The final lot was J. M. W. Turner’s view of the poet Alexander Pope’s home on the Thames, consigned by the Dent-Brocklehursts. Billed as one of the most important Turner oils to come up for sale in living memory—it was on the market only once before, in 1827—it carried the highest estimate of the sale, £5 million to £7 million ($9.9–13.9 mil­lion). In actuality, it was rather underwhelming and not in the later, more Impressionistic Turner style currently favored. It attracted only two bidders and sold—presumably to an American, since the offer was made on the phone via the New York–based Impressionist and modern specialist Charles Moffett—for just £5,417,250 ($10.7 million).

Once again, the market favored rarities, rediscoveries and highly decorative works with clean lines and strong images, which appeal to collectors of contemporary art.

"Old Master Paintings" originally appeared in the September 2008 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's September 2008 Table of Contents.