Old Masters

An unframed painting offered at a Norfolk auction was bid to 2000 times its high estimate when bidders detected in it the hand of an Italian Old Master.

A collection of portraits from a descendant of the Hicks Beach family of Witcombe Park will be offered at Chorley’s on September 21-22.

A portrait of a young man once thought to be a self-portrait by the Milanese artist Andrea Solario (1460-1524) attracted keen enquiries ahead of sale.

Among a number of Old Master portraits on offer in Cambridge is a depiction of a gentleman that has been consigned from a private collection in Suffolk.

Sotheby’s (25/20/13.9% buyer’s premium plus 1% overhead premium) latest Old Master evening sale in London was the smallest in terms of the number of lots that anyone could remember at one of these flagship summer events.

Consignments thin on the ground judging by the latest auctions series in London

Arguably the most eyecatching bidding battle at the latest London Old Master series was for a painting of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Essex saleroom Sworders will sell a group of works by Angelica Kauffman (1741- 1807) next month.

Despite the issues of supply affecting the market, odd pockets of success were evident at the latest Old Master sales in London.

London art dealer Danny Katz is loaning a John Constable (1776-1837) painting which he bought at Sotheby’s last year to Brighton’s Royal Pavilion.

The Aguttes (25/23% buyer’s premium) Old Masters auction on June 28 at Drouot was led by a Murillo oil on canvas depicting the Christ child as The Good Shepherd.

A portrait of a boy with a white cravat by Michaelina Wautier (1604- 89) was among the highlight sales at TEFAF Maastricht.

The highlight of Tajan’s (25/20/12%buyer’s premium) Old Masters auction held on June 22 was an impressive large-scale modello created by the Italian artist Francesco Solimena (1657-1747) in preparation for his painting for the ceiling of San Domenico Maggiore, in Naples.

US museum curators and collectors were among the buyers at London Art Week (LAW) this month.

It was rather thin pickings at the latest series of Old Master auctions in London.