's Portrait of Anne of Austria and the Dauphin Louis, future Louis XIV (spotted via @mweilc). The picture sold for €494,000 over its €150k - €200k estimate at Osenat last week.
Artemisia Cleopatra Soars
May 19 2025
Picture: Pandolfini
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The following Cleopatra by Artemisia Gentileschi soared past its €130k - €150k estimate at Pandolfini in Italy last week to make €480,000 (hammer) (spotted via @auctionradar). The catalogue note draws great attention to the different known compositions relating to this work.
Sleeper Alert!
May 19 2025
Picture: Lyon & Turnbull
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The following Holy Family catalogued as '16TH CENTURY BOLOGNESE SCHOOL' soared to £60,200 (inc. commission) over its £3k - £5k estimate and Lyon & Turnbull last week.
Christie's Paris Sale
May 16 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's Paris have just uploaded their Maîtres Anciens : Peintures - Sculptures online. The auction will take place on 11th June 2025.
Christie's New York May Sales
May 10 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's New York have uploaded their upcoming Old Masters and 19th Century Paintings and Old Masters and 19th Century Paintings from a Private Collection - Selling Without Reserve sales online. The auctions will take place on 20th and 21st May 2025 respectively.
Sotheby's New York May Sale
May 9 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's New York have uploaded their upcoming Master Paintings & Sculpture sale online. The live auction will take place on 22nd May 2025.
Er... what are those doing there? (ctd)
May 2 2025
Picture: Kunstauktionshaus Schloss Ahlden GmbH
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Following on from the strange encounter with some wind turbines last year, it appears that more defaced 19th century paintings by Eike Heinrich Redel (born 1951) are coming up for sale in Germany. This particular example entitled 'Ich habe eine große Meise', which translates to 'I have a big tit' (the bird kind), carries an estimate of 1,400 - 2,800 EUR.
Henry Singleton's 'The Surrender of the two sons of Tipu Sultan' coming up at Bonhams
May 2 2025
Picture: Bonhams
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
One of the highlights of the upcoming Islamic & Indian Art sale at Bonhams in London is Henry Singleton's The Surrender of the two sons of Tipu Sultan. The work, which is rather famous due to it portraying an important event captured by an artist who as it happens never went to India, has been consigned by a descendant of Major General Sir David Baird who is actually depicted in the scene. The work will be offered on 22nd May 2025 carrying an estimate of £200,000 - £300,000.
