George Frideric Handel's art collection

Auction Notice (Daily Advertiser, 28 February 1760) for the sale of 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

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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

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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 Print Dorigny, N. Eight of the planets
2 Print Solimene The flight into Egypt, and 8 others
3 Print Dorigny, N. Seven prints of the Angels and Crucifixion
4 Print Poussin, N. Eight landscapes
5 Print Lambert and Scott Six sea pieces
6 Print Goupy Four landscapes (after Poussin, etc.)
7 Print Dorigny, N. Four views of Malta, and 3 others
8 Print Goupy Eight landscapes (after Sal. Rosa)
9 Print 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

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  1. ^ a b Thomas McGeary in: "Handel as art collector: art, connoisseurship and taste in Hanoverian Britain", Early Music (2009) 37(4): 533 [1]
  2. ^ "Langford, Abraham" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  3. ^ a b Frick Art Reference Library search