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.
We are delighted to announce a substantial collection of hand-crafted items by the esteemed silver and goldsmith Stuart Devlin, debuting at our October Design auction. Characterised by Devlin's use of filigree work, unusual textures and the mixing of silver and silver-gilt to create two tone items, each piece displays minimalistic elegance.
20 August 2025
We are delighted to present an extraordinary collection of lots from the 1st Viscount Trenchard in our final Homes & Interiors sale, to be conducted live on Tuesday 2 September. Widely celebrated as the ‘Father of the Royal Air Force’ and the ‘patron saint of modern air power,’ this collection offers a rare opportunity to own pieces connected to a pivotal figure in military history.
18 August 2025
A cache of modern gold and gemset jewellery designed and created by antique dealer Ken Bolan will be offered on 24 September in our auction Ken Bolan | Nature Follows Form.
14 August 2025