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.Thomas McGeary in: "Handel as art collector: art, connoisseurship and taste in Hanoverian Britain", Early Music (2009) 37(4): 533 He owned a large art collection consisting of at least seventy paintings and ten prints, including landscapes; ruins; hunting, historical, marine and battle scenes; erotica; and a few Biblical paintings and portraits.
Artworks The paintings and prints in Handel's collection (that weren't bequeathed in his will) were auctioned by Abraham Langford a little over ten months after his death (the auction catalogue was dated 27–28 February 1760).Frick Art Reference Library search
Auction The auction of Handel's art collection occurred on 28 February 1760. The sale catalogue listed the following items:
LotGenreArtistNotes1PrintDorigny, N.Eight of the planets2PrintSolimeneThe flight into Egypt, and 8 others3PrintDorigny, N.Seven prints of the Angels and Crucifixion4PrintPoussin, N.Eight landscapes5PrintLambert and ScottSix sea pieces6PrintGoupyFour landscapes (after Poussin, etc.)7PrintDorigny, N.Four views of Malta, and 3 others8PrintGoupyEight landscapes (after Sal. Rosa)9PrintGoupyRubens stag-hunting, and 5 others10Map—Eight maps on rollers11Frame—Two burnished gold frames12PaintingUnknownTwo door pieces (after Servandoni), and 2 others13PaintingVandiestA landscape with buildings13PaintingMompertA small landscape13PaintingPercellesA sea piece14PaintingUnknownA Dutch conversation (in the style of Ostade)14PaintingUnknownA landscape (in the style of Housman)14PaintingUnknownTwo portraits15PaintingPellegriniTwo history pieces16PaintingArdineTwo flower pieces16PaintingMontingoOne flower piece17PaintingPercellesA fresh gale17PaintingUnknownA calm17PaintingUnknownTwo others18Paintingvan Bassen, Ab.A Town on Fire18PaintingVandiestA Landscape18PaintingVandiestTwo heads in one picture19PaintingTeniers, D.A conversation of Boors20PaintingAngelesTwo monkeys in friars habits20PaintingVangoenA small landscape21PaintingMola, Fr.Narcissus in a landscape21PaintingUnknownA man playing on a German flute (in the style of Titian)22PaintingArdineA flower piece22PaintingUnknownA landscape23PaintingUnknownTwo landscapes24PaintingGriffier, Jan ("Old")A landscape and cattle (after Berghem)24PaintingRuysdael, Sol.A landscape and cattle25PaintingServandoniA piece of ruins26PaintingPellegriniSampson and Dalilah27PaintingUnknownA head (in the style of Rembrandt)28PaintingWatteauA conversation29PaintingWatteauCompanion to "A conversation"30PaintingUnknownJupiter and Leda (in water colours)31PaintingUnknownJupiter and Danaë (Companion to "Juptier and Leda")32PaintingMompertA landscape33PaintingAndrea, S.A lamp-light34PaintingUnknownThe Rape of Proserpine35PaintingGoupyHagar and Ishmael36PaintingParrocelleA landscape with a bridge36PaintingParrocelleThe finding of Moses37PaintingCantariniTwo Angels heads in an oval, and its companion38PaintingSwaneveltA landscape39PaintingWootonA sun-set40PaintingPoussin, N.A landscape41PaintingHorizontiAn upright landscape42PaintingHorizontiCompanion to "An upright landscape"43PaintingGoupyBelisarius (after van Dyck), in water colours44PaintingMichauAn upright landscape45PaintingHondiusAn upright landscape with Vulcan's forge46PaintingSavory, RowlandA landscape (Roelant Savery?)47PaintingUnknownJupiter and Iö, in water colours48PaintingUnknownJupiter and Ixion (companion to Jupiter and Iö)49PaintingHondiusA hunting piece50PaintingHorizontiA landscape51PaintingRicci, M.A landscape and buildings, in water colours52PaintingRicci, M.A landscape and buildings53PaintingRicci, M.A landscape and buildings (small)54PaintingUnknownA large piece of architecture and tuins (after Panini)55PaintingPoussin, N.The siege of Troy56PaintingTillemansTwo battle pieces57PaintingBrueghell?A small landscape58PaintingGoupyMucius Scaevola59PaintingAndrea del SartoVenus with her Attendants60PaintingFergA landscape and figures, on copper61PaintingFergCompanion to "A landscape and figures"62PaintingLucatelliA landscape63PaintingCannalettiThe Doge's palace64PaintingPoelenburghBacchus and Ariadne65PaintingRicci, Seb.Venus and Adonis66PaintingCapriacciVenus and Cupid (in an oval)67PaintingServandoniA large piece of ruins and figures
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