Hammer time in c.1810

Back in the early 19th century a lot would have been ‘sold to a bidder in the room’, not phone or online – probably a gentleman wearing a periwig and tricorne hat, as this view demonstrates. Several watercolours by Thomas Rowlandson on offer at Swann galleries in New York on September 20 are led by James Christie’s Auction Rooms, c.1810 (above), a variant of a similar, well-known work held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is estimated at $10,000-15,000 in the 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings auction.