Old Master Paintings

An Old Master is an artist who worked in Europe anytime between roughly the 14th through the early 19th century. For people who want their art to be a strong store of value, Old Master paintings provide stability over time. The Old Masters category is not a good place for art speculation, though, unless the collector has achieved personal mastery of connoisseurship in a particular subject area.

The famous dealer, Richard Feigen, spotted a painting by Fra Angelico at a Sotheby’s sale preview that was misattributed to a lesser artist. Still not quite sure what it was at the time, Feigen bought the painting. It is worth many times what he paid.

Connoisseurs use their familiarity with Old Masters artists’ gestures and techniques to identify them. They also research works and their documentation over time. However, it is not unusual for scholars to change artist attributions for these classic works as research reveals more about a painting.

Quick Facts

• On July 8, 2015, Sotheby’s London sold a "The Mouth of Truth," c. 1525-28, by Lucas Cranach the Elder, for £9.3 million
• In the same sale, a view of the grand canal by Bernardo Bellotto, painted in 1738-39, sold for £2.6 million
• In a sale at Christie’s London on July 9, 2015, "The Outdoor Wedding Dance," 1621, by Pieter Breughel the Younger, sold for £1.2 million