Doyle’s Old Master & 19th-Century Paintings & Drawings Auction Features Piedmont School Madonna and Child Enthroned Painting

Doyle will present its Old Master & 19th Century Paintings, Drawings & Prints auction this October. The sale starts with a 16th-century Piedmont School oil and gold painting on an octagonal panel titled Madonna and Child Enthroned in a Landscape. This painting was sold by Christie’s New York in 2016 and has remained in the collection of an Italian noble family since then. There have been many renditions of this iconic image of the Madonna and Child throughout the history of Western art. In this painting, Mary holds her child delicately and caringly on her lap. The mother and child both have pensive expressions, captured by the subtle details of the painting. 

Another highlight of the sale is an early depiction of vibrantly colored flowers by Pancrace Bessa (French, 1772 – 1846). Red, Pink, and White Poppies, Cornflowers, and a Pink Rose is an oil on paper by Bessa, a French natural history artist best known for his botanical illustrations like the one presented here. Bessa treated his delicate subjects with care by drawing the most minute details. Bessa’s final works were dated 1836. Other notable lots in the upcoming auction include two 19th-century oil paintings from the English School and Fancy Chickens with Ducks in a Landscape from the School of Melchior de Hondecoeter. The sale also includes prints, multiples, bronze and marble sculptures, and more. View the complete catalog of the Old Master & 19th Century Paintings, Drawings, & Prints auction by visiting Doyle.