Drawings & Pastels
Drawing is a type of graphic art created with lines and areas of tone applied to paper usually with pencil, charcoal and coloured pencil, but a wash may also be applied.
They frequently serve as preparatory studies for other works, but are also considered works of art in their own right. A practitioner of drawing is known as a draughtsman.
Pastels are created using a stick made of pure pigment and a binder.
A key part of the general art market, both are also specialist collecting areas in their own right.
![Visage by Henri Matisse](/media/13222/visage-by-henri-matisse-2288amweb-19-04-17.jpg?rxy=0.46283783783783783,0.33733333333333332&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131462556260000000)
Seven key lots sold during Drawings Week in Paris
19 April 2017The recent Drawings Week event in Paris featured a slew of dedicated auctions across the French capital. They ranged from single-owner dedicated auctions of drawings by Edgar Degas and Antoine-Jean Gros to a huge variety of other works on paper spanning the Italian Renaissance to the 20th century.
![img_32-2.jpg](/media/13067/img_32-2.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131369907560000000)
A view from the Degas family on his works at auction
18 April 2017Marielle Barde, Edgar Degas’ great-niece, was one of the heirs and vendors of the Degas studio drawings and attended Christie’s Paris sale. This was the second such dispersal the family had held in these rooms of artworks from her famous great-uncle following a house move some decades ago.
![img_31-5.jpg](/media/13064/img_31-5.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131369904540000000)
Degas in Christie's and Sotheby's Paris auctions
18 April 2017While Degas’ youthful drawings produced some notable individual prices in Drawings Week, it is the classic charcoal and pastel drawings of Parisian dancers and workers from his mature years that are the most commercially popular (the current work on paper record is the premium-inclusive $37m/ £23.35m/€29m paid for Danseuse au repos of 1879 at Sotheby’s New York in 2008).
![img_30-1.jpg](/media/13059/img_30-1.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131369898390000000)
Paris sales double up Degas and Gros
18 April 2017Among the raft of dedicated works on paper auctions staged for the recent Drawings Week in Paris were two market-fresh sales devoted to family collections of works by a single French artist.
![Famous Old Bag](/media/12750/bag-2288ar-07-04-17.jpg?rxy=0.63102725366876311,0.41964285714285715&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131462556230000000)
“Old bag” Margaret Thatcher drawing among leading lots at Sotheby’s Gerald Scarfe auction
07 April 2017A political cartoon showing the face of Margaret Thatcher emerging from the side of her handbag was one of the top lots at the Sotheby’s London auction of Gerald Scarfe’s drawings this week.
![img_28-3.jpg](/media/12608/img_28-3.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131357818800000000)
Beardsley shows his devilish side at auction
05 April 2017It may have been under 2in (5cm) high, but a tiny ink drawing by Aubrey Beardsley sold for a sizeable $10,000 (£8000) in a sale of Illustration Art held by Swann (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) in New York on March 21.
![Edgar Degas study of the Borghese Gladiator](/media/12250/edgar-degas-gladiateur-borghese-2286nedi-24-03-17.jpg?rxy=0.7441016333938294,0.17001545595054096&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131462556170000000)
Bidding contest over gladiator sketch as Edgar Degas’ youthful drawing brings strong interest in Paris auction
24 March 2017Among the many auctions devoted to Old Master, classic and modern works on paper that have been taking place during Paris’ drawings week was Christie's small, single owner auction of drawings from the studio of Edgar Degas.
![Salon du Dessin](/media/11594/2285nedi-salon-dessin-outside_1.jpg?rxy=0.52346570397111913,0.71480144404332135&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131462556160000000)
Salon du Dessin draws the art crowd in Paris
22 March 2017It was back to the drawing board in Paris this week, or rather the drawings fair. The vernissage of the Salon du Dessin, the city's longstanding and well respected drawings fair, opened for its 26th edition on March 21.
![Furio Rinaldi of Christie's](/media/9279/furio-rinaldi-christies-2276nedi-19-01-16.jpg?rxy=0.41166666666666668,0.25476190476190474&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131462555870000000)
Christie’s appoints Old Master drawing specialist in New York
19 January 2017Christie’s have appointed Furio Rinaldi as associate specialist in the Old Master Drawings department in New York.
![Andrea del Sarto drawing](/media/9045/andrea-del-sarto-drawing-2273ne-20-12-16.jpg?rxy=0.66,0.443717277486911&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131462557880000000)
Andrea del Sarto drawing chalks up €3.2m at auction in France
20 December 2016A rediscovered chalk portrait by Andrea d’Angiolo, called Andrea del Sarto (1486-1530), has set an record for any Old Master drawing sold at auction in France.
![Leonardo](/media/8992/recto.jpg?rxy=0.46010638297872342,0.33865248226950356&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131462557860000000)
Leonardo drawing estimated at €15m to appear at French auction next year
13 December 2016A newly-discovered drawing that has been attributed to Leonardo da Vinci will be offered by Paris auctioneers Tajan next year, estimated at €15m (£9.62m).
![William Rothenstein portrait](/media/8911/moritz-rothenstein-2269ne-02-12-16.jpg?rxy=0.42666666666666669,0.34326018808777431&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131462557810000000)
On offer in Oxford – William Rothenstein’s portraits of the Arts & Crafts home
02 December 2016An archive of family drawings by Sir William Rothenstein (1872-1945) forms part of Mallams’ December 8 sale in Oxford.
![Stijn Alsteens of Christie's](/media/8512/stijn-alsteens-christies-2266nedi-27-10-16.jpg?rxy=0.59856630824372759,0.34333333333333332&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131462557620000000)
Ex-Metropolitan Museum curator joins Christie’s as head of Old Master drawings
27 October 2016Christie’s have appointed the former Metropolitan Museum curator Stijn Alsteens as international head of the Old Master drawings department.
![Agostino Ciampelli drawing from Brian Sewell collection](/media/8028/christies-brian-sewell-auction-ciampelli-2256nedi-24-08-16.jpg?rxy=0.49514563106796117,0.28666666666666668&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131462557410000000)
New attributions for Brian Sewell’s Old Master drawings at Christie’s
24 August 2016A series of Old Master drawings from the collection of Brian Sewell have had their attributions upgraded in advance of the auction of the late art critic’s collection in London next month. They include two long-unattributed works that have now been ascribed to named 16th century Italian artists.
![Augustus John drawing of Jacob Epstein](/media/7524/augustus-john-drawing-2247ne03a-23-06-16.jpg?rxy=0.49367088607594939,0.42666666666666669&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131462557170000000)
Augustus John drawing of Jacob Epstein sells for £80,000 at Nottingham auction
23 June 2016A rediscovered Augustus John (1878-1961) pencil drawing of his friend Jacob Epstein sold for £80,000 at Mellors & Kirk in Nottingham.
![Paolo Veronese drawing](/media/7146/veronese-the-triumph-of-venice-2236ne05a-31-03-16.jpg?rxy=0.52173913043478259,0.37333333333333335&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131462556950000000)
Veronese drawing blocked from export after £15m sale
31 March 2016An important drawing by Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) that changed hands in a major private sale has been temporarily stopped from leaving the UK.
Shining a light on rare sketches
23 February 2016Sotheby’s London will be showing hundreds of previously unseen jewellery drawings in a one-off exhibition from February 18-March 8, sourced from a privately owned collection of jewellery and silver.
![Works on Paper Fairs](/media/6989/16-02-12-works-on-paper-fair01.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131462556870000000)
2016 Works on Paper Fair at the Royal Geographical Society
12 February 2016Six images from this year's Works on Paper Fair at the Royal Geographical Society. Held at the venue Exhibition Road for the first time, the event runs from February 11-14.
![15-06-15-2196NE04A Gainsborough drawing.jpg](/media/1206/15-06-15-2196ne04a-gainsborough-drawing.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131462558070000000)
Gainsborough sketch surfaces in Ruislip
15 June 2015Auctioneers Bainbridges of Ruislip are selling a chalk and gouache drawing attributed to Thomas Gainsborough.
![14-12-19-2172NE06A Winnie the Pooh sothebys.jpg](/media/1692/14-12-19-2172ne06a-winnie-the-pooh-sothebys.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=131462558550000000)
Poohsticks becomes leading children’s picture
19 December 2014One of the best-loved of all of E.H. Shepard’s illustrations to the famous A.A. Milne books has set a saleroom record after selling for £260,000.
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