Old Masters

Dealers at Frieze Masters reported a strong start to the London event with a number of six- and seven-figure sales recorded in the fair’s first days.

Winter is putting in an early appearance at Dorotheum in Vienna in the sale of Old Master paintings on October 23 in the shape of a 20in x 2ft 2in (52 x 66cm) oak panel Allegory of Winter, painted by Flemish artist Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573-1647).

In the past, pictures by talented but obscure female artists were given short shrift on the secondary market. Now all that is changing.

A standout portrait entry to Essex saleroom Sworders (23% buyer’s premium) was a 4ft 2in x 3ft 4in (1.26 x 1.01m) oil on canvas portrait attributed to Francis Cotes (1726-70).

A large panel painting by the Flemish artist Frans Francken II (1581-1642) is to appear at Ivoire Troyes’ Auction in France on September 29.

An art dealership that sold a portrait of Napoleon’s brother-in-law to The Frick Collection in New York has strongly criticised Italy’s decision to retrospectively rescind its export licence.

There is a decidedly French flavour to the loan exhibition at this year’s Biennale. Prominently displayed under the central dome of the Grand Palais will be a selection of works from the extensive Napoleonic collection of Pierre-Jean Chalençon.

This Old Master painting, above, of The Adoration of the Magi in the manner of Italian painter Vincenzo Carducci (c.1576-1638) led a recent Dorset sale.

The owner of a rediscovered painting attributed to Giotto has lost a High Court battle over its export from the EU.

Two high-quality works on paper made their presence felt at the top end of the Old Masters market during the latest series in London.

An early Anglo-Dutch portrait of the swashbuckling English sea captain Sir Francis Drake topped Bonhams’ Old Master paintings sale on July 4 in New Bond Street. It sold for £290,000, just below its juicy £300,000-500,000 guide.

MADAM – May I trespass on your letters space? Some time ago, I bought at auction a painting by John Hoppner, RA (Leo Keane of Lancashire writes).