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Old Master Paintings

Specialists Select Personal Favorites from Master Paintings & Sculpture Day Sale

New York | 30 January | 10:00 AM EDT
Launch Slideshow

This January’s Master Paintings and Sculpture Day sale will offer a wide range of European paintings and sculpture from the 14th to the 19th centuries. Here, we ask specialists from Sotheby's department of Old Master Paintings to choose their favorite works from the sale; read on to learn more.

Past Auction
Master Paintings & Sculpture Day Sale
30 January 2020 | 10:00 AM EST | New York

Specialists Select Personal Favorites from Master Paintings & Sculpture Day Sale

  • Attributed to Daniele Ricciarelli, Called da Volterra
    The Holy Family with the Young Saint John the Baptist and Saint Christine
    Estimate $150,000 – 200,000

    "This is a fascinating composition by Daniele da Volterra. In fact, a version of it was sold to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence last year. Interestingly, Daniele da Volterra completed a drawing for the head of the old man in the top left, which was not in the original composition but appears in this version. Therefore, I think significant work must be done to further complete the research on this painting."

    – George Wachter, Chairman, Executive Vice President, Co-Chairman, Old Master Paintings Worldwide
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  • Attributed to Wolfgang Heimbach
    Young Girl Wearing a Turban and Holding a Candle
    Estimate $80,000 – 100,000

    "What a haunting picture, and one that makes for a wonderful cover image as we have done this year for our Day Sale. Heimbach was a deaf and mute painter who trained in the Netherlands but eventually moved south to Italy. He worked for major patrons such as the Pamhilij and Medici families. More than anything, I love how this simple depiction of a young girl lit only by a single candle evokes a quiet mood. I would love to have this picture above my imaginary mantelpiece with a fire going in the dead of a snow storm."

    – David Pollack, Senior Vice President, Specialist, Old Master Paintings

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  • Follower of Rembrandt Harmensz. Van Rijn
    Portrait of a Young Girl with Flowers in Her Hair
    Estimate $20,000 – 30,000

    "Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, this small painting with delicate details—from her softly rendered features to the charming bouquet of flowers in her hair—favors close inspection. The muted tones of this likeness of an unknown female figure are enlivened by the rosy colors of her cheeks, lips, and the petals flowers crowning her head. It most likely arose from the hand of an artist in the close following of Rembrandt, stylistically resembling some of his earliest and most successful pupils, including Isaac de Jouderville and Gerrit Dou."

    – Elisabeth Lobkowicz, Assistant Vice President, Specialist, Old Master Paintings
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  • Esaias Van De Velde
    Winter Landscape with Skaters and a Farm House
    Estimate $140,000 – 180,000

    "Esaias van de Velde is a pioneer and great innovator in the development of Dutch landscape painting in the early decades of the 17th century. This charming roundel stands as a testament of times past, when canals, rivers and lakes froze over in Holland in the seventeenth century. In fact, Holland experiencedwhat has been called the “Little Ice Age,” and we can see in this painting that its citizens enjoyed winter sports and traversing the ice in a straight line directly, from point A to point B. Nowadays frozen winters are very rare in The Netherlands. The burgers of this area were far from imagining a world of industrialization, let alone global warming."

    – Otto Naumann, Senior Vice President, Director of Client Development, Old Master Paintings
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  • Ginevra Cantofoli
    A Sea-Nymph, Probably Galatea
    Estimate $40,000 – 60,000

    "This is one of the rare female artist Ginevra Cantofoli’s masterpieces, and what an image! The sea-nymph here is not frolicking amongst the dolphins in a silly manner, she is powerful and provocative in her intense yet uncaring stare. I love the detail of the mollusk shells as a crown and the flash of red in the coral that she holds in her hand. The twisting pose creates an intriguing and elegant composition."

    – Calvine Harvey, Vice President, Specialist, Old Master Paintings
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  • Circle of Dirck Hals
    Allegory of the Five Senses
    Estimate $25,000 – 35,000

    "This painting is so full of detail and symbolism that I notice something new every time I look at it. The colorful costumes are very elegant and prove that the Dutch wore more than plain black. Although the artist is unknown, this painting speaks to the high level of artistic talent in early 17th century Haarlem. With elements of portraiture, genre painting, still life and landscape, the composition includes all of the important commercial genres of painting in this period and could serve as an advertisement for the artist’s abilities."

    – Molly Harrington, Senior Researcher, Old Master Paintings
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  • Matthias Withoos
    Forest Floor Still Life with Various Flowers, Butterflies, and Lizards, All before a Landscape
    Estimate $60,000 – 80,000

    "Matthias Withoos’s ability to enliven a forest floor, or sottobosco, never ceases to amaze me. I could spend hours admiring this detailed composition filled with blue hues. In particular, I think my favorite detail is the small, blue flower at bottom left, which I mistakenly first thought was a butterfly!"

    – Alexa Armstrong, Associate Specialist, Old Master Paintings
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