Previous Posts: February 2025
$80m Saunders Collection coming up at Sotheby's New York
February 28 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The New York Times has broken news of an $80m collection of Old Masters which Sotheby's New York will be auctioning off in May 2025. The collection formed by Thomas A. Saunders III, a former chairman of the influential conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation, includes works by Francesco Guardi, Jan Davidsz. de Heem (pictured), Luis Meléndez, Sir Thomas Lawrence, Adriaen Coorte, Gerrit Dou and Salomon van Ruysdael. The group of 60 paintings were acquired between 1998 - 2000 to decorate his and his wife's New York apartment.
Some of the highlights from the upcoming sale are currently on view at Sotheby's London in New Bond Street, in case any readers might want to go and take a look.
Update - Here's more information, plus lots of images of the works included, from the Sotheby's website.
Portland Art Museum clean their Monet
February 28 2025
Picture: Portland Art Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
More exciting conservation news (it must be the season for it, I suppose!) that the Portland Museum of Art have conserved their Waterlilies (1914-15) by Claude Monet. As you can see, the return of those fresh colours (which appeared incredibly dull before) makes absolutely all the difference.
The freshly cleaned painting will be a part of a new display at the museum, focusing on the conservation project, which opens tomorrow (1st March) and runs until 10th August 2025.
William III Portrait back on display at Hampton Court
February 28 2025
Picture: Royal Collection Trust
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Hampton Court (spotted via. @AaronManning) that a portrait of William III with a Black Page has been redisplayed in the King's Apartments there. Having spent several decades in storage, the painting is now accompanied by some new interpretation investigating Slavery and the House of Orange. The portrait is currently catalogued as 'Attributed to French School, 17th Century', in case anyone might want to have a go at improving on this attribution (as it happens I can't, alas).
Changes to UK Tax Rules to Affect London Market?
February 28 2025
Picture: artnews.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Artnews.com have published an interesting article on the possible effects of upcoming Labour government changes to the UK Tax rules on the art market in Britain. Essentially, how will the possible abolition of the current non-doms status, amongst other efforts, affect the attractiveness of London as a centre for the wealthy to buy art. There are lots of dealers and members of the trade quoted within and is certainly worth a read.
Prado Conserve Velázquez's Queen Elisabeth of France
February 28 2025
Picture: Prado
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Exciting news from Spain that the Prado Museum have conserved Diego Velázquez's Equestrian Portrait of Queen Elisabeth of France. Painted in 1635, the work was part of a set of equestrian portraits which were all given rather unsightly vertical canvas extensions during their early lives. The cleaning of the painting was undertaken by the conservator María Álvarez Garcillán. Click here for a very beautiful high-res image which you can zoom into till your heart's content.
Tintoretto lent to Museo del Greco
February 27 2025
Video: rtvd
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Museo del Greco in Toledo has been lent a Portrait of a Senator by Jacopo Tintoretto for a special (yet small) display of the artist's work. The painting, in the collection of the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum, will join two others exploring the artist's influence in Venice and further afield.
Did Rubens Paint This? 'AI' Says No (ctd.)
February 27 2025
Picture: The National Gallery, London
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I've been quoted in today's Telegraph speaking out against claims about to be made in an as-yet-to-be-published book regarding the authenticity of The National Gallery's Samson and Delilah by Peter Paul Rubens (here's The Guardian's article on the subject from yesterday's papers). Regular readers may remember this story from back in 2021 when 'AI' had deemed with 91.78% accuracy that it was not by his hand. Intriguingly, the visual comparisons made in The Guardian's article (linked above) compares the NG's painting to works produced either decades apart or on entirely different scales (details which matter, as it happens).
Waddesdon Discover Painted Frame on Trompe L'Oeil
February 27 2025
Picture: @WMCurators
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Curators of Waddesdon Manor have shared rather interesting news on 'X' that a painted frame was uncovered by conservators working on a late 18th century French Trompe L'Oeil in their collection. This painted illusion had apparently been covered by a real wooden frame (some people, eh?) which has now been removed and is on display in the manor's Blue Dressing Room. Click on the link to see better images.
Mantegna Reframed at Castello Sforzesco
February 27 2025
Picture: finestresullarte.info
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Andrea Mantegna's Trivulzio Altarpiece, one of the prized possessions of the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, has been reframed and redisplayed. The carved and gilded historic setting, which dates to the late 19th century, had been removed from the painting after the war in favour of a more sober configuration. The project to regroup and restore the frame had begun back in 2023 and was undertaken by Luca Quartana Restauri.
Fra Angelico's Deposition of Christ Restored
February 26 2025
Picture: ansa.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that Fra Angelico's Deposition of Christ, one of the masterpieces of the Museo di San Marco in Florence, has been conserved. The project, which lasted approximately 2 years, was undertaken by Lucia Biondi (paintings conservator) and Roberto Buda (panel conservator).
Louvre acquire Drolling Portrait
February 26 2025
Picture: Adam Williams Fine Art via. fabparis.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from France (spotted via. @alexandrelafore on Instagram) that the Louvre has acquired Michel-Martin Drolling's Portrait of Caroline Macheron, née Hayard. The work was acquired through the New York dealers Adam Williams Fine Art and was recently exhibited at the FAB fair in Paris.
Buy a Renoir on Instagram
February 26 2025
Picture: @christiesinc via. Instagram
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
This blog has pointed out the interesting and innovative ways that auction houses are placing increasing emphasis on private sales (thus at times 'becoming' art dealers). I was intrigued that Christie's recently used their Instagram account (which has no less than 1.2 million followers) to promote this rather fine Renoir that is available for sale (ie. buy it now) via. their private sales page. 'Price on Request', of course.
DIY La Tour Kits on Amazon
February 26 2025
Picture: Amazon.co.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I was rather bemused to see (spotted via. @neiljeffares on 'X') that Amazon are selling some rather curious DIY painting kits at the moment. These 'paint by numbers' on canvas boxes will allow you to make copies of some rather interesting portraits by Maurice Quentin De La Tour, for example, and cost a mere £17 to purchase.
Here are some of my favourite lines from the instructions supplied:
This DIY Oil Painting provide great painting process for kids who are over 6 years old and adults, even if the beginners. Can not eat, put far away from children.
IT SHOULD BE PAINTED BY YOURSELF. [...]
The Canvas:
It is made of high quality pure cotton, and was treated by a special process.
The Paint:
This paint is propylene dye and green nontoxic but not edible.
Paint can be directly colored, no need to add water.
Paint coverage is strong, if made error during painting process, cover it with the correct color. [...]
Due to the painting reason, there maybe some discrepancy of the colors between the reference picture and the products.
It really is that easy.
I would be grateful to know if any readers of this blog ever give one of these a go. I'll be most happy to share your reviews here in full!
Upcoming Release: Clara Peeters
February 26 2025
Picture: Getty Publications
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Getty Publications will be releasing a new monograph on Clara Peeters next month. The new volume has been penned by Alejandro Vergara-Sharp who is the senior curator of Flemish and Northern European paintings at the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.
According to the blurb:
In this monograph, author Alejandro Vergara-Sharp discusses what is known of Peeters’s biography while presenting the historical and cultural context behind her art, style, and techniques. Clara Peeters establishes the artist as a leader in her field by examining Peeters’s artistry and the material culture reflected in her paintings. This timely volume sheds light on the limitations that Peeters encountered because of her gender, and how she responded to them in her art, while assessing her importance as a painter of still life.
UK PM Removing Historic Portraits (ctd.)
February 26 2025
Picture: artcollection.dcms.gov.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Following on from news last year that the UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer had exclaimed 'I don't like it [portraits]. I like landscapes', there have been further stories in the press recently that historic portraits of the Duke of Wellington (x 3), Oliver Cromwell (x 5), King Charles I and Sir Winston Churchill have been removed from display in several Government buildings.
Upcoming: The Experience of Nature - Art in Prague at the Court of Rudolf II
February 26 2025
Picture: Louvre Press Department
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Louvre in Paris will be opening a new exhibition next month entitled The Experience of Nature: Art in Prague at the Court of Rudolf II.
According to their website:
Organised in partnership with Prague’s National Gallery, this exhibition comprises around a hundred works (objets d’art, sculptures, paintings, prints and drawings, scientific instruments, manuscripts, etc.), most of which were commissioned or purchased by Rudolf II for his Kunstkammer. The majority of the works come from Prague collections and the Louvre, but there are also items from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Kupferstichkabinett in Berlin, and the Bibliothèque de l'Observatoire in Paris.
In the art world, the Prague court is still associated with a paroxysm of late Mannerism with its sophisticated allegories, whimsical colouring and doctrines of artificial elegance. Its historical counterpart might be the figure of Rudolf himself: an aesthete and a neurasthenic emperor.
This exhibition aims to shed light on another, lesser-known facet of the art produced at Rudolf II's court. Alongside this ‘mannerist’ influence, there was a second ‘naturalist’ current: this included artists who depicted nature, whether they focused on capturing landscapes like Roelandt Savery, Peter Stevens and Paulus van Vianen, or on representing flowers and animals on parchment, as Hans Hoffmann, Daniel Fröschl and Joris Hoefnagel did, or on panels, as Savery did.
The show will run from 19th March until 30th June 2025.
Global Baroque Conference at University of York
February 26 2025
Picture: University of York
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The University of York are hosting a free (registration required) conference in July on the subject of The Global Baroque: European Material Culture between Conquest, Trade and Mission, 1600-1750.
Here's the blurb from their website:
The period of Western art history known as “the Baroque” has traditionally been interpreted as a stylistic phenomenon. However, artistic production in Europe circa 1600–1750 was enabled by a proto-industrial world system dominated by Spain and Portugal, the Netherlands and later Britain. As a result, material culture became entangled in networks of trade, colonial rule and Catholic global mission stretching from Naples to Nagasaki.
This conference will broaden perspectives on the Baroque, embracing its transcontinental and multi-media character. By culturally decentring Europe and with materiality a special focus, the programme will recast the continent as a constituent part of an expanding artistic world driven by war, the exploitation of ecosystems and the first information technology revolution. Bringing together scholars and museum curators from the UK and internationally, the conference will demonstrate how objects can offer intimate insights into global histories often characterised by vast, impersonal economic forces.
Click on the link to find out more.
The Worlds of Watteau at Château de Chantilly
February 22 2025
Picture: Château de Chantilly
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Château de Chantilly will be opening their latest exhibition The Worlds of Watteau in a few weeks' time.
According to their website:
s mysterious as he is celebrated, Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) is a rare artist. The Condé Museum has the second-largest collection of his works in France after the Louvre – four paintings and six drawings – and this nucleus serves as the starting point for a new exhibition at the Château de Chantilly. Also featuring several loans, it offers a never-before-seen glimpse into the artist’s most important and iconic works, revealing the intimate secrets and studio practices behind his masterpieces. [...]
To present Watteau’s work in its best light, the Condé Museum has restored many of its masterpieces, which will be presented alongside loans of paintings and drawings to shed light on the artist at the height of his career. Leading experts on Watteau have also collaborated on the show, resulting in new discoveries and research. The exhibition explores the sources of Watteau’s inspiration, revealing how he crafted his compositions and the effects he aimed to create, to offer a unique glimpse into the origins of some of the most mysterious paintings ever produced.
The show will run from 8th March until 15th June 2025.
New Release: Beyond Ophelia: The True Legacy of Elizabeth Eleanor Rossetti
February 21 2025
Picture: Unicorn
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A new book on the artist and muse Elizabeth Eleanor Rossetti (more widely called Elizabeth Siddal) was published this week. The new volume is penned by Glenda Youde of the University of York.
According to the blurb:
Better known as ‘Lizzie Siddal’, the model who posed for John Everett Millais’s painting Ophelia, Elizabeth Eleanor Rossetti is now finally recognised as a Pre-Raphaelite artist in her own right, working alongside her male colleagues on equal terms. Elizabeth’s designs were truly original, the creation of her own imagination. They embodied the essence of Pre-Raphaelitism that her husband Gabriel and other members of the circle were striving to achieve. The male members of the group shamelessly copied the ideas from Elizabeth’s small sketches to create their own large masterpieces which have since become the epitome of Pre-Raphaelite art. The exclusion of women from the narrative has had a major impact in creating the perception of the Pre-Raphaelites as a predominantly male artistic movement; in Beyond Ophelia Dr Glenda Youde shows Elizabeth not as a pathetic drowning figure, but as the initiator of a directional change in the visual development of Pre-Raphaelite art. Featuring a unique collection of photographs of Elizabeth’s work commissioned by her husband after her death, this book highlights the critical importance of her role within the Pre-Raphaelite circle, and one which ultimately led to the evolution of the Aesthetic Movement.
The Art of the Popes at the Castel Sant'Angelo
February 21 2025
Video: Il Sole 24 ORE
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome is set to open a new display of 38 paintings on 6th March 2025 dedicated to The Art of the Popes. The display will feature many works on loan from institutions across Italy, including pictures by Andrea Del Sarto, Federico Barroci, Perugino, Annibale Carracci, Pietro da Cortona, by Cavalier d'Arpino, Pompeo Batoni, Sassoferrato, Anton Raphael Mengs and Battistello Caracciolo.
