Art/Auctions: Old Master Paintings auction, Part I, at Christie's New York, January 29, 2014

Old Master Paintings
Christie's New York

Lot 1-62, 10 A.M., January 29, 2014

Sale 2817

Tiepolo dogs

Large detail of Lot 12, "I Cani Sapienti (The Dancing Dogs)," by Giandomenico Tiepolo, oil on canvas, 13 by 19 inches

By Carter B. Horsley

The Old Master Paintings Part I auction at Christie's New York January 29, 2014 is highlighted by a delightful oil on canvas by Giandomenico Tiepolo (1727-1804) entitled "The Dancing Dogs." It measures 13 by 19 inches and is property formerly in the collection of Cecile Lehman Mayer of Tarrytown, New York and previously Maurice de Rothschild of Paris. It has been widely exhibited and published. The young Giandomenico "trained under his father Giambattista and traveled with him to assist on vast decorative commissions at Wurzbeurg and Madrid," the catalogue noted, adding that some of his works "are barely distinguishable from Giambattista's." Cecile Lehman Mayer, née Cecile Seligman,...in 1912 married Harold Lehman. Harold's grandfather, Mayer Lehman, was one of the founders of the financial firm of Lehman Brothers. The lot has an estimate of $2,000,000 to $3000,000. It sold for $3,637,000.

The sale total was $15,825,750 with 43 of 60 offered lots, 72 percent, selling.

Lot 29, "Portrait of a gentleman, half-length, in a cloak and bejeweled hat," by Ferdinand Bol, oil on canvas, 34 3/4 by 30 3/4 inches

Lot 29 is a very fine "Portrait of a gentleman" by Ferdinand Bol (1610-1680), a pupil of Rembrandt. An oil on canvas, it measures 34 3/4 by 30 3/4 inches. It was once with Sir Francis Cook at Doughty House in Richmond, Surrey. It was restituted to the heirs of Benjamin and Nathan Katz in 2012. The catalogue entry notes that "this striking picture is a rare, early masterpiece by Rembrandt's gifted and accomplished pupil."It has an estimate of $1,500,000 to $2,500,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 1, "Rembrandt's Mother," by Circle of Rembrandt, oil on panel, 9 3/8 by 7 1/4 inches

Lot 1 is an excellent, small, oval portrait of "Rembrandt's Mother," by Circle of Rembrandt, 1606-1669, oil on panel, 9 3/8 by 7 1/4 inches. The catalogue entry states that this is "among the few surviving versions of a composition lost by Rembrandt, "probably executed circa 1630/1, just before the artist's painting at Windsor Castle showing the same model. It has an estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. It sold for $203,000.

Lot 27, "The pressing invitation to drink,"by Gerard Ter Borch, oil on panel, 10 3/4 by 8 7/8 inches

Another very charming work in the auction is Lot 27, "The pressing invitation to drink," by Gerard Ter Borch (1617-1681). An oil on panel, it measures 10 3/4 by 8 7/8 inches. "The couple locks eyes, their broad smiles and her embrace of his extended arm erasing any doubt abut the flirtatious nature of the scuffle," the catalogue entry remarked. The work exists in multiple copies. It has an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 3, "A village kermesse with a church, a mountainous landsscape beyond," by Lucas van Valckenborch, oil on panel, 11 5/8 by 16 inches

Lot 3 is an excelllent "Village kermesse with a church, a mountainous landscape beyond," by Lucas van Valckenborch (circa 1535-1597). An oil on panel, it measures 11 5/8 by 16 inches. The catalogue entry depicts this scene as "buoyant" and notes that "the artistic giant associated with kermesse subjects in Flanders is Valckenborch's predecessor Peter Brueugel I..., whose iconic imagery persisted for decades after his death in the work of his son Pieter Bruehghel II. The lot has an estimate of $300,000 to $500,000. It sold for $425,000.

Lot 36, "Self-Portrait as a Lute Player," by Artemisia Gentileschi, oil on canvas, 30 1/2 by 28 1/4 inches

Lot 36 is a self-portrait as a lute player by Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1654). An oil on canvas, it measures 30 1/2 by 28 1/4 inches. The cover illustration for the auction catalogue, the painting was possibly painted for Grand Duke Cosimo III de'Medici and has been loan to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts from 2002 to 2013. it has been widely published and exhibited. It has an estimate of $3,000,000 to $5,000,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 14, a group of six carved ivorys and walnut figures of beggars by Simon Troger, foreground, and Lot 46, "The Dashwood Children,"by Sir Williuam Beechey, oil on canvas, 71 3/4 by 72 inches, background

Lot 14 is a charming group of six carved ivory and walnut figures of beggars by SimonTroger (1683-1768). The carver's main patron, Bavarian Kurfurst Maximilirn III gave his figures as diplomatic gifts and there are "significant" Troger groups in the Green Vaults in Dresden, the Romanov collections at the Hermitage and the Danish royal collections at Rosenborg Palace in Copenhagen. The lot has an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. It sold for $197,000.

Even more charming and much more beautiful is Lot 46, "The Dashwood Children," an oil on canvas by Sir William Beechey (1753-1839). It is property of the Toledo Museum of Art and measures 71 3/4 by 72 inches. It hung in the dining room at Kirtlington Park in Oxfordshire, which, according to the catalogue, was "widely regarded as one of the most beautiful Rococco rooms in England" and was subsequently installed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (without the painting). It has a very modest estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. It sold for $821,000.

Lot 47, "The Rest on the Flight into Egypt," by Luca Giordano, oil on canvas, 69 7/8 by 112 3/8 inches

Lot 47 is a very impressive, large oil on canvas by Luca Giordano (1634-1705). Entitled "The Rest on the Flight into Egypt," it measures 69 7/8 by 112 3/8 inches. It is property of the Toledo Museum of Art. It has a modest estiamte of $300,000 to $500,000. It failed to sell.