SALE: Old Master Paintings in London at Christie's, Bonhams, and Sotheby's

DATE: December 6 at 6:30 p.m. (Christie's) and December 7 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (Bonhams and Sotheby's, respectively)

LOCATION: London, U.K.

ABOUT: As the primary market descends on Miami, the auction calendar continues with a week that includes American paintings in New York and Old Master sales in London. On Tuesday evening Christie's, the top lot will be a 1798-9 Francisco de Goya portrait depicting Juan Lopez de Robredo — the royal embroiderer in the court of King Carlos IV — which has a pre-sale estimate of £4-6 million ($6.1-9.2 million). At that time, the most esteemed courtiers were distinguished by their unique uniforms, and Robredo had the job of differentiating uniforms by adding intricate, detailed embroidery. Robredo himself was not allowed to wear an embroidered uniform until 1798 — many years into his service at court. When he was given the honor he approached Goya — a favorite painter in Carlos IV's court — to paint him in his newly embellished ensemble. Also headed to the auction block at Christie's is "The Battle Between Carnival and Lent" (not dated) by Pieter Bruegel the Younger (the son of the Flemish master Pieter Bruegel the Elder) who completed many studies of his father's earlier work. The canvas is one of five copies of Bruegel the Elder's 1559 painting of the same name.

On Wednesday afternoon, Bonhams will offer a recently discovered portrait by Diego Velazquez that was discovered among a consignment of works by nineteenth century artist Matthew Shepperson, who probably bought the work for just a few shillings during his lifetime and was likely unaware of its provenance. The owner, one of Shepperson's descendents, thought the portrait to be worth just a few hundred pounds when the rest of his consignment went under the hammer last year at Bonhams in Oxford, but someone at Bonhams recognized the work of Velazquez and the painting was kept for authentication. After careful study by Dr. Peter Cherry, a professor of art history at Trinity College Dublin who studies 17th century Spanish painting, it was deemed to be authentic and given an estimate of £2-3 million ($3.2-4.8 million). Although the subject of the portrait is unknown, the auction house has suggested it may be the Master of the Hunt at the court of Phillip IV, Juan Mateos.

The top lot at Sotheby's is a duo of conversation pieces — informal group portraits of a family or group of friends — by German painter Johann Zoffany, who eventually became known as one of the best artists of the genre. The works depict the actor David Garrick and his family at their house near Hampton Court on the Thames southwest of London (est. £6-8 million, $9.3-12.4 million). The pair are the first conversation pieces that Zoffany ever painted and were executed shortly after he arrived in England. Sotheby's will also offer a 1660 Dutch interior painting by Jan Steen, which carries a pre-sale estimate of £4.5-6 million ($7-9.3 million), and a landscape depicting the countryside outside of Amsterdam by Jacob van Ruisdael (est. £1.2-1.6 million, $1.9-2.5).

OTHER INTERNATIONAL SALES:

Sale: American Paintings and Drawings
at Christie's
Location: New York, New York
Date: November 30, 10 a.m.

Sale: American Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture
at Sotheby's
Location: New York, New York

Date: December 1, 10 a.m.

Sale: Russian Art at MacDougall's
Location: London, U.K.
Date: December 1, 10:30 a.m.

Sale: Modern and Contemporary Art at Gary Nader Auctions
Location: Miami, Florida
Date: December 1, 5 p.m.

Sale: Jubilee Auction (Artists-Designers-Architects) at Quittenbaum
Location: Munich, Germany
Date: December 6, 6 p.m.