ART SALES. The practice of selling objects of art by auc tion in England dates from the latter part of the s7th century. Towards the latter part of the first half of the 19th century an entirely new race of collectors gradually came into existence; they were for the most part men who had made, or were making, large fortunes in the various industries of the midlands and north of England, and other centres. They were untrammelled by "collecting" traditions, and their patronage was almost exclusively extended to the artists of the day. The dispersals of these col lections began in 1863 with the Bicknell gallery, and continued at irregular intervals for many years, e.g., Gillott (1872), Mendel (1875), Wynn Ellis and Albert Levy (1876), Albert Grant and Munro of Novar (1878). These patrons purchased at munif icent prices, either direct from the easel or from the exhibitions, not only pictures in oils but also water-colour drawings. As a matter of investment their purchases frequently realized far more than the original outlay; sometimes, however, the reverse hap pened, as, for instance, in the case of Landseer's "Otter Hunt," for which Baron Grant is said to have paid LIo,000 and which realized shortly afterwards only 5,65o guineas. One of the features of the sales of the 'seventies was the high appreciation of water colour drawings. At the Gillott sale (18 73) 16o examples realized £27,423, Turner's "Bamborough Castle" fetching 3,15ogns.; at the Quilter sale (1875) David Cox's "Hayfield," for which a dealer had paid him 5ogns. in 185o, brought 2,810 guineas. The following are the most remarkable prices of later years. In Cox's "Welsh Funeral" (which cost about £20) sold for 2,400 gns., and Burne-Jones's "Hesperides" for 2,46ogns. In 1908, 13 Turner drawings fetched L12,415 (Acland-Hood sale) and seven brought L11,077 (Holland sale), the "Heidelberg" reaching 4,200 guineas. For Fred Walker's "Harbour of Refuge" 2,58ogns. were paid (Tatham sale) and 2,7oogns. for his "Marlow Ferry" (Holland). The demand for pictures by modern artists, whose works sold at almost fabulous prices in the 70's, has somewhat declined; but during all its furore there was still a small band of collectors to whom the works of the old masters more especially appealed. The dispersal of such collections as the Bredel Watts Russell (1875), Foster of Clewer manor (1876), the Hamil ton Palace (17 days, £397,562), Bale (1882), Leigh court (1884), and Dudley (5892) resulted, as did the sale of many minor col lections each season, in many very fine works of the old masters finding eager purchasers at high prices. A striking example of the high prices given was the £24,250 realized by the pair of Vandyck portraits of a Genoese senator and his wife in the Peel sale, 1900.
Since the last quarter of the 19th century the chief feature in art sales has been the demand for works, particularly female portraits, by Reynolds, his contemporaries and successors. This may be traced to the South Kensington exhibitions of 1867 and 1868 and the annual winter exhibitions at Burlington house, which revealed an unsuspected wealth and charm in the works of many English artists who had almost fallen into oblivion. A few of the most remarkable prices for such pictures may be quoted : Rey nolds's "Lady Betty Delme" (1894), I i,000gns. ; Romney's "The Ladies Spencer" (1896), io,5oogns. ; Gainsborough's "Duchess of Devonshire" (1876), io,ioogns. (For the history of its disappearance see GAINSBOROUGH, THOMAS) ; "Maria Wal pole," I 2, I oogns. (Duke of Cambridge's sale, 1904) ; Constable's "Stratford Mill" (1895), 8,50o gns. ; Hoppner's "Lady grave" (1906) , 6,000gns. ; Lawrence's "Childhood's Innocence" (1907), 8,000gns. ; Raeburn's "Lady Raeburn" (1905), 8,5oogns. Here may also be mentioned the 12,600gns. paid for ner's "Mortlake Terrace" in 1908 (Holland sale). But during the last few years all these prices, sensational in their day, have been entirely eclipsed.
The "appreciation" of the modern continental schools, particu larly the French, has been marked since 188o; of high prices paid may be mentioned Corot's "Danse des Amours" (1898), £7,200; Rosa Bonheur's "Denizens of the Highlands" (1888), 5 , 5 5ogns. ; Jules Breton's "First Communion," £9,10o in New York (1886) ; Meissonier's "Napoleon I. in the Campaign of Paris," 'din. by 9 1in. (1882) 5,800gns., and "The Sign Painter" (1891), 6,45o gns. High prices are also fetched for pictures by Daubigny, For tuny, Gallait, Gerome, Troyon and Israels. The most marked feature of late has been the demand for the 18th century painters Watteau, Boucher, Fragonard, Pater and Lancret; thus "La Ronde Champetre" of the last named brought £11,20o at the Say sale in 1908, and Fragonard's "Le Reveil de Venus" L5,520 at the Sedelmeyer sale, 1907.
"Specialism" is the one important development in art collecting which has manifested itself since the middle of the 19th century. This accounts for and explains the high average quality of the Wellesley (1866), the Buccleuch (1888) and the Holford (1893), collections of drawings by the old masters; for the Sibson Wedg wood (1877), the Duc de Forli Dresden (1877), the Shuldham blue and white porcelain (188o), the Benson collection of antique coins (1909), and for the objects of art at the Massey-Mainwar ing and Lewis-Hill sales of 1907. Very many other illustrations in nearly every department of art collecting might be quoted the superb series of Marlborough gems (1875 and 1899) might be included in this category but for the fact that it was formed chiefly in the 18th century. The appreciation-commercially at all events-of mezzotint portraits and of portraits printed in col ours, after masters of the early English school, was one of the most remarkable features in art sales during the last years of the 19th century. The shillings of 5o years before were then repre sented by pounds. The Fraser collection (December 4 to 6, 1900) realized about ten times the original outlay, the mezzotint of the "Sisters Frankland," after Hoppner, by W. Ward, selling for 29ogns. as against 1 ogns. paid for it about 3o years pre viously. The H. A. Blyth sale (Mar. 11 to 13, 1901, 346 lots, 121,717 I os.) of mezzotint portraits was even more remarkable, and as a collection it was the choicest sold within recent times, the engravings being mostly in the first state. The record prices were numerous, and, in many cases, far surpassed the prices which Sir Joshua Reynolds received for the original pictures; e.g., the exceptionally fine example of the first state of the "Duchess of Rutland," after Reynolds, by V. Green, realized r,000 gns., whereas the artist received only f 15o for the painting itself. Even this unprecedented price for a mezzotint portrait was exceeded on April 3o, 1901, when an example of the first published state of "Mrs. Carnac," after Reynolds, by J. R. Smith, sold for 1,16o guineas. At the Louis Huth sale (19o5) 83 lots brought nearly f Io,000, Reynolds's "Lady Bampfylde" by T. Watson, first state before letters, unpublished, fetching 1,200 guineas. Such prices as these and many others which might be quoted are exceptional, but they were paid for objects of exceptional rarity or quality.
It is not necessary to pursue the chronicle of recent sales, which have become a feature of every season. It is worth men tioning, however, that the Holland sale, in June 1908, realized 1138,118 (432 lots), a record sum for a collection of pictures mainly by modern artists ; and that for the Rodolphe Kann col lection (Paris) of pictures and objects of art, including II mag nificent Rembrandts, Messrs. Duveen paid £I,000,000 in 1907. In every direction there has been a tendency to increase prices for really great artistic pieces, even to a sensational extent. The competition has become acute, chiefly owing to the unprecedented growth of private and public collections in the United States. The demand for the finest works of art of all descriptions is much greater than the supply. As an illustration of the magnitude of the art sale business it may be mentioned that the "turnover" of one firm in London alone has frequently exceeded Li ,000,000 annually.
The public and private art sales in Great Britain from 1911 show an extraordinary revision in values. Many of the finest works of art formerly in Britain have gone to America, and the exodus is bound to continue. There are still collectors of taste and judgment in the country, but transatlantic competition makes it impossible for most of them to purchase early works of the highest importance.
The Sargent sale in 1925 may be mentioned, although the prices paid were the result of sentiment rather than artistic appreciation. Works which he himself may have regarded merely as studio "property" fetched extravagant sums: for example, a copy by him of "Prince Batasar Carlos" by Velasquez, measuring 2rlin. by 174in. realized L6,300, a small water-colour made f4,83o, an oil painting of "San Vigilio" f 7,350, and the total for 163 lots on the first day reached f 145,984. Rembrandt etchings also grow in favour. In 1924 the Rudge collection, which was unknown to the experts, established a new maximum in realizing f34,000, and the f3,78o given for a first state of "Dr. Arnoldus Tholinx" broke all records for any etching or engraving, the nearest to that figure being the f 3,045 paid two years earlier for Valentine Green's mezzotint translation of "The Ladies Waldegrave" by Reynolds.
As already said, many famous pictures have passed from Britain to America in the period under review, but the greatest excitement was caused by the private sale of the duke of West minster's pictures, "The Blue Boy," by Gainsborough, and "Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic Muse," by Reynolds, for f 200,000 in 192I. Previously, it will be recalled, the Reynolds was withdrawn at Christie's at f 5 2,50o and it was said that £15o,oco had been re fused for "The Blue Boy" which, as Farington records, was pur chased by John Hoppner for 65gns. in 1803, after having been sold for 35gns. in 1796. Up to 1919 the highest auction price for a Gainsborough was the f 20,16o realized for "The Market Cart"; but this was eclipsed at the Michelham sale in Nov. 1926, when this artist's portraits of Miss Tatton and Master Heathcote each brought £46,200; while the Reynolds maximum stood at f in 1919 for the portrait of "Mrs. Freeman," it was exceeded in July 1927 by his portrait of Lady Ann Fitzpatrick as "Sylvia" which brought £ 19,4 2 5 at the James Ross sale. The year 1919 was memorable in the annals of art sales. For the first time in history each of too pictures realized not less than I,400gns. in British auction rooms; but during the season 1926-27, 173 pictures sold for £r,000 and upwards, their total amounting to £I,o16,441. The Hamilton palace sale on Nov. 6, 1919, fetched £168,957, the highest sum ever obtained in one day at Christie's, beating the f 15o,000 record for a two days' dispersal, amassed earlier in the year by the Drummond collection. Three other records were made in that sale : the f 6,50o for Turner's drawing of "Zurich," a similar sum for Guardi's "Fete on the Grand Canal," which cost Sir George Drummond 1800, and £26,775 for a portrait of "Joseph Coymans" by Franz Hals which, however, was exceeded by the £2 7,40o paid in America for the same artist's "Old Lady" that figured in the Yerkes collection.
Nor were these the only records for 1919. In the Hamilton palace sale the f 54,60o paid for Romney's group of "The Beck ford Children" was the highest price given in the public market for any picture. The artist received f 105 for the painting of the two girls. A picture of "St. Eustace" ascribed to Carpaccio brought 133,600 in the Vernon-Wentworth sale, "The Spend thrift" by Jan Steen, f 17,010; while the former record was the Ios. for "The Sick Lady" in 1910, and Ruysdael's "Land scape," £12,600. James Ward's portrait of "Miss Georgiana Mus grave" made £7,14o against £1,68o in 1905, which was then the maximum for this artist's works. The remarkable events of 1919 may be compared with the auction doings in 1913, when, by middle of June, the turnover at Christie's alone reached more than Romney's "Anne, Lady de la Pole" fetched £41,3 70 ; Gainsborough's "Market Cart" £20,160, as against f4,75o Ios. in 1894; Hobbema's "Woody Landscape" L15,750 as against £3,460 in 1890; a Hals "Portrait of a Gentleman" f9,000 as against a price of f5 5s. with a still-life subject into the bargain in 1884.
The two abundant years before the World War had filled the warehouses of the dealers with stock, and that fact, combined with financial depression, brought about the result that when on Friday, July 24, 1914, Christie's season ended, there were few notable things to report. Only 38 pictures, compared with 85 in 1913, realized I,40ogns. or over. Two of these works were "A Man with a Red Cap," attributed to Titian, which made L13,650 and Peter de Hooch's "Interior with Figures," which was sold for f 8,610 at Robinson and Fisher's, four days before war was declared.
In the following year the Brownlow Van Dyck "Portrait of Anton Triest" fetched £ 29,400. Mention should be made of the futile auction of Sir John Robinson's pictures on July 7, 1923. The nominal total for the 114 works by famed old masters was los., but in most cases the large reserves were not reached, so that in no previous sale in England had such a large percentage of lots been brought in, in spite of the fact that most of those actually sold showed a profit, and that many of the with drawn pictures were knocked down at larger prices than those originally given for them by Sir John. In the autumn of 1923 it became known that ten of the finest pictures in Lord Glenconner's collection of British masterpieces had been acquired by Messrs. Knoedler, and shipped to the United States; whilst a surprise of a much more pleasant character was provided in the autumn of 1927 when it was announced that the late Lord Iveagh had be queathed the whole of his collection to the nation, with his resi dence at Kenwood, Hampstead, as a permanent home for it.
The sales from 1924 to the end of 1927 may be briefly sum marized. Those of John S. Sargent and J. E. Rudge have already been mentioned. The Darnley pictures from Cobham hall, May I, 1925, 92 lots, totalled £70,758, Hoppner's portrait of Lady Elizabeth Bligh selling for Io,20ogns. and 16 others reached four figures; whilst on July 17 a companion pair of whole lengths by G. Romney, Sir Everard and Lady Every (for which the artist re ceived I4ogns. in 1780) together brought £16,230, and Lord Lathom's group by the same artist of the Bootle children £8,925. The several interesting sales of the season 1925-26 (the "season" by the way, extends from October to July) included 71 pictures which passed a £I,000 limit, at the head of all coming Romney's superb portrait of Mrs. Davenport, 1782, which (July 28) reached f60,900. Other properties included a pair of fancy sub jects by F. H. Drouais, "The House of Cards" and "Blowing Bubbles," L13,650; Sir Antonio Mor's portrait of Elizabeth de Valois Queen of Spain, L11,025, and Nattier's portrait of a noble man said to be the Duc de Senthieve, £I2,075; Romney's Lady Lushington £8,715, and one of the same artist's many portraits of Lady Hamilton, £13,650. There were not many collections important as such, the most notable being that of the Bischoff sheim pictures (May 7) bringing £97,794; and the J. B. Gaskell modern pictures and drawings (April 3o and May 2), f39,150. Two or three other out of many features of the season may be mentioned—the high prices paid for the very sketchy water colour drawings by H. H. Brabazon, a two days' sale (March 18 and 19, 19 26) realizing £11,576; the increasingly high prices for sporting pictures which a quarter of a century ago had very little market value, and Sir James Dunn's long series of portraits by Sir William Orpen (July 16) of which that of President Woodrow Wilson brought £2,730.
The season 1926-27 practically began with a sensation in the Michelham sale at 20 Arlington street, London, by Hampton and Son (Nov. 23-24) with a nominal total of about £589,000 for pictures and objects of art, but it was obvious to those present that some of the reserves had not been reached. Sir Thomas Lawrence's whole length of Miss Mary M. Barrett, known from the colour of her eyes as "Pinkie," was sold at 74,000gns. to Duveens, the record auction price for a picture; the whole length Romney, Anne Lady de la Sole, went to Agnews at 44,000 gns. (the artist's price was 8ogns. in 1786), and another Romney, Elizabeth Lady Forbes, 24,000gns. and two Gainsboroughs, Miss Tatton and Master Heathcote each 44,00o guineas. The chief picture sales of 1927 included Sir James Murray's collection, £69,888, the hon. Mrs. Yorke £41,581, the Italian old masters of the late Sir George Holford, 1155,951, and the Empress Eugenie £20,315, and James Ross of Montreal, £138,031, which, with other properties brought the day's total to £192,451, the year finishing (Dec. 22) with the late Marquess Curzon's small but choice collection, which with other properties totalled Reference has been made solely to the disposal of pictures, but numerous other works of art have been sold privately and in the open market at prices not less sensational than those obtained for paintings, notably for etchings by Sir D. Y. Cameron, J. McBey, A. Zorn and others. On the continent of Europe, too, competition has been acute, with the result that prices were abnormally high in 1911, 1912 and 1913, as they were in Great Britain. In Paris, in 1911 the Maurice Kann collection, consisting of 85 lots, realized 1108,85o, to which must be added the tax of paid then by purchasers. With a few exceptions the profits were enormous. So, too, with the collection of his brother Rodolphe Kann, which cost him about £ 200,000 and fetched about £1,200,000. Rembrandts, which were bought by him for f 1,60o and £ 2,000, brought £ 20,000 to L30,000 and a Vermeer of Delft, for which he gave £48, sold for £2,000.
Mantegna's "Madonna and Child" in the Weber sale, Berlin (1912), fetched £31,000 against £4,000 paid for it in 1902. In Amsterdam 32 Rembrandt drawings from the J. P. Heseltine collection totalled over £25,000, the highest individual price being £2,508 paid for "The Farm." In the same city (Nov. 1925) the Castiglione collection realized L150,000. Of that sum, a signed and dated (1635) Rembrandt "Portrait of a Syndic of Amster dam" brought £17,833, Nicholas Froment's "Resurrection of Lazarus," £12,833 and Correggio's "Mystic Marriage of Saint Catharine," £io,666.
The greatest American sales were the Yerkes, 1910, which, at $2,707,866, established a New York record, the William Salomon, 1923, which realized $1,288,705 and the Elbert H. Gary, 1928, which brought $2,297,763 of which $1,154,650 was for 39 paint ings. Before the Salomon sale, Sir Joseph Duveen purchased privately 15 of the more important pictures at an estimated cost of $1,000,000. The remainder of this collection was sold by Mrs. Salomon, Jan. 1928, for $675,571. In the Yerkes sale, Franz Hals's `'Portrait of a Woman" fetched $137,000; in the Gary, Gains borough's "The Harvest Wagon" brought $270,000. Another New York sale was the C. C. Stillman in 1927 when 37 pictures totalled $716,9J0, $270,000 being paid for Rembrandt's portrait of his son Titus.
Lord Leverhulme's art collections, after being catalogued and advertised for sale at Hampstead, was suddenly transferred to New York and sold there in Feb. 1926, the grand total amount ing to $1,274,000.