Old Masters

After receiving a photograph of this 17th century Dutch genre painting, Lille auctioneer Hugues Watine contacted Old Master specialist Cabinet Turquin.

Coinciding with the latest Old Master auction series in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, announced the acquisition of Artemisia Gentileschi’s Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy.

A preparatory drawing for a famous painting of Napoleon Bonaparte that is in the Palace of Versailles is to go under the hammer.

High selling rates, prices beating estimates and decent auction totals suggest the market is in a good place

One of the highlights of a sale of Old Master works held by Tajan (26/21/14% buyer’s premium) was a pastel self-portrait by the 18th century French portrait painter Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (1749-1803).

The sale of big-ticket lots by artists such as Rembrandt, Canaletto and Michelangelo boosted the overall total at the latest Old Master auction series in New York to a record high.

An Italian Old Master drawing of a left leg strode to a hammer price of $45,000 (£33,515) on January 8 at Eldred’s (28% buyer’s premium) in East Dennis, Massachusetts.

Greek mythology provided François Boucher with an endless source of inspiration. One tale he returned to on several occasions was that of Ariadne and Bacchus.

The huge changes that Florentine art underwent in the 15th century are illustrated by two pictures in Robilant + Voena’s latest exhibition in London: an altarpiece by Neri di Bicci (1419-91) and a Madonna and Child by his pupil Francesco Botticini (1446-97).

A round-up of art and antiques news from the previous seven days, including the TEFAF restoration fund awarding €50,000 to the Old Master picture gallery in Dresden, Germany.

Swedish artists are especially prominent in show staged by first-time exhibitor at Master Drawings

This year marks both the 50th anniversary of the opening of Galerie G Sarti and only a few months since the death of its founder.

A portrait of John Roper, 1st Baron Teynham (d.1618), has been united with his descendants following our article on the rediscovered picture (ATG No 2720).