Antiques Trade Gazette 37
and Bologna…
Calvaert (1540-1619), and who produced a number of variations on this subject. A similar version from 1630-35 can
be found in the Galleria Pitti in Florence although that example Is larger and has significant compositional differences. The 7¾ x 11¾in (45 x 30cm) oil
on canvas at Tayler & Fletcher was catalogued as ‘Attributed to Francesco Albani’ and given a £2500-3500 estimate. It may well have been another version
by the artist, but there was also some suggestion that it might be a copy by one of Albani’s numerous pupils which included his brother Giovanni Battista Albani and Andrea Sacchi (1599-1661). The work was in decent condition,
although it had undergone some general restoration over the years and been laid down on board. There was also retouching, including some to one of the faces. It was well viewed before the sale
and, on the day, bidding emerged from London, Italy, the US and Finland. Against competition on the phone, it
sold in the room at £44,000 to an Italian agent believed to be acting on behalf of an Italian collector. The price almost doubled the
saleroom’s house record which was set 11 years ago when an 18th century walnut chest took £27,000. The last major painting by Francesco
St. John The Baptist and St Elizabeth had been in the family for three generations and, while the vendors thought the work might be valuable, they were unsure who was the artist. On viewing the painting, Stephen Sheppard of the saleroom’s fine art
department immediately thought it was a 17th century Italian painting and his research led to the name of Francesco Albani (1578-1660). The style and subject certainly point
to the Bolognese school artist who trained under the Flemish painter Dennis
at Chatsworth
September 2001, but, on the day, it proved fully justified as it finally sold at £7800 to a private buyer who had family connections to the house depicted in the painting. Overall, around 60 per cent of the 240 lots at the sale
found buyers although the auctioneers were hopeful of a few aftersales. Dr John Basford of Derwent-Wye said that 20th century
works by the better known artists sold well but demand for 19th century and earlier works was more patchy.
Right: Derbyshire Farmstead – Winter by George Hammond Steel – £7800 artist’s record at Derwent-Wye.
Albani at auction was another version of The Holy Family which sold at Sotheby’s New York in January 2007 for $90,000 (£47,975). However, this was a smaller oil on copper, which was closely related in terms of composition to another oil on copper in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. It also had a more firm attribution and provenance to Lucien Bonaparte no less. Nevertheless, the picture at
Cheltenham generated a round of applause when auctioneer Stephen Sheppard knocked down his gavel.
Above: Homage to Mark Dion: Museum of Black & White No.5, 2010 – collage with found objects by Peter Blake – £30,000 plus VAT from Waddington Galleries.
The godfather pays homage
Anna Brady reports
THE appropriation of imagery and ephemera has always been central to the work of Peter Blake, the incorrigible hoarder and godfather of British Pop art. But in his forthcoming show at the Waddington Galleries, he acknowledges the influence of his fellow artists upon his work. Homage 10 x 5 Blake's Artists runs
from November 17 to December 11 at 11 Cork Street, London. The show consists of 50 works which
pay respect to ten artists whose work he has especially admired: Joseph Cornell, Sonia Delaunay, Mark Dion, Damien Hirst, Henri Matisse, Jack Pierson, Robert Rauschenberg, Kurt Schwitters, Saul Steinberg and H.C. Westermann. The works draw on his stash of
curious found objects and pop culture miscellany to create something akin to modern day cabinets of curiosity. He dedicates five works to each
artist, taking their style and creating a reverential pastiche in his own indomitable fashion. The idea began with Appropriating
Jack Pierson. “I liked Pierson’s work and wanted one for myself so decided to make my own,” said Blake, and after Pierson called his collage “spooky” in its accuracy, Blake made more. These are fun, gently tongue-
in-cheek creations and, as Blake says: “These pieces are my nod of appreciation, a way of saying thank you to the artists whose work I like”. So the Saul Steinberg tribute series
includes the three-dimensional Parade for Steinberg, in which The Simpsons, The Smurfs and Rupert Bear process past the artist. Blake has spoken of now being in a self proclaimed “late period” in which he can enjoy the freedom of being “a barmy old man”, doing small light-hearted shows such as this. Prices from £10,000 to £45,000 plus
VAT.
www.waddington-galleries.com
galleries@
antiquestradegazette.com
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