Old Masters

While the identity of the main artist was up for debate, the impressive ownership of a work sold in Austria was not in doubt

On May 8, Neumeister (30% buyer’s premium) in Munich sold the collection of Hans Constantin Faussner, a Bavarian lawyer and art collector.

A monumental painting of a fish market soared to unexpected heights at the May 16 auction at Lempertz (26% buyer’s premium) in Cologne.

On May 28 in Bruges, Carlo Bonte (28% buyer’s premium) offered The Hermit, Brother Luce, an oil study attributed to the French late Baroque painter Pierre Hubert Subleyras (1699-1749).

The summer exhibition running at Sotheby’s this year focuses on works by artists who were born overseas but passed through or settled in the UK permanently.

Exhibition showcases work of Neapolitan Baroque artist who was famed for the speed of his production

Recently found in Italy, a previously unrecorded portrait of Benjamin Franklin sold at Freeman’s Hindman (27/21/15% buyer's premium) in Philadelphia for $30,000 (£24,000).

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

“It was no surprise that a single-owner sale of noble provenance and with royal connections was such a success”, said Thomas Jenner-Fust.

Stand-out lots from upcoming sales including Chardin still-life, Napoleonic marshal's baton and fine art collection acquired over decades

A round-up of art and antiques news from the previous seven days, including news of George Stubbs' 'Mares and Foals' being offered at auction with a £7m-10m estimate.

Current collecting taste means that Old Master paintings exploring the darker side of the human character can often find more admirers than more typical subject matter of Georgian gentleman or European landscapes. Works of the grotesque are particularly popular.

Venetian painter sometimes used studio assistants