The US has gotten its share of Renaissance preeminence, as Michelangelo and Leonardo, and the Venetian trinity have both made rare appearances stateside over the past twelve months.
Following the debut of  rare Leonardo drawings at the Birmingham Museum of Art last winter, the rare and controversial discovery of what many believe to be Michelangelo’s first [...]

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 [...]

A few articles leading up to this weeks Old Master sales at Sotheby’s and Christie’s. Will the market’s softening extend itself to the market, or will history repeat itself? From Margaret Studer’s article below:
“In the last major art-market slowdown, in the early 1990s, old masters were “affected, but less,” says Alex Bell, world-wide head [...]

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 [...]

Love is in the air..
“Art and Love in Renaissance Italy,” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, through February 16th  [Metropolitan Museum of Art] [Art Daily]
Further reading:
‘Art and Love in Renaissance Italy’- Eternal Objects of Desire [Roberta Smith, NY Times]
“Eros” at the  Richard Feigen Gallery, NYC through January 9th [ART INFO] [RLFeigen.com]
Love seems to [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

 
Proceeds from the sales of this Degas pastel and "Suprematist Composition" by Kasimir Malevich are two surefire bets that Sotheby’s will be counting on to keep them afloat this fall.
As an economic recession looms larger, the future prosperity of the art market remains very much of a concern. OMNP continues its earlier coverage with further [...]

While the Hirst auction ended up being a defiant cash cow for Sotheby’s, channeling the artist’s aesthetics  through works like the Warhol print above couldn’t save the auction house from disappointing results from last week’s Contemporary sales.
Is a bleak one (at least for the short term).
As the maelstrom of turmoil affecting the international economy continues [...]

Antique Wedding , perfect as the centerpiece for a giant reception hall.
A few OMNP picks from  Doyle’s sale of Old Master paintings on Wednesday, October 22nd. Doyle’s sale focuses on affordable lots, priced under $10,000. Lots like 2003, offer statement making pieces (the painting’s measurements are about 7 x 9 feet) for modest prices.
Click on [...]

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 [...]

Yes, it’s a copy, but it’s a great work nevertheless.
The steady flood of October auctions continues, as OMNP previews Dorotheum’s sale of a quality group of Old Master paintings on Tuesday the 14th. Most of these paintings listed  run at a premium, priced at around €50,000 EUR or higher, however there are some bargains to [...]

OMNP previews selected lots from today’s sale of Old Master prints at Sotheby’s London. Overall estimates from this sale seem to be much higher in terms of the quality of work being offered, in comparison to Christie’s Below is a listing of lots, organized by price range.

Around £5,000 GBP

Lot 2
ALBRECHT DÜRER
THE HOLY FAMILY WITH [...]

Part two of OMNP’s preview of today’s sale of Old Master prints at Christie’s. Read below for a listing of lots being estimated at around $5,000 or more.
$5,000-10,000 USD

Lot 5
Hans Baldung Grien (1484-1545)
Saint Jerome in the Desert (B. 35; Holl. 118)
woodcut, 1511, watermark Gothic P with Imperial Orb in a Shield above (similar [...]

OMNP previews selected lots from today’s sale of Old Master prints at Christie’s London. If one is a fan of either Durer or Rembrandt-a parade of prints, including many iconic images from each artist’s oeuvre (particularly lot 13- Durer’s etching of Adam and Eve) are being offered at this sale. A strong imagefrom the Agostino [...]

A bevy of exquisite prints are up for sale this Tuesday at Bonham’s, New Bond Street, including pieces in the style of Hieronymous Bosch, a slew of Rembrandt’s, and a first edition Caprichios print by Goya. In the case of the latter, it amazes OMNP that such an essential work in the career of one [...]

Throughout late September and October, OMNP will be providing previews and results for the biannual crush of Old Masters auctions, at both the big houses and the lesser known one. We begin with Monday’s sale at Sotheby’s Amsterdam, of “A Distinguished Private Collection from Corsica.”
In OMNP’s opinion, the sales of private estates often produce OM [...]

Here is a last minute preview of some Old Master items of interest, up for sale at Skinner Auctions in Boston.
Apparent bargains can be found with the Fuseli drawing (lot 405, if one can stomach the dreadful scene of Salome with the head of St. John), a beautiful rendering of a Goltzius print [...]

In the age of the blockbuster exhibition, museums pack the crowds with exhibitions that present popular, headlining-grabbing artists. Two recent Old Masters shows demonstrate how this curatorial approach can sometimes produce stimulating results and at other times, head-scratching ones.
Turner to be compared to Masters [BBC]
“Turner and the Masters” [Tate Britian official website]
On the heels [...]