Old Masters to Modern Day Sale: Paintings, Drawings, Sculpture

Sale Overview

This December, Christie’s will present the fourth edition of our Old Masters to Modern sale, with paintings, drawings, watercolours and sculpture from seven centuries. Crossing traditional collecting categories, the sale presents a curated selection of works hailing from every major Western School and at a broad range of price points. A wide selection of lots will be sold without reserve, with estimates starting at around £1,000.

The Old Master paintings group is distinguished by high-quality northern works of all genres, including an unpublished work by Johann Liss and a charming still life by Jan van Kessel. The northern paintings are complemented by several Italian highlights, including Andrea Vaccaro’s The Flight into Egypt and a rare complete predella by Francesco Binasco.

The British school works are led by an atmospheric, sketchy landscape by John Constable, depicting Child’s Hill, looking towards Harrow, and an Indian landscape by William Hodges, accompanied by the most celebrated names of the British school, including Gainsborough, Lawrence, Romney and Turner.

The British and European paintings of the 19th and 20th centuries include works by Corot, Peder Balke, Friedrich von Amerling, Sir Alfred Munnings and Edward Seago. Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s Dance before the Thymele leads the works on paper; also on offer is a group of charming illustrations for A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh, drawn by E.H. Shepard.

Paintings, drawings and sculpture from several eminent collections will be offered, including Albert Zuckerman, the Hon. Patrick and Lady Amabel Lindsay, Dr. Anton F. Philips, and Ambassador J. William Middendorf II.

Notice for buyers wishing to import certain lots into the EU: Certain lots in this sale may be impacted by the new licensing requirements and regulations relating to the import of “cultural goods” into the EU (Regulation (EU) 2019/880 on the import of cultural property and its Implementing Regulation 2021/1079). We recommend clients check before bidding whether the lot they wish to bid on is subject to these regulations. Please contact Holly York (hyork@christies.com) and see H2 of our Conditions of Sale for more information.

Auction times

09 Dec 10:30 AM (GMT)

Our specialist’s selection

Brought to you by

Lucy Speelman

Associate Specialist, Head of Day Sale | Old Masters

Lucy is an Associate Specialist in the Old Master Paintings department in London, where she heads up their biannual Part II sales. She came to Christie’s in 2017 as an Object Intelligence Researcher in Old Masters where she supported senior specialists with client strategy and art market research before joining the specialist team in 2022. Prior to joining Christie’s, Lucy completed her Master’s degree at the Courtauld Institute of Art specialising in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century painting in Italy and northern Europe, and read for her Bachelor’s in History of Art at the University of Bristol.

Alastair Plumb

Senior Specialist, Head of Sale, European Art | 19th Century European Art

Alastair is responsible for appraising and promoting European paintings and developing top client relationships throughout Europe, with a particular emphasis on Scandinavia and the Nordic regions. Alastair has a wealth of knowledge in this arena and has been involved with record breaking results for Scandinavian artists such as Vilhelm Hammershøi and Akseli Gallen-Kallela.

Alastair has established an extensive international network of collectors and museum curators. He has negotiated many private sales within this category. Alastair works closely with the Christie’s international team, having sourced business for auctions in London, Paris, Amsterdam and New York.

Previously Head of the British & European Art sales in London since 2018, contributing to the success of the department’s many and varied sales, Alastair began his career at Christies in 2011. He and led the 19th Century European & Orientalist Art auctions in Christie’s South Kensington to their highest results between 2014-2017. He played a significant role in Christie’s Amsterdam auctions in 2017.

Prior to joining Christie’s, Alastair worked in a commercial art gallery exhibiting at Art Fairs throughout the UK. Alastair holds a M.Litt in Theology of Arts and the Imagination from the University of St. Andrews.

Sarah Reynolds

Specialist, Head of Sale | Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite & British Impressionist Art

Sarah Reynolds joined Christie’s in 2008, starting in the British Watercolours & Drawings and Maritime Art departments. Since 2013 she has combined Maritime Art with Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite & British Impressionist Art, and Sporting & Wildlife Art, and she is responsible for sourcing, cataloguing and promoting works in these categories. In 2018 Sarah was appointed Head of Sale for Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite & British Impressionist Art, and she also joined the ranks of Christie’s auctioneers.

Since starting at Christie's Sarah has contributed to the success of the department’s many and varied sales, including single owner collections such as The B.J. Eastwood Collection: Important Sporting and Irish Pictures (July 2021) and The Joe Setton Collection: Pre-Raphaelites to Last Romantics (December 2020). She has also been involved in setting several new world records in Maritime, Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite & British Impressionist Art and was instrumental in the success of the inaugural British Impressionism sales in November 2017. Sarah launched the Christie’s Lates programme at Christie’s South Kensington in March 2015, and has been an integral part of the team that transitioned the successful format to King Street in 2017. Sarah is a graduate from St. Peter’s College, Oxford and the Courtauld Institute, London. Her main interests include 18th century marine paintings, Pre-Raphaelite and British Impressionist paintings, and she has a particular fondness for portraiture.

Leo Webster

Specialist | British Drawings & Watercolours

Leo graduated with an MA in History of Art from the University of St Andrews in 2016 and joined a major international auction house shortly after. Having specialised in 19th-century British Pictures, Topographical Art and Scottish Art, Leo has also held Head of Sale positions for Marine Paintings, Orientalist Art and sales of Dogs in art. Now a Specialist in British Drawings and Watercolours at Christie's, Leo’s particular interests include late eighteenth and nineteenth century travel pictures, the Pre-Raphaelites and British Impressionism.

Holly York

Sale Coordinator | Old Masters

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