A winter landscape by Dutch artist Isaac van Ostade (1621-1649) has seen the highest bids in Bonhams' Old Master Paintings sale, which was held in London last night (July 3).
 Though achieving a level of success, Ostade died before his work could reach full fruition |
The work has spent much of its life being passed down by descent in a private collection, and was unrecorded prior to its sale. It sold for £139,250 ($211,803).
It is a fantastic representation of the mature winter landscapes that Ostade became renowned for in the 1640s, examples of which are currently housed in the Louvre and London's National Gallery.
 Religious icons, especially early examples such as this Luca di Tomme work, are selling well on the current market |
Luca di Tomme's (1330-1389) The Madonna and Child, a classic religious panel created using tempera on gold ground, brought the second highest bids of the sale at £121,250 ($184,425).
The piece can be compared to Tomme's Madonna and Child that is currently housed in the Museo Civico in Montalcino, Italy, which was originally commissioned in the 1380s as part of an altarpiece in the church of San Francesco in the small hill town.
 The Bird Trap is a classic composition, but it is not certain which of the Brueghels created the prototype |
From the workshop of Flemish master Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1565-1636) came a piece entitled The Bird Trap - another superb winter landscape.
A much repeated composition, the work demonstrates the precariousness of life, with the birds oblivious to the trap before them, while the skaters are unaware of the dangers of fragile ice. It sold for £103,250 ($157,046).
Sotheby's held its own Old Master and British Paintings auction on July 3 in London, establishing a new world record for the work of El Greco.
