Spanning six centuries of European art, the May Old Masters and 19th Century Paintings auction brings together significant works from the 15th to the early 20th century. The sale opens with a small devotional panel by the Master of the Magdalene Legend, recently restituted to the heirs of Richard Semmel. Further early Northern paintings from the collection of the late Ambassador Middendorf include an intimately scaled Virgin and Child by Adriaen Isenbrandt and a beautifully preserved panel from the Workshop of Albrecht Bouts.
The Italian School is represented in depth, with works spanning the Renaissance through the Baroque. Leading the group is the only surviving portrait from Guido Reni’s first Roman period, depicting Cardinal Giacomo Sannesi. The selection also includes Astronomer holding a mirror by Luca Giordano, which incorporates a self-portrait of the artist; a monumental canvas by Giovanni Battista Langetti; and an oil sketch on paper by Annibale Carracci.
The auction further presents a distinguished group of trompe l’œil paintings dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries. Long admired for their ability to deceive the eye, these works demonstrate the genre’s most inventive formats, including letter boards, cupboards, niches, tabletops and game pieces.
From the landscapes of the Barbizon painters to the bustling cities of the Belle Époque, the sale also includes paintings that capture the elegance and transformational spirit of 19th-century modernity. Highlights include one of the versions of Jean‑Léon Gérôme’s most recognisable composition, Sortie du bal masqué; a painting by William‑Adolphe Bouguereau, offering a brilliant study of light; and works by Léon Augustin Lhermitte and Jean‑François Raffaëlli with exceptional provenance. Additional highlights include paintings by Montague Dawson, Jean‑Baptiste‑Camille Corot, Jules‑Joseph Lefebvre, Alphonse Mucha and Sir Alfred James Munnings.
