Antiques 2.0 is a worldwide network for antiques market professionals.

Old Master & British Paintings:
Sotheby’s London summer Evening Sale of Old Master & British Paintings will take place on Wednesday, July 7, 2010 and taking centre stage will be J.M.W. Turner’s breathtaking masterpiece Modern Rome – Campo Vaccino, estimated at £12-18 million.  Painted in 1839, Modern Rome – Campo Vaccino is undoubtedly one of the most important works by the British master ever to come to auction.  The painting shows Turner at the height of his technical powers and it is further distinguished by its immaculate condition and impeccable provenance, having only appeared on the open market once in the 171 years since it was painted.

The Evening Sale will further comprise: a strong selection of works by Dutch and Flemish 17th century artists including members of the Brueghel dynasty, Frans Hals and Jan Lievens; a rare painting by the British artist James Ward; and little-known and newly-discovered works by the great Spanish still life painter of the 18th century, Luis Meléndez, the 14th century Italian artist Barnaba da Modena and John Constable.  Some 57 lots will be presented for sale overall, with a combined pre-sale estimate in the region £35 million.

Old Master & British Drawings:
Just prior to the Old Master & British Paintings sales, on Tuesday, July 6, Sotheby’s London will also hold two sales of Old Master & British Drawings. One, a single-owner collection of 80 works, put together with great care and discrimination over a quarter of a century, and consisting primarily of Italian drawings from the 16th-18th centuries.  Formerly owned, in many cases, by leading collectors of the 18th and 19th centuries, several drawings in this exceptional and very personal collection also featured in great sales of the past – including the famous Chatsworth and Holkham Hall auctions.  The sale includes works by leading names such as Parmigianino, Paolo Veronese, Guercino and Salvator Rosa, together with an unparalleled group of works by Baldassare Franceschini, called Volterrano.  In addition to the superb selection of Italian drawings, the collection also includes smaller but meticulously chosen groups of French, Dutch and German drawings dating from the 16th to the early 20th centuries.  Among these are works by artists such as Jean-Antoine Watteau and Adriaen van Ostade.

This exceptional collection will be complemented by a strong various owners sale which includes, among other major works, an important drawing by Francisco Goya, not seen on the market since 1877.