Fine Art

Selling the contents of historic estates, especially those in the same family for several generations, will often throw up surprises.

A philosopher of mathematics, the human consciousness and language, Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) was described by his teacher Bertrand Russell as “the most perfect example I have ever known of genius as traditionally conceived”.

An Old Master portrait of an elderly Stuart woman took £13,200 at Mander Auctioneers (17.5% buyer’s premium) in Suffolk on November 18.

For its 'London Art Week Winter' exhibition, The Weiss Gallery pairs historic painting with contemporary accessories and miniatures.

Tom Edwards is director of Abbott and Holder, a picture dealer and conservator established in 1936. The gallery is in London’s Museum Street across from the British Museum, and specialises in British watercolours, drawings, prints and oil paintings.

Plaudits were deserved in Paris on November 27 for Camille Claudel (1864-1943) when Artcurial’s (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) dedicated sale of 20 of the sculptor’s works were offered direct from her family.

During the 1950s a revival in UK printmaking took root. As dedicated print studios were set up, etching, lithography and screenprinting flourished, and in the 1960s, as critics celebrated the ‘rebirth’ of the print, Marlborough Fine Art entered the print publishing market.

A red and black chalk portrait of a Renaissance French prince soared to a multi-estimate price of €810,000 (£736,365) when it went under the hammer in Monaco last month.

The sluggish area of Victorian genre painting provided Brightwells (20% buyer’s premium) with one of its top-sellers at the November 8-9 sale in Leominster.

A collection of paintings on show at contemporary art gallery Daniel Raphael offers a glimpse into the life of a well-known dealer.

A William Nicholson (1872-1949) portrait drew admirers at Thomas R Callan (17.5% buyer’s premium) on November 19 as it was hammered down for £150,000.

The last remnants of Mallett’s stock, including a clutch of 18th century pictures, were offered in a final sale in Berkshire on November 8.

A mix of surprising and more predictable results emerged in the first round of Old Master auctions in Germany and Austria this autumn.

Maidenhead auction house Dawson’s is dipping a toe into the world of design with a dedicated sale on December 2.

Sotheby’s posted a record for the artist CRW Nevinson on November 21 when an important Great War scene was knocked down at £1.55m (£1.87m including premium).