Old Masters

A series of Old Master paintings has come under the spotlight as further details emerge about a potentially major fakes scandal.

Earlier this year, authorities in France seized a painting attributed to Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) which was being exhibited in the Caumont Centre d’Art in Aix-en-Provence.

A rediscovered portrait of the Old Pretender – James Francis Edward Stuart, Prince of Wales – will be sold at Dorotheum in Vienna on October 18.

A series of pictures from the collection of Brian Sewell drew spirited bidding at Christie’s with particular interest coming for his Old Master drawings.

The personal collection of the Frick Collection’s former director has been consigned to Christie’s New York where it is set to lead their Old Masters sale next month.

The Château of Versailles exercised its right of pre-emption to acquire an 18th century painting of its orangerie that was offered at auction.

Dealer and art historian Dr Bendor Grosvenor is fronting a new series called ‘Britain’s Lost Masterpieces’ on BBC Four.

The Tate has acquired its earliest picture by a female artist.

Colnaghi, the venerable London Old Master dealership, will open their new gallery in St James’s next month.

A 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.

The Tate has acquired a major portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) from Castle Howard in North Yorkshire after it was accepted in lieu of inheritance tax.

The Bowes Museum has secured funding at a sum of nearly £2.3m to keep an exit-barred painting attributed to the workshop of Dieric Bouts the Elder in the UK.

The Art Institute of Chicago have purchased a rediscovered work by Sebastiano del Piombo (1485-1547) from London dealers Colnaghi.

‘Lot and his Daughters’ by Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) sold for £40m at Christie’s last night, setting a house record for an Old Master painting.

A rare interior scene by Swiss painter Jean-Etienne Liotard (1702-1789) was the top lot at Sotheby’s Old Masters evening sale last night, selling at £3.8m.

An early 17th century self-portrait by the English court painter William Dobson (1611-46) was knocked down at £920,000 at Bonhams’ Old Masters sale today.

The latest themed auction held by Christie’s was their ‘Defining British Art’ evening sale in London. View ATG’s selection of 10 highlights here.

A series of blue-chip consignments from different sectors of the market helped Christie’s ‘Defining British Art’ evening sale in London last night to a £99.5m total including premium. The auction offered paintings by major names including Joshua Reynolds, John Constable, Stanley Spencer, Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon but it was a Henry Moore sculpture that led proceedings, selling at £22m.

A painting catalogued as from the workshop of Peter Paul Rubens soared past a cautious four-figure estimate to take €1.56m (£1.3m) at a recent Paris auction.

Christie’s have announced that a major landscape by John Constable will be among the works on offer at their Defining British Art sale in London this summer.