Old Masters

It’s wise to keep a lid on estimates for traditional pictures where condition and market freshness is lacking

This 18th century pastel on paper portrait showing a young friar has many hallmarks of the work of the Venetian painter Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757).

Two titled topographical views by a journeyman 18th century Venetian artist excelled at the Old Masters and 19th Century Paintings sale at Wannenes (35% buyer’s premium) in Genoa.

A rare picture painted in India by Arthur William Devis (1762-1822) depicting a group of Bengali weavers was the subject of dramatic competition at Gorringe’s (25% buyer’s premium) spring fine art and antiques sale.

Two portraits of Regency beauties by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) come for sale at Cottone Auctions in Geneso, New York, on March 20. Both come by descent from by the Buffalo industrialist Colonel Charles Clifton (1853-1928) who paid huge sums for them in the early 1920s.

Although the late antiques dealer Maurice ‘Dick’ Turpin (1928-2005) may have been better known for his expertise in furniture and works of art, he also had an eye for a painting.

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

Flavio Gianassi of FG Fine Art specialises in Italian Old Master paintings and is among the dealers standing at the TEFAF Maastricht Showcase this year

It is a good time to be selling works by Thomas Daniell (1749-1840).

Both Sotheby’s and Christie’s offered notable works by French artist Hubert Robert (1733-1808) at the latest Old Master auction series in New York.

Market shows strength only for select works as sourcing high-quality material proves inceasingly difficult

Running for the first time under new ownership Master Drawings New York (MDNY) produced strong results for many of its exhibitors, including London dealer Guy Peppiatt.

A Venetian Old Master painting of St Roch attributed to the circle of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696- 1770) awoke from the slumber of a $600-900 estimate to hammer for $75,000 (£59,000).

A somewhat innocuous-looking lot at Hansons (26% buyer’s premium) proved to be anything but as a number of eagle-eyed bidders spotted a significant discovery contained therein.

The precise and sensitive portraiture of Allan Ramsay (1713-84) earned him widespread acclaim, aided by his prodigious intellect and social flair.