For International Women’s Day, we’re spotlighting four women at Sworders and the opportunities, learning and support that have shaped their careers.
8 March 2026
Pictures from the collection of art dealer Sir Jack Baer sold for £81,000 at Sworders inaugural auction of Old Masters, British and European Art.
30 September 2022
The core of the September 27 sale was provided by items from 9 Phillimore Terrace, the Kensington house where Jack and Diana Baer lived for more than 50 years. As befitting the home of one of the most successful and well-regarded picture dealers of his generation (Jack Baer was the man who built Hazlitt, Gooden & Fox into a world-class concern), art was at the centre of the home. Hundreds of paintings, drawings and prints were hung throughout the house. Nineteenth century French drawings and oils, always a strength of the Hazlitt, Gooden & Fox gallery, were a favourite but so too were colourful works from the Modern British canon.
Théodore Rousseau (French, 1812-1867),Paysage, oil on paper laid on board,10.8 x 33cm
The 22 lots offered in September were topped at £19,000, an oil sketch by Théodore Rousseau (1812-67). Painted on paper and then laid down on board, this 11 x 33cm scene titled simply 'Paysage' had formed part of a 1956 Hazlitt gallery exhibition of Barbizon School art and was later included in Michael Schulman’s 1999 catalogue raisonné of Rousseau’s work.
Léopold Leprince (French, 1800-1847),'Roof Tops',indistinctly titled, signed and dated 'Leopold Leprince 1815' verso, oil on board,12.3 x 31cm
Sold at £17,000 to the same London collector was Roof Tops, an equally atmospheric 12 x 31cm oil on board sketch of the French countryside as viewed from the roofline by Robert-Léopold Leprince (1800-47). It was indistinctly titled, signed and dated 1819 placing it early in the artist’s career. At the time he was being taught by his father, Anne-Pierre and his brother Auguste-Xavier. Leprince was part of the second wave of French artists who came to paint nature in the Forest of Fontainebleau, some 35 miles southeast of Paris. He settled in the artists’ colony at Chailly.
Following the success of this week's sale, we look forward to offering more pictures from the Baer collection in our Modern and Contemporary Art sale on 4 October.
It is a rare opportunity to encounter the private world of a man whose life was devoted to the pursuit of architectural integrity, aesthetic refinement and the quiet joy of beautiful things. We are therefore honoured to offer works from the personal collection of the late Richard Collins (1952-2024) in our upcoming Fine Interiors sale.
10 March 2026
For International Women’s Day, we’re spotlighting four women at Sworders and the opportunities, learning and support that have shaped their careers.
8 March 2026
We are excited to share a collection of works from the estate of John Nash that features in our 31 March 'Modern & Contemporary Art' auction.
6 March 2026