ART TREASURES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20150, 19 May 1928, Page 7

ART TREASURES

A SENSATIONAL SALE Portion of Holford Collection Sold at Christie’s REMARKABLE PRICES OBTAINED [ By Telegraph—Per Press Assn.—Copyright ] [ Australian Press Assn. ] Received May 18. 11.50 p.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 £530,000 was previously obtained for the Holford art treasures and books, including £166,000 for Italian last July. Christie’s was crowded, and buyers from all over the world were competing. A total of 364,094 guineas was obtained, which is easily a record for Christie's, bidding being at the rate of £3OOO a 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 Man with Cleft Chin," measuring only 30 inches by 24, sold for 40,000 guineas. Rembrandt’s “Man with Torch" fetched 48,00 guineas, and five of his pictures brought 150,000 guineas. Cuyps' “View of Dordrecht" realised 25.000 guineas, sketch by Rubens “Elevation of the Cross" 5200 guineas, Sustermon’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 Vandyek’s “Portrait of Abbe Scaggia." English and Spanish pictures will be sold to-morrow.