Old Masters Evening Sale
Sale Overview
Encompassing six Centuries of European Art, the Old Masters Evening Sale presents a rich array of paintings, as well as sculpture and works on paper, covering a multitude of subjects and mediums. The sale is particularly strong in works by Netherlandish artists of the Golden Age, led by a monumental pronkstilleven by Jan Davidsz. de Heem, which constitutes one of the finest still lifes to come onto the market this generation.
Other notable works from this period include a rare and immaculately-preserved cabinet picture of cattle by Paulus Potter, arguably the finest painting by the artist still in private hands; and an exquisitely-executed work on copper of a Drummer Boy by Frans van Mieris, which can be considered one of the most important child genre scenes painted in Holland during the second half of the seventeenth century.
The Italian school is represented by a beautifully-preserved panel of the Nativity by the Milanese artist Bernardino Luini, who was strongly influenced by Leonardo; and two exceptional panoramic view paintings of Venice and Messina by Vanvitelli, the pioneering painter of Italian vedute. The sale includes an early and hitherto unpublished still life of a rabbit by the great French master of the genre, Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, and finishes with some wonderful en plein air sketches in watercolour and oil by Turner, Constable and Corot.
Tune into Christie's LIVE™ from 6pm on 15 December for the Old Masters Evening Sale, the headline event of our Classic Week series at Christie’s London. Visit this sale page to watch the live-streamed event.
Holiday Shipping Notice: It will not be possible to ship property to arrive prior to Christmas. Shipping deadlines, including UK road freight will have passed by the time of this auction.
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