10 EUROPEAN AUCTION PICKS — 25 OCTOBER 2026
Ten specific forthcoming works from France, Italy, Austria and Germany, excluding Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips.
Estimates are not appraisals; premiums, taxes and shipping are additional. Artcurial entries were checked against individual catalogue pages; Finarte, Dorotheum and Lempertz entries against official published sale previews/catalogue highlights, with remaining documentation gaps explicitly identified.
1. FRANZ WULFHAGEN — Presumed Portrait of Baruch Spinoza
Artcurial — Paris, France — 10 November 2026 Lot: 4 | Estimate: €15,000–20,000 https://www.artcurial.com/en/sales/6583/lots/4-a
WHY WOULD I LOOK AT IT?
Signed and dated 1664, this portrait has a remarkably documented ownership history, including wartime seizure, repatriation and restitution in 1950, as well as scholarly bibliography. The historical story is more interesting than the estimate alone.
WHAT WOULD CONCERN ME? The sitter is only presumed to be Spinoza. Verify that identification independently, the condition and the complete restitution and title documentation.
2. PAUL BRIL — The Pilgrims to Emmaus
Artcurial — Paris, France — 10 November 2026Lot: 11 | Estimate: €50,000–70,000 https://www.artcurial.com/en/sales/6583/lots/11-a
WHY WOULD I LOOK AT IT?
A dated 1602 oil on copper with provenance through Galerie De Jonckheere. Artcurial reports Luuk Pijl’s confirmation and a related composition in Glasgow. A small but serious Old Master research candidate.
WHAT WOULD CONCERN ME? The catalogue explicitly notes restorations and a reinforced signature. Obtain the technical report and compare the Glasgow version rather than relying on the certificate alone.
3. AERT VAN DER NEER — River Landscape by Moonlight
Artcurial — Paris, France — 10 November 2026Lot: 13 | Estimate: €30,000–40,000 https://www.artcurial.com/en/sales/6583/lots/13-a
WHY WOULD I LOOK AT IT?
The 25.5 × 33 cm canvas is listed in Wolfgang Schulz’s 2002 catalogue and passed through Galerie Sanct Lucas and Harari & Johns. Moonlight landscapes are central to this artist’s appeal.
WHAT WOULD CONCERN ME? Inspect the glazes, old overpaint and the back inscriptions; the small scale makes condition and pictorial quality decisive.
4. GASPAR DE CRAYER — Study of a Young Woman’s Head
Artcurial — Paris, France — 10 November 2026Lot: 15 | Estimate: €15,000–20,000 https://www.artcurial.com/en/sales/6583/lots/15-a
WHY WOULD I LOOK AT IT?
A 36 × 30 cm oil study on paper mounted to panel. Such studies can reveal an artist’s hand more directly than large workshop compositions. The relatively contained estimate makes a close look worthwhile.
WHAT WOULD CONCERN ME? The catalogue reports old restorations, and mounting complicates technical assessment. Establish whether the study is securely autograph.
5. ANDREA APPIANI — Self-Portrait, circa 1810–1811
Finarte — Milan, Italy — 5 November 2026Lot: 63 | Estimate: €20,000–30,000 https://www.finarte.it/landing/arte-figurativa-tra-xix-e-xx-secolo-novembre-2026/
WHY WOULD I LOOK AT IT?
Finarte presents this previously unpublished self-portrait as a major discovery. Its proposed date falls late in the career of an important Italian neoclassical painter, and the estimate warrants scrutiny.
WHAT WOULD CONCERN ME? A newly published self-portrait requires rigorous attribution, provenance and comparison with accepted likenesses. Request the full lot dossier before treating it as autograph.
6. POMPEO MARIANI — Notturno a Milano, 1900
Finarte — Milan, Italy — 5 November 2026Lot: 11 | Estimate: €2,000–3,000 https://www.finarte.it/landing/arte-figurativa-tra-xix-e-xx-secolo-novembre-2026/
WHY WOULD I LOOK AT IT?
An urban nocturne by an Italian painter with a recognizable atmospheric vocabulary, offered at a modest estimate. I would compare its execution with stronger examples before dismissing it because of the low price.
WHAT WOULD CONCERN ME? The published preview does not establish medium, dimensions or condition. Obtain the individual catalogue entry and check the depth of the resale market.
7. BEPPE CIARDI — Bambine
Finarte — Milan, Italy — 5 November 2026Lot: 67 | Estimate: €15,000–20,000 https://www.finarte.it/landing/arte-figurativa-tra-xix-e-xx-secolo-novembre-2026/
WHY WOULD I LOOK AT IT?
Finarte highlights this substantial figurative painting. Ciardi’s relationship to Venetian landscape and naturalist painting makes an unusually ambitious figurative work a candidate for closer study.
WHAT WOULD CONCERN ME? Size alone does not guarantee quality. Verify date, medium, conservation and comparable Ciardi paintings, especially whether the subject is commercially representative.
8. EMILIO VEDOVA — Del nostro tempo, 1960
Dorotheum — Vienna, Austria — 19 November 2026Lot: catalogue highlight; number to confirm | Estimate: €30,000–35,000 https://www.dorotheum.com/en/c/contemporary-week-23795/
WHY WOULD I LOOK AT IT?
A signed and dated mixed-media work on paper mounted to canvas from 1960. Dorotheum states that it is registered with the Archivio Emilio Vedova and accompanied by an artist-signed photo certificate. The date and documentation are the attraction.
WHAT WOULD CONCERN ME? Paper mounted on canvas needs close conservation scrutiny. Confirm the archive record, the certificate and the exact lot number before bidding.
9. DADAMAINO — Volume, 1959
Dorotheum — Vienna, Austria — 19 November 2026Lot: catalogue highlight; number to confirm | Estimate: €20,000–30,000
WHY WOULD I LOOK AT IT?
A signed 1959 canvas, reportedly registered in the artist’s archive and accompanied by a photo certificate. The early date makes it more interesting than a generic later example; the technical description must be checked.
WHAT WOULD CONCERN ME? Confirm exactly what the catalogue means by the medium and ‘Volume’ classification, as well as condition, intervention history and the archive documentation.
10. FEDE GALIZIA — Peaches and Jasmine Flowers in a Wicker Basket
Lempertz — Cologne, Germany — 21 November 2026Lot: auction 1300, Part I; lot number to confirm | Estimate: €80,000–100,000 https://www.lempertz.com/en/catalogues/detail/1300-1-old-masters-and-19th-century-i.html
WHY WOULD I LOOK AT IT?
A rare opportunity to study a still life catalogued under an important early Italian woman painter at a German regional auction. The specialist context could make it worth researching even without the global-major spotlight.
WHAT WOULD CONCERN ME?
THREE I WOULD RESEARCH FIRST
Franz Wulfhagen — presumed Spinoza portrait: restitution history and the unproven sitter identification.
Andrea Appiani — Self-Portrait: an unpublished attribution that merits a full technical and documentary review.
Dadamaino — Volume, 1959: early date and archive documentation, provided the medium and work type check out.
THE ART EXPERT’S VIEW
The point is not to select the highest estimates. It is to identify works whose date, attribution, provenance or scholarly documentation create a reason to investigate. A restitution record does not prove the sitter’s identity; a certificate does not replace connoisseurship; and a low estimate does not create liquidity. I would seek the condition report, ownership documentation, comparable sales and all-in acquisition cost before bidding.
Gérard Van Weyenbergh — Independent Art Expert — VWART.com
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