Fine Art

Copies of royal portraits from across the centuries are something that always seems to catch the eye when you flick through (or scroll through) the reams of pictures listed in auction catalogues.

From mid-June Brussels will be a hive of activity on the art and antiques front with plenty on offer to interest residents and draw visitors to the city.

Arguably the most famous portraits of an English king are Hans Holbein the Younger’s (c.1497-1543) depictions of Henry VIII.

Perhaps the most famous 21st century image of Queen Elizabeth II is the photographic portrait taken by Canadian artist Chris Levine (b.1960) showing the monarch with her eyes closed.

“It is quite pathetic to see the Prince and Freda. His love is so obvious and undisguisable.”

Joseph Edgar Boehm (1834-9) was commissioned to make a statue to mark the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887.

A 12-picture series titled The Modern Rake’s Progress is at the heart of a new exhibition from British picture dealer Andrew Sim of Sim Fine Art.

One of only a small number of drawings by Michelangelo still remaining in private hands sold for €20m (£16.9m) at Christie’s Paris last week.

Man Ray’s 'Le Violon d’Ingres' has set a new record for a photograph, selling for $10.5m (£8m) at Christie’s in New York.

London dealer in historic instruments also amassed paintings on a musical theme

Underlining the recovery of the post-covid art market, at the very top-end at least, the latest series of 20th and 21st century auctions in New York posted a record total for a flagship auction fortnight.

Among recent sales with a lyrical element was Mallams’ (25% buyer’s premium) Art & Music auction on April 6 in Oxford.

Large firms have found it far easier to continue moving goods in the face of Brexit regulations.

Christie’s flagship sales of Modern and Contemporary art in New York produced a running total of $1.25bn (£1.02m) including premium from four evening auctions last week.

A late version of the Penitent Magdalen by Titian (c.1485- 1576) that surfaced at Austrian saleroom Dorotheum has sold for €4.1m (£3.5m).

Negotiating the sometimes complex world of prints by the 17th century Dutch Master

Try original advertising artwork if you want to capture the atmosphere of an era.