This post was originally published on artnews.com
This May, Sotheby’s New York will hold an auction for a collection of Old Master paintings, assembled over decades by Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III. Estimated between $80 million and $120 million, the sale could set a new benchmark for Old Masters auctions.
The collection, consisting of 60 paintings spanning the 16th to early 19th centuries, includes works from across Europe, ranging from German Renaissance pieces to Dutch, Flemish, Italian, Spanish, and French masterpieces. Among the highlights are exceptional still-life paintings by Jan Davidsz. De Heem and Luis Meléndez, portraiture by Sir Thomas Lawrence and Frans Hals, and a landscape by Francesco Guardi.
The Saunders began collecting Old Masters works in the late 1990s, guided by George Wachter, Sotheby’s chairman and co-worldwide head of Old Master paintings. The couple approached their acquisitions with decisiveness, Wachter told ARTnews, often flying around the world to acquire a picture and frequently altering travel plans to seize fleeting opportunities. Parts of the collection have been exhibited in top institutions like the Art institute of Chicago, National Gallery of Art Washington DC, the Royal Academy London, and the Prado in Madrid.
The works in the Saunders’ collection come, like many Old Masters works, packed with stories. In one instance, the couple trudged through a Canadian snowstorm in order to shop the famous Hornstein collection. They agreed within minutes of seeing the tranche of paintings to buy six works, on one condition: that Hornstein sell them a beautiful still life by Luis Egidio Meléndez that, at first, they weren’t even shown. That picture, Still life with Cauliflower, Basket of Fish, Eggs, and Leeks, and Kitchen Utensils will be offered at the sale with an estimate of between $5 million and $8 million and is in line to mark a record for the artist at auction.
Another painting set to make a record is a still life by Davidsz. De Heem. When Wachter and the Saunders took a last minute trip to Rome to see the painting, its owner carried the work into the room wrapped in a garbage bag because he didn’t want his wife to know he was selling it.
Beyond their collecting pursuits, the Saunders have been active philanthropists, supporting numerous arts, education, and cultural institutions. Their contributions were recognized with the National Humanities Medal, awarded by President George W. Bush in 2008. Jordan Saunders serves on the boards of several organizations, including the Marine Corps University Foundation and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where the collection has been on view since 2023.
This auction follows Sotheby’s 2024 sale, Elegance and Wonder: The Jordan Saunders Collection, which celebrated the interiors designed by Jordan Saunders to showcase their Old Masters collection.
Old Masters are an often overlooked part of the art market. Still, as ARTnews‘ George Nelson reported in December, the sector has seen an increase in popularity in recent years with collectors who traditionally purchase modern and contemporary works expanding their collections and taking advantage of lower price points. During an Old Master sale in London last December, Ottilie Windsor and Alex Branczik from Sotheby’s Contemporary department were actively taking phone bids on Botticelli, while Thomas Boyd-Bowman from the Modern departmen took phone bids for a Rubens and a Rosso.
According to Sotheby’s, 63 precent of the unique bidders in their “Master Paintings: Part 1” sale in January have bid, bought, or sold in contemporary or modern sales since 2020.