Old Master Paintings

 Among the categories preferred by contemporary collectors, that of old master paintings is undoubtedly in a place of primary importance: in an art market that is ever-attentive to international dynamics that are in constant evolution, the acquisition of old master paintings and sculptures in fact remains a true constant, continuing to create interest among collectors, while inspiring a diversified public, who are motivated by the desire to own a work of art of cultural value, even before considering the economic or artistic aspects of it.

The auctions of Old Master Paintings and Sculptures organized by Pandolfini Casa d’Aste offer collectors and everyday lovers of antique art important opportunities for cultivating their passion: the two annual auctions, organized in the Spring and Fall, feature Italian and European art from the thirteenth to the beginning of the nineteenth century, presenting works by celebrated artists and generic schools, dating from the Middle Ages to the Neoclassical period, which have been selected by the experts of the Department.

Created using various kinds of supports and with different materials coinciding with the periods of realization, the works in the catalog offer a vast selection of artistic techniques: from tempera on wood to gold ground panel paintings typical of the Great Epoch, to oil paintings on various kinds of support: panel, canvas, copper, slate or even tempera on canvas or wood.Naturally, a diverse range of subject matter is proposed in the catalog, including paintings that are religious, mythological, historical and literary, as well as those that are allegorical, portrait, genre, landscape, and still life.

To reply to the current needs of the art market, the Department’s experts make a careful selection of the paintings proposed and adopt strict criteria in defining the market value.
With the aim of creating greater interest among collectors, we give preference to works coming from private collections, including those that might be new for the art market, providing a competitive valuation in light of the most recent sales in Italy and internationally.

Among the criteria used to evaluate the works, at the head of the list, in addition to the eventual attribution to a leading artist, are the origins of the work, its bibliography, inclusion in exhibitions of recognized scientific value, and especially important, is the state of conservation.
         In the catalogs of Old Master Paintings, the presentation of the works is accordingly the result of careful study that is divided into several phases, starting from the technical evaluation, aimed at ascertaining the authenticity of the piece up to the historic-artistic analysis, necessary to establish its date and attribution, to then end with the “condition report” that confirms the state of conservation: an attentive examination and comparison, which is made with the help of internationally renowned specialists in this field.
Our catalogs offer Old Master Paintings, Sculptures and Drawings by some of the most famous Italian artists, with a good majority of the works coming from the Venetian, Lombard, and Roman areas. Special attention is reserved however for Tuscan works and specifically those from the main schools of Florence, Siena, and Lucca, which, also for geographical reasons, are the pieces we most frequently deal with, and which in recent years, have achieved some of the most important sales results in our auctions. Finally, even if they are not as common, we do not neglect works by Northern European, French, Flemish, Dutch, and German artists.

Among the most important results achieved in the auctions of old master paintings in recent years, was the exceptional oil on panel “The Temptation of Saint Jerome”, a certified work by Giorgio Vasari, which sold in November 2020 for € 800,000; the oil on canvas of Jacopo Amigoni “Ferdinando VI di Borbone and Barbara di Braganza with the court” that sold in July 2020 for € 373,500, and “A Battle Scene” by Luca Giordano,  which was auctioned off in July 2020 for € 100,000, plus the oil on panel “Virgin with Child standing on a railing” by Francesco Raibolini, detto il Francia, which sold in October 2018 for € 192,000.

The experts of the Old Master Paintings Department are available to all those who would like to receive a fast, free, and confidential valuation of their old master paintings.