The Temporal Dimensions of the London Art Auction, 1780–1835

British Art Studies

Abram Fox¹  Matthew Lincoln² 

[1] Getty Research Institute;Towson University;

关键词: Christie's;    art market;    Sotheby's;    Foster's;    data analysis;    big data;    Getty Provenance Index;    provenance;    art sales;    British art;    London art market;   

DOI  :  10.17658/issn.2058-5462/issue-04/afox-mlincoln

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The rush of activity among London's auction houses in the first few weeks of summer has long been a familiar occurrence that persists even today. However, this intense seasonal concentration of sales was not always so. This paper draws on quantitative methods to explore the gradual emergence of a tightly scheduled auction season in London at the turn of the nineteenth century, focusing on the sale of paintings. By analysing historical art auction catalogue data, the paper traces the ways in which this shift varied across different segments of the auction market, as well as between individual auction houses. As our study shows, the temporal clustering of painting auctions had specific business advantages, but it also played a key role in enhancing the social import of these auctions, demarcating an annual, weeks-long “event” looked to with anticipation and excitement by auctioneers and buyers alike.

【 授权许可】

Unknown