Important Old Masters at Christie's NY: April 15 Christie’s New York annual Important Old Master Paintings sale is set to take place on April 15 and features a broad selection of French, German, English, Dutch and Italian masterworks.
both served the function of court
portraiture in sixteenth-century Germany and appeals to the modern viewer. This astounding ability
to speak to two vastly different worlds is nothing short of a testament to Cranach’s genius.
Gainsborough Landscape
A wooded landscape with a herdsman, cows and sheep near a pool, circa 1786 by Thomas Gainsborough, is one of
the most beautiful Gainsborough landscapes to come
on the market in recent years (estimate: $3,000,000-
5,000,000). Last sold at Christie’s New York in
January 1999 for $2,092,500, the painting set a new
world auction record at that time. With the current
record for Gainsborough standing at $3,892,132, this
magnificent landscape demonstrating all the finest
qualities of Gainsborough’s late romantic style has the
potential to set a new market record for one of the
greatest English landscape artists.
A Pair of Venetian Views by Michele
Marieschi
Following on from the successful $11
million sale of The Grand Canal at the
Church of San Stae, Venice by Bernardo
Bellotto in last year’s April Important Old
Master Paintings sale in New York,
Christie’s is delighted to offer an
excellent pair of 18th century Venetian
views by Michele Marieschi (estimate:
$3,000,000-5,000,000). Painted by the
artist at the high point of his production
of such views, these exceptional paintings have never surfaced on the market or been publicly
exhibited. This has no doubt contributed to their excellent state of preservation.
A Recently-Rediscovered Nicolas Poussin
A notable addition in the sale is a newly
rediscovered painting by Nicolas Poussin, Jupiter
and Antiope (estimate: $300,000-500,000). Virtually
unknown, it has been all but unseen for more than
a century, recently sheltering under an attribution
to the ‘Heytesbury Master’ with which Sir Anthony
Blunt christened it in 1983. It is soon to be
published by Timothy Standring, a Poussin scholar
and it is a happy coincidence that its discovery
coincides with the current exhibition Poussin and
Nature at the Metropolitan Museum. Although a generation of scholars led by Sir Anthony Blunt
did not believe such pictures to be by Poussin, current leading academics believe that shortly after
his arrival in Rome, destitute and looking for immediate sales, Poussin painted a series of erotic
pictures loosely based on Titian prototypes to sell on the open market, of which this work is one. It
represents Poussin at his most seductive and openly carnal.
Auction: Important Old Master Paintings, Christie’s New York April 15, 2008
Viewing: Christie’s, 20 Rockefeller Plaza April 10-14
About Christie’s
Christie’s is highest total in company and in art auction history. Christie’s is a name and place that speaks of
extraordinary art, unparalleled service and expertise, as well as international glamour. Founded in 1766 by
James Christie, Christie's conducted the greatest auctions of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, and today
remains a popular showcase for the unique and the beautiful. Christie’s offers over 600 sales annually in over
80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectibles, wine, and
more. Prices range from $200 to over
