from George I to George III
See also : UK II 18th century painting Turner Music and dance 18th century furniture Cats Horse Sport in art Ancient Germany Oceania Orientalism
Chronology : 18th century 1750-1759 1760-1769 1770-1779 1800-1809 1810-1819
Chronology : 18th century 1750-1759 1760-1769 1770-1779 1800-1809 1810-1819
1755-1760 By Thomas Chippendale himself, and by Robert Adam
2008 SOLD 2.7 M£ including premium
Lovers of English furniture are familiar with Thomas Chippendale. During the reigns of the Georges, his influence was enormous. Although Chippendale style furnitures made at all times are current, the works attributed to the master himself are very rare.
Interior architect and decorator, specialist of cabinet furnitures in the style named English Rococo or Neoclassical, Chippendale had also the idea, very innovative for his time, to produce drawings of his works and to publish them as a book that served him as a catalogue (1754).
On June 18 in London, Christie's presents a unique group of English furniture. The sale which includes no more than twelve lots including five by Chippendale will date in the auction history of English furniture.
The most important piece is a cabinet, named the Kenure Cabinet, estimated £ 2.5 million, with a fine shape but also some details well resembling the style you see in the figure above, and which is directly inspired by the vogue of the eighteenth century to China.
A mahogany bookcase by Chippendale is estimated £ 1.5 million.
Thomas Chippendale cooperated also with the Scottish interior designer Robert Adam. Made by Chippendale on a drawing by Adam, a pair of seats is expected at £ 1.5 million.
Much lower in price (250 K £) let us mention a very striking pair of large armchairs designed by Adam and manufactured by James Lawson resembling the benches used by the ancient Romans for feasts.
POST SALE COMMENT
At this height of prices, making estimates should not be easy. Christie's has shown once again its know-how, since the estimates were closely met.
Only the pair of Chippendale armchairs after Adam is a little beyond what was expected: £ 2.3 million fees included.
The cabinet was sold £ 2.7 million, the bookcase £ 2.05 million, and the armchairs of antique inspiration K £ 265. (all results include fees).
Find the real price range when you read the estimates in a catalogue is a sign of competence that we would like seeing in some other auction houses, especially in continental Europe.
Interior architect and decorator, specialist of cabinet furnitures in the style named English Rococo or Neoclassical, Chippendale had also the idea, very innovative for his time, to produce drawings of his works and to publish them as a book that served him as a catalogue (1754).
On June 18 in London, Christie's presents a unique group of English furniture. The sale which includes no more than twelve lots including five by Chippendale will date in the auction history of English furniture.
The most important piece is a cabinet, named the Kenure Cabinet, estimated £ 2.5 million, with a fine shape but also some details well resembling the style you see in the figure above, and which is directly inspired by the vogue of the eighteenth century to China.
A mahogany bookcase by Chippendale is estimated £ 1.5 million.
Thomas Chippendale cooperated also with the Scottish interior designer Robert Adam. Made by Chippendale on a drawing by Adam, a pair of seats is expected at £ 1.5 million.
Much lower in price (250 K £) let us mention a very striking pair of large armchairs designed by Adam and manufactured by James Lawson resembling the benches used by the ancient Romans for feasts.
POST SALE COMMENT
At this height of prices, making estimates should not be easy. Christie's has shown once again its know-how, since the estimates were closely met.
Only the pair of Chippendale armchairs after Adam is a little beyond what was expected: £ 2.3 million fees included.
The cabinet was sold £ 2.7 million, the bookcase £ 2.05 million, and the armchairs of antique inspiration K £ 265. (all results include fees).
Find the real price range when you read the estimates in a catalogue is a sign of competence that we would like seeing in some other auction houses, especially in continental Europe.
1762 Conversation with Garrick
2011 SOLD 6.8 M£ including premium
Two centuries after Shakespeare, one century after Molière, the dominant figure of the theater was David Garrick. That illustrious actor was also known to manage his own career, and reached in his time a considerable fame and high social rank. He was however not knighted.
In 1754, Garrick bought a luxurious villa on the banks of the Thames in Hampton. He had built by Robert Adam a temple to Shakespeare in neo-Greek style. This building is now a museum dedicated to Garrick.
At that time in England, the fashion in painting is the conversation piece. Influenced by the Dutch genre scenes, this style shows the sponsor of the painting surrounded by family and friends. The faces are clearly identifiable, and attitudes are active and friendly.
Garrick was introduced to all the great English painters of his time. Yet in 1762, he entrusted to a young German artist recently arrived in England the task of executing a pair of conversation pieces in Hampton. After this first success, Johann Zoffany became the best painter in this theme.
This pair of oils on canvas, 100 x 125 cm each, is estimated £ 6M, for sale by Sotheby's in London on December 7.
One of them, showing the afternoon tea on the lawn along the river, is illustrated in the press release shared by AuctionPublicity. The other, showing Mr. and Mrs. Garrick in front of Shakespeare temple, is illustrated in the Wikipedia.
POST SALE COMMENT
This lot apparently atypical was in fact quite representative of the art of its time. The sale could be considered difficult, but it is successful: £ 6.8 million including premium.
In 1754, Garrick bought a luxurious villa on the banks of the Thames in Hampton. He had built by Robert Adam a temple to Shakespeare in neo-Greek style. This building is now a museum dedicated to Garrick.
At that time in England, the fashion in painting is the conversation piece. Influenced by the Dutch genre scenes, this style shows the sponsor of the painting surrounded by family and friends. The faces are clearly identifiable, and attitudes are active and friendly.
Garrick was introduced to all the great English painters of his time. Yet in 1762, he entrusted to a young German artist recently arrived in England the task of executing a pair of conversation pieces in Hampton. After this first success, Johann Zoffany became the best painter in this theme.
This pair of oils on canvas, 100 x 125 cm each, is estimated £ 6M, for sale by Sotheby's in London on December 7.
One of them, showing the afternoon tea on the lawn along the river, is illustrated in the press release shared by AuctionPublicity. The other, showing Mr. and Mrs. Garrick in front of Shakespeare temple, is illustrated in the Wikipedia.
POST SALE COMMENT
This lot apparently atypical was in fact quite representative of the art of its time. The sale could be considered difficult, but it is successful: £ 6.8 million including premium.
1765 Portrait of a Champion by Stubbs
2011 SOLD 22.4 M£ including premium
Serving wealthy English aristocrats, George Stubbs specialized in the topic of race horses. On December 8, 2010, Sotheby's sold £ 10.1 million including premium a very elegant study of mares and foals in a meadow, painted in 1767.
Made around 1765, the oil on canvas for sale by Christie's in London on July 5 is certainly more outstanding. It is estimated £ 20M. This is the portrait of a horse named Gimcrack, who was winning most of the races where he was engaged.
This broad composition, 102 x 196 cm, simple and effective, is divided into two parts, as seen on the audio shared by Christie's. On the left, Gimcrack shows his beautiful profile, surrounded by a coach, a stable boy and a jockey.
A race is held on the horizon, on the right. A horse is far ahead of his three followers. He is also Gimcrack, of course. He is therefore shown twice on that image that had everything to flatter the sponsor of the work, Lord Bolingbroke, owner of the champion.
Stubbs is very accurate in anatomical detail, but still shows horses galloping with their four legs flying above the ground. This feature, which can be excused one century before the studies of Muybridge, applies here only in the background and provides this work with an undeniable poetic dimension.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sold £ 22.4 million including premium, Gimcrack has once again won his race.
Made around 1765, the oil on canvas for sale by Christie's in London on July 5 is certainly more outstanding. It is estimated £ 20M. This is the portrait of a horse named Gimcrack, who was winning most of the races where he was engaged.
This broad composition, 102 x 196 cm, simple and effective, is divided into two parts, as seen on the audio shared by Christie's. On the left, Gimcrack shows his beautiful profile, surrounded by a coach, a stable boy and a jockey.
A race is held on the horizon, on the right. A horse is far ahead of his three followers. He is also Gimcrack, of course. He is therefore shown twice on that image that had everything to flatter the sponsor of the work, Lord Bolingbroke, owner of the champion.
Stubbs is very accurate in anatomical detail, but still shows horses galloping with their four legs flying above the ground. This feature, which can be excused one century before the studies of Muybridge, applies here only in the background and provides this work with an undeniable poetic dimension.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sold £ 22.4 million including premium, Gimcrack has once again won his race.
#GeorgeStubbs was born #OTD in 1724. We sold Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath in 2011 for £22,441,250 #WorldAuctionRecord #artistbirthday pic.twitter.com/B7fCB2eivD
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) August 25, 2017
1767 Horses for English Lords
2010 SOLD 10.1 M£ including premium
Contemporary of Gainsborough, George Stubbs chose horses in landscapes as the main subject of his art. This theme evoked both breeding and sport, and was much pleasing to the English aristocracy.
In 1767 the artist creates the best of his work with the depiction of groups of mares and foals. A large oil on canvas, 100 x 187 cm, is one of his masterpieces. The animals are elegant and finely detailed, far more real than those of De Dreux or Herring in the following century. The image, slightly truncated, is visible in the press release shared by Artdaily.
The painting was kept by the same family of Lords since the origin and had been shown to the public in 2005 in the exhibition Stubbs and the Horse at the National Gallery.
It is now for sale by Sotheby's in London on December 8. For 30 years, no similar lot had been offered at auction, and Sotheby's expects a special price: £ 10M.
POST SALE COMMENT
It was bold to present this painting at such a price level. The challenge is won: £ 10.1 million including premium. Congratulations to Sotheby's.
In 1767 the artist creates the best of his work with the depiction of groups of mares and foals. A large oil on canvas, 100 x 187 cm, is one of his masterpieces. The animals are elegant and finely detailed, far more real than those of De Dreux or Herring in the following century. The image, slightly truncated, is visible in the press release shared by Artdaily.
The painting was kept by the same family of Lords since the origin and had been shown to the public in 2005 in the exhibition Stubbs and the Horse at the National Gallery.
It is now for sale by Sotheby's in London on December 8. For 30 years, no similar lot had been offered at auction, and Sotheby's expects a special price: £ 10M.
POST SALE COMMENT
It was bold to present this painting at such a price level. The challenge is won: £ 10.1 million including premium. Congratulations to Sotheby's.
1769 The School of Derby
2017 SOLD for £ 7.3M including premium
The Midlands are at the heart of the very first industrial revolution. The progress minded meet in Birmingham around Erasmus Darwin, the energetic and flamboyant animator of the Lunar Circle. Technical inventions and scientific discoveries are numerous and basic.
Joseph Wright is known with his pseudonym Wright of Derby. He lives in that town of the East Midlands but knows Darwin very well. This young artist enthusiastic of the new Enlightenment paints scenes of scientific experiments in a chiaroscuro style.
At the same time English artists gather in more or less formal clubs to better sell their art through exhibitions. Wright of Derby is a member of the Society of Artists of Great Britain. Keen to preserve his freedom of style and theme, he refuses to join the secessionists who create the Royal Academy of Arts in 1768.
On December 6 in London, Sotheby's sells An Academy by Lamplight, oil on canvas 127 x 102 cm painted in 1769 by Wright of Derby, lot 11 estimated £ 2.5M.
A group of boys is busy drawing the image of an antique marble placed above them on a piece of furniture or a pedestal. Depending on their age they are more or less captivated by this figure of the famous Borghese Nymph, in a freedom of action that they would definitely not have under the dogmatic teaching of the friends of Reynolds.
This night scene is illuminated by the warm light of a candle out of the field that gives to the marble a hue of flesh. The life size statue takes part in the atmosphere and the fascination that it exerts on one of the oldest boys demonstrates the link between art and life.
Please watch the animation shared by Sotheby's.
Joseph Wright is known with his pseudonym Wright of Derby. He lives in that town of the East Midlands but knows Darwin very well. This young artist enthusiastic of the new Enlightenment paints scenes of scientific experiments in a chiaroscuro style.
At the same time English artists gather in more or less formal clubs to better sell their art through exhibitions. Wright of Derby is a member of the Society of Artists of Great Britain. Keen to preserve his freedom of style and theme, he refuses to join the secessionists who create the Royal Academy of Arts in 1768.
On December 6 in London, Sotheby's sells An Academy by Lamplight, oil on canvas 127 x 102 cm painted in 1769 by Wright of Derby, lot 11 estimated £ 2.5M.
A group of boys is busy drawing the image of an antique marble placed above them on a piece of furniture or a pedestal. Depending on their age they are more or less captivated by this figure of the famous Borghese Nymph, in a freedom of action that they would definitely not have under the dogmatic teaching of the friends of Reynolds.
This night scene is illuminated by the warm light of a candle out of the field that gives to the marble a hue of flesh. The life size statue takes part in the atmosphere and the fascination that it exerts on one of the oldest boys demonstrates the link between art and life.
Please watch the animation shared by Sotheby's.
Under the spotlight: #JosephWrightofDerby's genius shines in ‘An Academy by Lamplight’ #London #SothebysMasters https://t.co/po6qAg1GTA pic.twitter.com/Pxw6phyOHC
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) September 19, 2017
1775 Gainsborough, the Master of the English Portrait
2011 SOLD 6.5 M£ including premium
Chance may sometimes play a part in the auctions. Two portraits by Thomas Gainsborough will meet on July 5 at Christie's in London. The young woman and the colonel are not presented in pendants: these people had no particular reason to be aware of one another, and the artworks come from separate collections.
Each of these oils on canvas is a full-length portrait, standing, life size or so. The Lady sitted circa 1775. The painting measures 226 x 147 cm. The Colonel is typical of the art of the master around 1780. Its format, 227 x 152 cm, is almost identical.
Both models look towards the artist. The masquerade dress of the young woman and the military uniform are illustrated with great realism, like the faces of the sitters.
Estimates give the advantage to the Lady, with £ 4M. Colonel expects £ 3.5 M.
POST SALE COMMENT
Honor to the Lady, sold £ 6.5 million including premium.
In June 2002 at Sotheby's, the Colonel was worth £ 2.4 million hammer. The expected added value was too high. Unsold.
Each of these oils on canvas is a full-length portrait, standing, life size or so. The Lady sitted circa 1775. The painting measures 226 x 147 cm. The Colonel is typical of the art of the master around 1780. Its format, 227 x 152 cm, is almost identical.
Both models look towards the artist. The masquerade dress of the young woman and the military uniform are illustrated with great realism, like the faces of the sitters.
Estimates give the advantage to the Lady, with £ 4M. Colonel expects £ 3.5 M.
POST SALE COMMENT
Honor to the Lady, sold £ 6.5 million including premium.
In June 2002 at Sotheby's, the Colonel was worth £ 2.4 million hammer. The expected added value was too high. Unsold.
1776 Portrait of Omai by Joshua Reynolds
2001 SOLD 10.3 M£ including premium by Sotheby's
Shared by Wikimedia :
1776 Exotic Tygers
2014 SOLD 7.7 M£ including premium
Famous for his paintings of horses with or without riders, George Stubbs was primarily an anatomist in the great period of curiosity of the mid-eighteenth century. He published in 1766 The Anatomy of the Horse, illustrated with drawings.
Images of horses were welcomed by the English aristocracy. Stubbs was a gifted painter. He was the only artist capable of applying the theme of the animal as a specialty of major art.
In London, menageries are in the trend. Visitors dream of the distant lands from where the wild beasts have come. As early as 1762 Stubbs painted a lion attacking a horse. Lions and those other big cats designated at that time under the generic term of tygers soon occupy the top place in his art.
On July 9 in London, Sotheby's sells Tygers at play, oil on canvas 102 x 127 cm estimated £ 4M.
Two leopard kittens play with great vivacity in an imaginary exotic landscape certainly inspired by the passion of the contemporaries for Cook's discoveries. These friendly animals respond positively to the postulate of Rousseau on natural goodness at birth.
This undated painting was exhibited for the first time in 1776. Carefully preserved with discretion for almost two centuries by a British aristocratic family, it remains in a very exciting condition.
POST SALE COMMENT
This great example of animal orientalism was sold for £ 7.7M including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's:
Images of horses were welcomed by the English aristocracy. Stubbs was a gifted painter. He was the only artist capable of applying the theme of the animal as a specialty of major art.
In London, menageries are in the trend. Visitors dream of the distant lands from where the wild beasts have come. As early as 1762 Stubbs painted a lion attacking a horse. Lions and those other big cats designated at that time under the generic term of tygers soon occupy the top place in his art.
On July 9 in London, Sotheby's sells Tygers at play, oil on canvas 102 x 127 cm estimated £ 4M.
Two leopard kittens play with great vivacity in an imaginary exotic landscape certainly inspired by the passion of the contemporaries for Cook's discoveries. These friendly animals respond positively to the postulate of Rousseau on natural goodness at birth.
This undated painting was exhibited for the first time in 1776. Carefully preserved with discretion for almost two centuries by a British aristocratic family, it remains in a very exciting condition.
POST SALE COMMENT
This great example of animal orientalism was sold for £ 7.7M including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's:
1777 Poetry of a Sunset Sky
2010 SOLD 2.4 M£ including premium
John Robert Cozens devoted much of his short career in watercolors and landscapes. Away from the types of his time, he wanted to express emotion and mood rather than topography, and was the most gifted of the immediate predecessors of Turner.
Sotheby's sale on July 14 in London includes a watercolor, 43 x 62 cm, estimated £ 500 K, showing the hill of Castel Gandolfo reflected in the lake of Albano. The work is dominated by a bright sunset sky preparing a storm, while the details of the landscape are barely sketched.
Cozens has twice traveled to Italy, from 1776-1779 and in 1782-1783. Wikipedia publishes the image of our watercolor by dating it circa 1777. Sotheby's, more cautious, is not as accurate.
It is unclear what Cozens made between his second return from Italy and 1794, the year Dr. Monro began to take him over for incurable dementia. Monro hosted a circle of artists whose most famous member was Thomas Girtin, and which had a direct influence on Turner.
POST SALE COMMENT
The market for ancient art is sensitive to the importance of works in the history of art. The price reached by this outstanding watercolor is remarkable: £ 2.4 million including premium.
The image is shared by Wikimedia :
Sotheby's sale on July 14 in London includes a watercolor, 43 x 62 cm, estimated £ 500 K, showing the hill of Castel Gandolfo reflected in the lake of Albano. The work is dominated by a bright sunset sky preparing a storm, while the details of the landscape are barely sketched.
Cozens has twice traveled to Italy, from 1776-1779 and in 1782-1783. Wikipedia publishes the image of our watercolor by dating it circa 1777. Sotheby's, more cautious, is not as accurate.
It is unclear what Cozens made between his second return from Italy and 1794, the year Dr. Monro began to take him over for incurable dementia. Monro hosted a circle of artists whose most famous member was Thomas Girtin, and which had a direct influence on Turner.
POST SALE COMMENT
The market for ancient art is sensitive to the importance of works in the history of art. The price reached by this outstanding watercolor is remarkable: £ 2.4 million including premium.
The image is shared by Wikimedia :
1808 Pope's Villa at Twickenham by Turner
2008 SOLD for £ 5.4M including premium by Sotheby's
The image is shared by Wikimedia :
1814 The Constable Valley
2017 SOLD for £ 1.8M including premium
The nickname Constable Country can legitimately be attributed to that area of the Stour Valley where John Constable spent so many hours for expressing the bucolic harmony of the landscape.
In 1814 the artist's friends are sorry. He works in the studio from oil sketches executed outdoors and the result does not have the finish of a masterpiece. Let him take the example of Claude Lorrain ! Constable then tries a new process by which he begins the outdoor work on the final format.
This intermediate phase lasted until his move to London in 1816 and excited his ambition. From 1819 to 1825 he painted his six-footers in his studio by relying upon his previous works, his memory and his sensitivity.
A scenery of the flooded valley has just been re-attributed to Constable because the high quality of its realization matches his 1814-1816 technique. This oil on canvas 51 x 91 cm is atypical in Constable's art by this illustration of a flood and by its foreground with cattle in Dutch taste.
The attribution to R.R. Reinagle had seemed plausible. This artist was known as a copyist of the Dutch masters and had worked in the Stour valley during the flood of 1799. Nevertheless this was not enough to reject an attribution to Constable.
Until his success with the six footers Constable had essentially a local clientele. The assumption that a patron asked for a specific composition may be accepted. This artwork seems to be the wedding gift commissioned in 1814 to Constable for the daughter of the owner of the meadows in the foreground by her wealthy husband.
This painting is estimated £ 2M for sale by Sotheby's in London on December 6, lot 40. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
In 1814 the artist's friends are sorry. He works in the studio from oil sketches executed outdoors and the result does not have the finish of a masterpiece. Let him take the example of Claude Lorrain ! Constable then tries a new process by which he begins the outdoor work on the final format.
This intermediate phase lasted until his move to London in 1816 and excited his ambition. From 1819 to 1825 he painted his six-footers in his studio by relying upon his previous works, his memory and his sensitivity.
A scenery of the flooded valley has just been re-attributed to Constable because the high quality of its realization matches his 1814-1816 technique. This oil on canvas 51 x 91 cm is atypical in Constable's art by this illustration of a flood and by its foreground with cattle in Dutch taste.
The attribution to R.R. Reinagle had seemed plausible. This artist was known as a copyist of the Dutch masters and had worked in the Stour valley during the flood of 1799. Nevertheless this was not enough to reject an attribution to Constable.
Until his success with the six footers Constable had essentially a local clientele. The assumption that a patron asked for a specific composition may be accepted. This artwork seems to be the wedding gift commissioned in 1814 to Constable for the daughter of the owner of the meadows in the foreground by her wealthy husband.
This painting is estimated £ 2M for sale by Sotheby's in London on December 6, lot 40. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Flood to our #NewYork galleries to see this rediscovered #Constable from our #London Dec. sale https://t.co/ZANXiW3HCO #SothebysMasters pic.twitter.com/5ZokRrpl9k
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) October 26, 2017
1816 Turner inspired by the Greeks
2009 SOLD 13 M$ including premium
In one of my first articles (in French only), I introduced an oil on canvas painted in 1808 by Turner. This work of his youth, 91 x 120 cm, caused by the planned destruction of Pope's villa at Twickenham, was sold £ 5.4 million including expenses by Sotheby's in London on 9 July 2008.
We come again at Sotheby's, this time in New York to find a large oil on canvas by the artist, 117 x 178 cm, for sale on January 29.
It is a temple of Jupiter Panellenius (ie friend of the Greeks). This painting is later (1816), but the composition is similar to that of 1808: an animated green leads to a remote monument, flooded with sunlight, which is the strong point of the image. The characters of the English villa were walkers. Those of the temple, dressed according to antique fashion, play a round dance.
Turner made only three paintings inspired by Greece. We must see the influence of the romantic come back to the antique (that at that time influenced also the cloth fashion) and not a political mood, as the movements that would lead to the independence of Greece were just beginning in 1816.
Considering its great size, this Turner painting is probably one of the most important to be still in private hands. It expects $ 12 million.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sotheby's knows the market for Turner. The result is in line with forecasts: $ 13 million including premium.
We come again at Sotheby's, this time in New York to find a large oil on canvas by the artist, 117 x 178 cm, for sale on January 29.
It is a temple of Jupiter Panellenius (ie friend of the Greeks). This painting is later (1816), but the composition is similar to that of 1808: an animated green leads to a remote monument, flooded with sunlight, which is the strong point of the image. The characters of the English villa were walkers. Those of the temple, dressed according to antique fashion, play a round dance.
Turner made only three paintings inspired by Greece. We must see the influence of the romantic come back to the antique (that at that time influenced also the cloth fashion) and not a political mood, as the movements that would lead to the independence of Greece were just beginning in 1816.
Considering its great size, this Turner painting is probably one of the most important to be still in private hands. It expects $ 12 million.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sotheby's knows the market for Turner. The result is in line with forecasts: $ 13 million including premium.
