George Frideric Handel's art collection
George Frideric Handel is reported to have had a great love for painting, and until his eyesight failed him, he enjoyed viewing collections of pictures that were for sale.[1] He owned a large art collection consisting of at least seventy paintings and ten prints,[1] including landscapes; ruins; hunting, historical, marine and battle scenes; erotica; and a few Biblical paintings and portraits.
Artworks
[edit]The paintings and prints in Handel's collection (that weren't bequeathed in his will) were auctioned by Abraham Langford[2] a little over ten months after his death (the auction catalogue was dated 27–28 February 1760).[3]
Auction
[edit]The auction of Handel's art collection occurred on 28 February 1760. The sale catalogue listed the following items:[3]
Lot | Genre | Artist | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Dorigny, N. | Eight of the planets | |
2 | Solimene | The flight into Egypt, and 8 others | |
3 | Dorigny, N. | Seven prints of the Angels and Crucifixion | |
4 | Poussin, N. | Eight landscapes | |
5 | Lambert and Scott | Six sea pieces | |
6 | Goupy | Four landscapes (after Poussin, etc.) | |
7 | Dorigny, N. | Four views of Malta, and 3 others | |
8 | Goupy | Eight landscapes (after Sal. Rosa) | |
9 | Goupy | Rubens stag-hunting, and 5 others | |
10 | Map | — | Eight maps on rollers |
11 | Frame | — | Two burnished gold frames |
12 | Painting | Unknown | Two door pieces (after Servandoni), and 2 others |
13 | Painting | Vandiest | A landscape with buildings |
13 | Painting | Mompert | A small landscape |
13 | Painting | Percelles | A sea piece |
14 | Painting | Unknown | A Dutch conversation (in the style of Ostade) |
14 | Painting | Unknown | A landscape (in the style of Housman) |
14 | Painting | Unknown | Two portraits |
15 | Painting | Pellegrini | Two history pieces |
16 | Painting | Ardine | Two flower pieces |
16 | Painting | Montingo | One flower piece |
17 | Painting | Percelles | A fresh gale |
17 | Painting | Unknown | A calm |
17 | Painting | Unknown | Two others |
18 | Painting | van Bassen, Ab. | A Town on Fire |
18 | Painting | Vandiest | A Landscape |
18 | Painting | Vandiest | Two heads in one picture |
19 | Painting | Teniers, D. | A conversation of Boors |
20 | Painting | Angeles | Two monkeys in friars habits |
20 | Painting | Vangoen | A small landscape |
21 | Painting | Mola, Fr. | Narcissus in a landscape |
21 | Painting | Unknown | A man playing on a German flute (in the style of Titian) |
22 | Painting | Ardine | A flower piece |
22 | Painting | Unknown | A landscape |
23 | Painting | Unknown | Two landscapes |
24 | Painting | Griffier, Jan ("Old") | A landscape and cattle (after Berghem) |
24 | Painting | Ruysdael, Sol. | A landscape and cattle |
25 | Painting | Servandoni | A piece of ruins |
26 | Painting | Pellegrini | Sampson and Dalilah |
27 | Painting | Unknown | A head (in the style of Rembrandt) |
28 | Painting | Watteau | A conversation |
29 | Painting | Watteau | Companion to "A conversation" |
30 | Painting | Unknown | Jupiter and Leda (in water colours) |
31 | Painting | Unknown | Jupiter and Danaë (Companion to "Juptier and Leda") |
32 | Painting | Mompert | A landscape |
33 | Painting | Andrea, S. | A lamp-light |
34 | Painting | Unknown | The Rape of Proserpine |
35 | Painting | Goupy | Hagar and Ishmael |
36 | Painting | Parrocelle | A landscape with a bridge |
36 | Painting | Parrocelle | The finding of Moses |
37 | Painting | Cantarini | Two Angels heads in an oval, and its companion |
38 | Painting | Swanevelt | A landscape |
39 | Painting | Wooton | A sun-set |
40 | Painting | Poussin, N. | A landscape |
41 | Painting | Horizonti | An upright landscape |
42 | Painting | Horizonti | Companion to "An upright landscape" |
43 | Painting | Goupy | Belisarius (after van Dyck), in water colours |
44 | Painting | Michau | An upright landscape |
45 | Painting | Hondius | An upright landscape with Vulcan's forge |
46 | Painting | Savory, Rowland | A landscape (Roelant Savery?) |
47 | Painting | Unknown | Jupiter and Iö, in water colours |
48 | Painting | Unknown | Jupiter and Ixion (companion to Jupiter and Iö) |
49 | Painting | Hondius | A hunting piece |
50 | Painting | Horizonti | A landscape |
51 | Painting | Ricci, M. | A landscape and buildings, in water colours |
52 | Painting | Ricci, M. | A landscape and buildings |
53 | Painting | Ricci, M. | A landscape and buildings (small) |
54 | Painting | Unknown | A large piece of architecture and tuins (after Panini) |
55 | Painting | Poussin, N. | The siege of Troy |
56 | Painting | Tillemans | Two battle pieces |
57 | Painting | Brueghell? | A small landscape |
58 | Painting | Goupy | Mucius Scaevola |
59 | Painting | Andrea del Sarto | Venus with her Attendants |
60 | Painting | Ferg | A landscape and figures, on copper |
61 | Painting | Ferg | Companion to "A landscape and figures" |
62 | Painting | Lucatelli | A landscape |
63 | Painting | Cannaletti | The Doge's palace |
64 | Painting | Poelenburgh | Bacchus and Ariadne |
65 | Painting | Ricci, Seb. | Venus and Adonis |
66 | Painting | Capriacci | Venus and Cupid (in an oval) |
67 | Painting | Servandoni | A large piece of ruins and figures |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Thomas McGeary in: "Handel as art collector: art, connoisseurship and taste in Hanoverian Britain", Early Music (2009) 37(4): 533 [1]
- ^ Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. .
- ^ a b Frick Art Reference Library search