LONDON — Sotheby’s will offer selected pieces from the renowned collection of Castle Howard at its Old Masters and Treasures Sales in London on July 8.Widely considered to be the finest example of Baroque architecture in England, this sprawling, 4,050 hectare countryside estate in North Yorkshire, fifteen miles north of York, has been home to the Carlisle branch of the Howard family for more than three centuries, as well as the stately repository of many masterpieces of 17th and 18th century European painting.A Hong Kong preview that ran from April 2-6 gave Asian art aficionados a rare chance to view selected pieces including Bernardo Bellotto’s sweeping depiction of the Grand Canal in Venice as seen from the Palazzo Foscari and Palazzo Moro-Lin, which was acquired by the 4th Earl of Carlisle during his second Grand Tour of Italy in 1738-9; a portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger (1542, est. £800,000-1,200,000); and Ferdinand Bol’s “Portrait of a Boy” (1652, est. £2-3 million), which was first acquired by Frederick Howard, the 5th Earl of Carlisle, whose more catholic tastes, ranging from Italian and Dutch Old Masters to British contemporary paintings, transformed the Castle Howard collection into one of Britain’s most significant holdings.Other highlights from the London sale include Lucas Cranach the Elder’s rare German Renaissance masterwork “La Bocca della Verita” (c. 1525-27, est. £6-8 million), which is being offered at auction for the first time in its history, having remained in private hands ever since its creation, and Willem Claeszoon Heda’s “Still Life with A Glass” (1633, est. £2–3 million).Asian interest in the Castle Howard collection was no doubt given a slight fillip earlier this year in January, when Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou got married to Australian model Hannah Quinlavin at Selby Abbey, following it with a wedding reception for a small group of relatives and friends at Castle Howard.Alex Bell, Co-Chairman Worldwide of Old Masters at Sotheby's, notes that the general market for Old Masters worldwide “is in rude health, underpinned by strong — and growing — interest from around the globe. While the European and American collectors have long been active in the field, in recent years, we have seen ever more interest from further afield, most recently from Asia. Chinese participation in Sotheby's Old Masters sales has increased 120% over the course of the past twelve months, and in the same timeframe, Asian buyers have spent almost five times more than in 2010.”In terms of respectable provenance, Bell sees the Castle Howard name adding “immense luster to the works to be sold in July. Put together over some 300 years by generations of informed and passionate collectors, the collections of Castle Howard are extraordinarily rich and deep. The fact that Castle Howard was recently the setting for Jay Chou's wedding just emphasizes the international allure of what is widely considered one of Britain's greatest and most beautiful stately homes.”Follow @ARTINFOHongKong
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