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Further plates
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Detail. -
Macro detail, raking light.
Circle of the Master of the Vallombrosa Landscape
Northern Italian, late 18th century
A river valley at dusk, with a herdsman on the near bank
Oil on canvas
24 × 30 in. (61 × 76.2 cm)
Bidding on lot 9
Current bid
$4,750
- Estimate
- $4,000 – 6,000
- Next minimum
- $5,000
- Increment here
- $250
- Closes
- Sat, Sep 5, 2:06 PM EDT
Anti-sniping
A bid placed inside the final 3 minutes of this lot extends its close by a further 3 minutes, from the moment of the bid, and does so again for every bid inside the window. Only this lot is extended; the rest of the sale runs on. The rule exists so that a lot is won by the highest bidder rather than by whoever has the fastest connection in the last two seconds. The countdown above shows the extension as it happens.
Or bid another way
- Absentee. Leave a written maximum with the clerk. The house bids on your behalf up to it, and no higher, taking the lot as cheaply as the competition allows.
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Demonstration site. Hammer & Co is a fictional auction house; every lot, estimate, bid, result and provenance chain on this site is invented for the purpose of showing the design. No bid placed here is a real bid and nothing here is offered for sale.
Catalogue note
A capriccio in the eighteenth-century manner, the middle distance dissolving into a warm evening light that the painter has built up in successive thin glazes over a warm ground. The figures are the weakest passage and are probably by a second hand in the same studio. Offered without reserve.
Condition report
Fair Reported by Margaret Sowerby on August 17, 2026
Relined, probably in the mid twentieth century, with some flattening of the impasto in the sky as a result. Scattered retouching in the sky, most visible across the upper left quadrant. A 2 in. repaired tear lower centre, the repair sound but the retouching now discoloured. The varnish is heavily yellowed. Sold as found.
Ultraviolet. Extensive retouching in the sky, perhaps 12 per cent of the surface, fluoresces darkly under ultraviolet.
A condition report is an opinion, honestly held, given as a courtesy and not a warranty. It is not a substitute for examining the lot yourself, and the absence of a reference to a defect does not imply that the lot is free from it. Every lot is sold as is.
Provenance
- 1963 Acquired in Milan by the father of the present owner.
- to date Private collection, Connecticut.
Every provenance chain on this demonstration site is invented. No real collection, sale or ownership history is described.
The bidding ladder
Bids step by a published ladder, not a percentage. At $4,750 the step is $250, so the next admissible bid is $5,000. The auctioneer may vary the increment at their discretion.
| Bid at | Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 – $199 | $10 |
| $200 – $499 | $25 |
| $500 – $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 – $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 – $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 – $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 – $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 – $49,999 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 – $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 – $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 – $499,999 | $20,000 |
| $500,000 – $999,999 | $50,000 |
| $1,000,000 and above | $100,000 |
