Old Masters

Sale Overview

Canaletto’s breathtaking masterpiece Venice, the Bucintoro at the Molo on Ascension Day leads the Old Masters Part I sale in New York this February. Painted in England in the early 1750s for the King family (later Earls of Lovelace), this daring composition dazzles with its brushwork and colour. Commissioned by the King family, in whose possession it remained for almost 200 years, the painting is a highlight of the season.

The sale presents works spanning six centuries of European art — from the 15th to the early 19th century — featuring celebrated artists of the Renaissance, Italian Baroque, Dutch Golden Age and 18th-century France. The offering is especially rich in Italian paintings: the Lovelace Canaletto will be accompanied by a Madonna and Child by Botticelli and Workshop, unseen on the market for over half a century, and a rare self‑portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi, one of only five recorded. A Lifelong Pursuit: Important Italian Paintings from a Distinguished Private Collection includes a rare portrait by Jacometto Veneziano, an elegant Sacra Conversazione by Paris Bordone, and a powerful depiction of Saint Paul by Jusepe de Ribera.

From the North, highlights include a compelling portrait by Adriean Isenbrandt, an introspective depiction of Saint Luke Drawing the Virgin by Colijn de Coter, and a portrait of a well‑dressed gentleman by Frans Hals from the Estate of Ambassador J. William Middendorf II. The group is complemented by a portrait of a richly attired lady by Willem Key, sold to benefit the collection care and acquisition fund of the Hispanic Society of America. The 18th-century section is led by The Diligent Mother by Jean Siméon Chardin, alongside a charming pair of pastels by Élisabeth‑Louise Vigée Le Brun and a large‑scale, elegant portrait by the enigmatic Le Nain Brothers.

Auction times

04 Feb 10:00 AM (EST) Lots 1-45

Our specialist’s selection

Brought to you by

Jonquil O’Reilly

Vice President, Specialist, Head of Sale | Old Masters

Jonquil O’Reilly graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2008 with a First-Class MA Honours degree in Italian. Following graduation, she began her career in the Old Master Paintings department of another international auction house where she worked for nine years, first in London and from 2011 in New York as a Specialist with a focus on Italian paintings. Jonquil has a particular passion for historical fashion, using clothing as a lens through which to study Old Master Paintings. She writes regularly on the subject, “decoding” garments like powdered wigs, padded hips, ruffs and even the infamous codpiece, in the hopes of bringing Old Master Paintings to a wider audience. Her articles have been published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Harper’s Bazaar UK and she has lectured on fashion in art at the Cleveland Museum, NYU, Chatsworth House, the Lobkowicz Palace in Prague Castle and Parsons School of Design, amongst others.

Jennifer Wright

Head of Department | Old Masters

Jennifer Wright was appointed head of Old Master Paintings, New York in June 2024. She has been at Christie’s for 18 years, ten as specialist and head of the Old Master Drawings department, and from 2016-2024 as a Client Relationship Director in the Client Advisory group of the Chairman’s Office. While in Old Master Drawings Jennifer participated in the 2009 sale of Raphael’s Head of a Muse, which sold for £29,000,000, at the time the world record price for a drawing at auction; and in 2013 oversaw the highest-earning various owners Old Master Drawings sale in Christie’s history. While in Client Advisory she managed and developed a portfolio of top-US clients across all collecting categories, and was the driver of several single-owner-sales that featured Old Masters including Property from the Estate of Eugene V. Thaw (2018); Rooms as Portraits: Michael S. Smith (2018, New York and London); Always in Style: Property from the Collection of Herbert Kasper (2021); and Modern Medici: Masterpieces from a New York Collection (2023 and 2024). Jennifer is an auctioneer, and is also co-head of Christie’s charity auctioneering program.

Jennifer earned her undergraduate degree in Art History at Georgetown University, a Master’s degree in Fine and Decorative Art from Sotheby’s Institute, and a Master of Arts degree from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. She is an emeritus member of the Georgetown College Board of Advisors, as well as the founder and inaugural chairwoman of the Director’s Council for the Georgetown University Art Galleries.

Andrew Fletcher

Global Head, Old Masters | Old Masters

Andrew joined Christie’s in 2022 assuming overall responsibility for the international Old Masters department. Previously Andrew spent nearly 20 years at Sotheby’s, most recently as head of the Old Masters department, Europe, during which time he oversaw many of the department’s most successful auction sales. Andrew was the co-architect of the £150m pioneering sale ‘Rembrandt to Richter’ in 2020 during the pandemic, the first major evening sale to combine Old Masters with Impressionist, Contemporary and Modern British Art. He has been particularly focused on growing private sales in the field and has been instrumental in the development of the market for Old Masters in Asia. Andrew’s particular passion lies in the early Netherlandish and Italian schools.