FABULOUS FIGURES

Northern Advocate, 19 May 1928, Page 9

FABULOUS FIGURES

HOLFORD COLLECTION SALE.

RECORD AT CHRISTIE'S.

(Australian Press Association.) (Received 9 a.m.) LONDON, May 18,

One of the most sensational sales in the history of art took place when Dutch and Flemish pictures belonging to the .Holford collection were sold at Christie's. The sum of £330,000 was obtained last July for Holford art treasures and books, including £160,000 for Italian pictures. Christie's today was crowded. Buyers from all over the world were competing. A total of 364,094 guineas was obtained, which is easily a record for Christie's, the bidding being at the rate of 3000 guineas per minute. Ten thousand guineas were paid for the first lot, a small Rembrandt drawing, which probably covered Robert Holford's' expenditure on all his pictures. The advances in values exceeded every anticipation of the experts, Rembrandt's "Portrait of the Man with the Cleft Chin," only 30 inches by 24, sold for 40,000 guineas. Rembrandt's "Man with Torch" realised 48,000 guineas, and five other Rembrandt's brought 150,000 guineas. Gyp's "View of Dordrecht" realised 25,000 guineas; a sketch by Rubens, "Elevation of the Cross," 6200 guineas; Susterman's "Portrait of a Nobleman," 12,500 guineas; and Petrus Christus' "Portrait of a Man," 14,000 guineas.

Sir William Berry wound up the sensational bidding 'by giving 30,000 guineas for Van Dyck's "Portrait of the Abbe Scaggie."

English and Spanish pictures will be sold tomorrow.