Taking place on Tuesday 10 February, our Old Master, British and European Art auction includes a fascinating private collection of Dutch paintings dating from the late sixteenth to the mid-seventeenth century, a period known as the Dutch Golden Age.

The era was remarkable for its cultural and economic prosperity in the newly independent Dutch Republic, a time when global trade and mercantile success fostered a vibrant, competitive art market. Artists responded to this unique environment by producing works that emphasised realism, everyday subjects, and innovative visual approaches. Dutch painters broke from the grand religious commissions that dominated Catholic Europe and instead created art tailored to a growing class of private patrons. This shift gave rise to an extraordinary diversity of subjects, including genre scenes of domestic life, detailed landscapes, and intimate portraiture, all rendered with a naturalism and mastery of light that continues to captivate audiences today.

The auction reflects these defining characteristics of Dutch Old Master paintings. Among the highlights are genre scenes and intimate portraits that illustrate both the social fabric of the period and the technical proficiency of the artists. Works attributed to painters such as Gillis Van Tilborgh and collaborative lots by Jacques D’Arthois demonstrate the variety of artistic production in the seventeenth-century Low Countries. These compositions range from pastoral family landscapes to meticulously observed interior scenes, each offering a window into the cultural values and visual tastes of their time.