Rare Dutch collection goes to auction
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8 September 2023
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15 September 2023Single-owner sale
The remarkable collection of Cornelius Paulus van Pauwvliet promises a treat for lovers of Dutch and French artworks from the 17th to 19th century
Words: Dan Hayes
A remarkable single-owner collection including paintings, furniture, silver, ceramics, clocks and books is due to go on sale at Bonhams in London on Tuesday 21 November.
Owned by Dutch connoisseur-collector Cornelius Paulus van Pauwvliet, the collection encompasses Dutch and French artworks largely from the 17th to the 19th centuries that was amassed over 50 years and adorned its owner’s Amsterdam home, close to the Rijksmuseum.
The French influence on Dutch interiors, sparked by the arrival of the refugee Protestant Huguenots in the Netherlands in the 1600s, is one theme that is evident in the collection.
Among the highlights are three ornate pieces of furniture attributed to German-born Matthijs Horrix (1735-1809), owner of what was at the time the largest and best-known workshop in The Hague and a man who marketed his wares as being ‘in the manner of Paris’.
Also likely to attract buyer interest are a selection of oil paintings that include Kees van Dongen’s Deauville, Le Champ de Courses from 1935 and Théo Van Rysselberghe’s Quai à Veere (1906), both with an estimate of £300,000-£500,000.
Dutch painter, printmaker and forerunner of Impressionism, Johan Jongkind, is also represented via his Sortie du Port de Honfleur of 1866, which has an estimate of £50,000-£70,000.
Commenting on the forthcoming sale Charlie Thomas, Bonhams UK group director of house sales and private and iconic collections, furniture and works of art, said: ‘This exceptional private collection represents the very best of Dutch and French fine and decorative works of art [and] showcases the evolution of Dutch taste from the 17th century to the late 19th century.’
The auction is scheduled to take place at Bonhams’ London salerooms, New Bond Street, from 18-20 November.