Christie’s New York will hold its Old Master Paintings and Drawings auctions on Jan. 25 and 26, followed by a new specialized sale: The Art of France. Dedicated to 18th century French paintings, it includes a selection of works by Jean-Honoré Fragonard.
The sales combined, comprising 216 works, are expected to achieve in excess of $60 million.
Among the offerings are paintings that are new to the market, surfacing out of long-held private collections. This presents a great opportunity not only for collectors, but also for art lovers in New York to catch a glimpse of these masterpieces before they are likely sold back into private collections.
The Old Master sales are led by “The Virgin Nursing the Christ Child,” a graceful painting by Hans Memling, one of two works by the 15th century artist that remain privately owned; and “The Arrival of Henri III at the Villa Contarini” (circa 1744–45), an oil sketch by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.
Also giving strength to the sale are works by Peter Paul Rubens, Frans Hals, Thomas de Keyser, Gerrit Dou, and Giuseppe Arcimboldo, which, according to Christie’s, are “coming to light again after generations, or having been recently authoritatively re-attributed.”
“Demand for top-quality Old Master works continues to rise,” said Nicholas Hall, joint international head of Old Master and Early British paintings in a release.
“Christie’s is proud to meet that demand with this unusually strong selection of paintings and drawings, almost all of which are fresh to the market.”
Leading the French sale is a beautiful Fragonard work (1732–1806, Paris): “The Good Mother,” estimated at $5 million to $7 million.
