Collecting 101

1.

Introducing Old Master Paintings

Old Masters is a wide-ranging category that encompasses artists and movements in Europe from roughly 1300 to 1800. The expression came in to use in the 1800s with the rise of fine art academies and galleries, who established the idea of ‘high art’ as the historical, ‘Old Master’ painter. The term also helped to distinguish between Victorian Pictures and Old Masters.

Old Master paintings are characterised by technical skill, from bravura brushwork to an understanding of proportion and perspective. The result is a realistic representation of the chosen subject matter. Early Old Master works often focus on religious scenes, such as Lorenzo Veneziano’s The Crucifixion, and mythological figures such as Venus and Cupid, depicted by Lucas Cranach the Elder. As a market developed for paintings of secular subjects, artists such as John Constable turned to landscapes, and the portrait genre grew to include royalty, noblemen and even artists themselves, as seen in William Dobson’s powerful self-portrait.

2.

Subjects & Style

Each European country is known for certain specialisms; here, we’ll introduce a few of the important genres within the Old Masters tradition.
The Italian Renaissance spanned the 15th and 16th centuries and marked the shift from the Middle Ages to modernity. In this era of extraordinary innovation, artists were given license to advance their craft, under the patronage of powerful families such as the Medici. Central Italy produced master draughtsmen: Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael, to name but a few. Their sketches give us an insight into their artistic process, virtuosic skill, and detailed analysis of the human anatomy.

The 17th century is known as the Golden Age of Dutch art and was a prosperous time for the lowland countries in which a variety of genres flourished. The dominant styles of naturalism and realism can be seen in the exquisite genre scenes and still life from this period. Landscape paintings depict the Flemish countryside under an expansive sky, punctuated with dramatic cloud formations from artists such as Jan Wijnants.

In 18th-century Britain, a school of portrait artists emerged out of the shadow of van Dyck, including Thomas Gainsborough, Sir Joshua Reynolds and Allan Ramsay. These painters were commissioned to produce flattering representations of royalty and noblemen. Previously in 2019, Bonhams sold a newly discovered Portrait of Elizabeth I, dating from 1562. This rare, youthful depiction of the monarch inspired fierce bidding and commanded a sale price of £337,563.

3.

Discovering an Old Master Painting

Determining the quality of an Old Master painting can be a challenge. Often, an investigation is needed to determine a painting’s status – is it an original work, a studio work, a work by a follower or simply a later copy? However, it’s this uncertainty that can make Old Masters such an exciting, and potentially rewarding, field.

We’re proud of our role in identifying lost works, most famously Velázquez's Portrait of a Gentleman. Another newly discovered work led our Old Master Paintings sale in December 2020: we attributed David with the Head of Goliath to Jacopo Vignali (1592-1664), regarded as the foremost Florentine painter of the 17th century. According to McKenzie, “the dramatic composition and outstanding quality of the painting represent the height of Vignali’s achievement, and this work now takes its place as one of his masterpieces.”

4.

On the Market

Andrew McKenzie highlights three criteria to help collectors assess a painting’s value. First and foremost is quality: “No Old Master painting will be worth millions if it is not of the first rank in terms of quality.” The works that do achieve six-figure bids are those that showcase the unrivalled technical ability of an important artist.

The condition of a painting has become paramount in recent years. As pictures pass through the market, many get cleaned and over-cleaned, so it’s become rare to find a work that has been well-preserved in its original state. When such a work is found, the demand is extremely high, for example George Stubbs’ A Dark Bay Thoroughbred in a Landscape sold at Bonhams in 2003 for £1,931,650 due to it's exceptional condition -previously no Stubbs of a horse without a rider had made above one million.

Subject matter is another important criterion, but it’s the rare subjects that are the most desirable, those once-in-a-lifetime chances that no collector can afford to let go.

5.

Collecting & Care

It’s better to buy a neglected picture than one that’s suffered too much cleaning or treatment. A good restorer can easily remove superficial dirt and discolouration; undoing the work of previous restorers is much harder. The ideal provenance for an Old Masters painting is one that has not changed hands for generations and has therefore been left untouched. This is the case with our 17th-century Seville School still life, from the collection of the Duque de Aveiro. For works that have not been well-preserved, it’s important to keep an open mind: good restoration can be painstaking and expensive, but it can yield incredible results. Even a painting that appears damaged beyond redemption may be salvaged.

If you’re storing your paintings, choose somewhere away from sunlight, with consistent temperature and humidity levels – not a basement or an attic. Keep paintings elevated from the floor, stored vertically if possible, and never stacked on top of each other. When hanging a painting in the home, the same rules regarding sunlight and temperature apply, and it’s even more important to think about humidity. If paintings are hung where moisture levels are likely to change, such as in a kitchen or bathroom, or even near a front door, this can put the work at risk. Fluctuations in humidity can make a panel or a frame expand and contract, which can cause the paint to crack and flake. Fitting a backboard is advisable: it will reduce the impact of humidity fluctuations and make the picture sturdier when it’s handled.

Contact theclassics@bonhams.com to arrange a complimentary and confidential valuation of your old master paintings.