OMNP highlights select lots from today’s sale of Old Master drawings at Sotheby’s New York. Highlights include a preparatory sketch by the famous sculptor Giambologna who rarely worked from drawings,  fantastical beasts of the underworld by Il Volterrano (lot 20) the efficient use of penmark by Tiepolo  in a preparatory drawing for an altarpiece (lot [...]

Reports from the inaugural “Master Paintings Week” collaboration between London’s Old Master dealers and auction houses have been smashing. For many of the private dealers, business was bountiful. The Antiques Trade Gazette described bustling commerce amidst the distraction of an epic men’s final at Wimbledon, and fortified interest from many of the top [...]

747 Dyck, Sir Anthony van (follower, 17th ct.). The Apostel Paulus. Oil/oak.

706 Tamm, Franz Werner von called Monsù Daprait (attr.). A still life of Game in a Landscape. Oil/canvas canvas.

688 Italy, 17th ct. Still Life of Flowers and Fruits. A Fragment. Oil/canvas/panel.

7 Greuze, Jean-Baptiste (attr.). Amor. Oil/oak.

678 Heil, Daniel van. A Conflagration Outside [...]

OMNP previews select lots from Sotheby’s London sale of Old Master paintings on Wednesday, December 3rd. Below, are listings for lot pictures and information, organized in price range from lowest to highest estimates.
For further information, click on each lot image to be redirected to Sotheby’s website..
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LOT 8

THE PROPERTY OF THE TRUSTEES OF FREDERICK, 2ND BARON [...]

Mystery portrait is Lucrezia Borgia, claims gallery [Ellen Connolly, Guardian UK]
A rather scandalous story lies behind this portrait, claimed to be of the illegitimate child of Cardinal Borgia, by the Northern Renaissance master Dosso Dossi
Missing Van Dyck Portrait to go on show at Tate Britain [Art Daily] [Tate Museum]
Lost painting by Italian master fails to [...]

With a little over a month one month to go, the deadline for Britain for preempting the sale of this prized Titian is beginning to loom larger. Even with a recent donation of $15 million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund , less than half of the required funds has been raised to meet the [...]

Unearthed Masterpieces
Old Masters treasures from sunken Russian ship to be salvaged [Russia IC] [Dutch News.nl]
Lets hope that the paintings from this sunken, 237 year-old ship were WELL packaged
Trove of Raeburn drawings discovered in England [ART INFO]
Lost Caravaggio Goes on Display in Scotland [ART INFO]
Click MORE for a remembrance of a distinguished dealer, and the latest [...]

Following up on the previews of Old Master exhibitions in Europe earlier last month, OMNP follows up with comprehensive coverage of some of the major shows, along with a rundown of those recently announced, both in the US and abroad.

Renaissance Faces: Van Eyck to Titian, now on view until January 18, at the UK National [...]

Lot 245, A Concert of Birds: This opulent menagerie portrayed by an anoymous follower of a luminary from the Dutch Golden Age can symbolize the bountiful prosperity of its owner.
OMNP previews selected lots from Sotheby’s London sale of lower priced Old Master and British paintings on Thursday, October 30th. Lack of expertise notwithstanding, many of [...]

A £5.7m bargain
The suspense presiding over the fate of Pieter Paul Ruben’s sketch “Apotheosis of James I”, as covered by OMNP here came to an end this week, as the UK was able to retain what was described as a “unique treasure in the history of British art” for half of its estimated value. Pooling [...]

A gorgeous M+C from the Bellini showcase in Rome.
When it comes to Old Masters paintings, OMNP sometimes finds that living stateside is akin to going to movie theater in the ‘burbs- your’e going to get some of the big releases, but your certainly not going to get all of them. Click MORE to read through [...]

For the Old World, cultural pride is regularly reinvigorated when historic paintings threaten to skip across a country’s borders. In a less restrictive marketplace such as the UK, prices for top-flight Old Masters are at a premium, and owners of works that have come to symbolize the country’s rich artistic heritage have considered cashing in. [...]

As we round out this first month of the site, OMNP would like to ask you, the reader, what you would like to see published. Are there particular artists, OM or contemporary that interest you? Any particular subjects on the market that you would like to see covered, or OM-related questions that you would like [...]

The review for the Turner retrospective at the Met will be posted shortly. And you can now find information and contact pages for OMNP above the NEWS section.
A few news links and topics of interest for the weekend:
Artists Represent Most Powerful Emotion: Love at the National Gallery in London [Art Daily]

The National Gallery [...]

A penury of Old Masters is good (and bad) for sales [Souren Melikian, International Herald Tribune]
Mr. Melikian wraps up last week’s Old Masters sales in London. A slideshow of sales highlights reveals some information that OMNP overlooked. Of note: A big reason that the Van Dyck portrait of a stallion [...]

Masters and Surprises: In London, Old Masters Set To Be Sold” [Jay Akasie, New York Sun]
“At Sotheby’s, exceptional Old Masters offering lead to six records” [Souren Melikian, International Herald Tribune]
“Old Masters Reemerge for London Summer Sales” [Amy Page, ARTINFO]

“Turner, Hals Works Sold in 51.5 Million-Pound Sotheby’s Auction” [Scott Reyburn, Bloomberg]

“Sotheby’s old masters sales fetches [...]

OMNP previews Thursday’s Day and Evening sales of Old Master paintings at Sotheby’s, New Bond Street. Read below for a full breakdown and analysis of selected lots in three different price ranges (High End, Middle End, Low End.)
While it will probably not match the exorbitant price paid for Watteau’s “La Surprise” , OMNP’s choice for [...]