These new databases join inventories of notable seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Italian, Spanish, and Dutch collections, as well as the contents of British (1801-1820), Belgian (1801-1820), German (1690-1800), Dutch and French (1801-1810) painting auctions of the nineteenth century.

Lists basic biographical and price information on over 250,000 artists. Each listing includes the data such as birth and death dates, nationality, media used (painting, sculpture etc.), subjects, auction prices, price ranges, notations of specific auctions where the artist's art has sold, references to books with additional biographical information, and approximate sizes of listings in those books. Also included for the first time is a signature directory containing over 1,000 signatures of artists before the twentieth century.

The most authoritative and comprehensive source for international auctions of prints. Contains more than 20,000 entries arranged alphabetically by artist and including title, medium, edition size, date, references, measurements, indication of signature, edition number, marginalia, and general condition. Sale information for each entry gives the auction house, date of sale, lot number, and price in currency of sale place as well as converted into U.S. dollar.

Lists sales of photographs at auction during the 1999 calendar year. Each entry includes photographer's name, title of the photograph or portfolio, description including date, dimensions, auction house and location sold, date of auction and price paid in dollars with the buyer's premium. Results of sales are listed in three different currencies, including Euro.

This CD-ROM edition provides price information for 19th and 20th century photographs as well as for books and periodicals containing original photographs. It contains nearly 200,000 sales results for photographs by over 15,000 photographers sold primarily at international auctions over the past 20 years, but also includes many earlier dealer and auction selling prices. Nearly 15,000 entries are brand new and date from the 2005 auction year. A typical entry includes the photographer's name, title of the image, type of print, information about the negative and date the image was printed, signature, condition, additional annotations, auctioneer, catalogue number, and selling price in dollars, pounds, euros, and the currency of the country where the sale took place.

Contains more than 22,000 entries from international private print dealer catalogs. Includes contact information for all dealers listed, a bibliography, and a listing of catalogues raisonnés (which list all works by an artist).

Over 60,000 sale results arranged alphabetically by artist within chapters devoted to painting, prints, drawings, sculpture and watercolors. An excellent comprehensive resource.

Covers the sale of paintings, pastels, drawings, gouaches and watercolors in all periods across a limited number of auction houses. Primarily U.S. and Western European houses are addressed, but includes other countries, such as Japan, Israel, Russia, and Sweden for those years. Contains an alphabetical index for years 1946-1972.

A record of sale prices at the principal London, Continental and American auction rooms, including Christie's, Manson & Woods, and Wilkinson & Hodge. There is an index to artists and engravers names.

Art sales from the early eighteenth century to the early twentieth century (mostly old master and early English pictures) compiled by Algernon Graves.

Covers artists since the Impressionists. Gives title, date, dimensions, auction house and date, price. In addition it gives a brief chronological summary of artist's career. Covers only artists who had at least one work auctioned for $2,000 or more.

Compiled in 1857, Blanc's text reports sales of collections for the period 1737-1855. Arranged by collector, then by artist. Short discussions on the collectors and the nature of collections often precede lists of works. Includes indexes.

The first volume contains results from 182 sales held in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Leiden, The Hague, Delft, and other cities. Includes the results of substantial research on provenance and private collections.

In three volumes. Arranged alphabetically by artist then chronologically.

A fairly comprehensive index for sales of paintings, drawings, watercolors, prints, miniatures, and sculpture in North America and Europe. Includes annual compilations of records prices, turnover, and works sold for more than one million pounds, and a useful cross-index to artist names.

Covers the past three decades of sales results from all North American auction houses. Objects represent all media and periods. Contains more than 1,000 biographies and brief essays on Latin American art and artists in English. Includes illustrations.

Important for documentation of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century works of art. Includes paintings, drawings, prints, watercolors, miniatures, pastels, gouaches, enamels, painted fans, and stained glass. Arranged alphabetically by artist. Contains approx. 3,000 public sales, names of 30,000 artists, and the prices of approx. 50,000 items. Seven volumes.

Lugt's text covers a wide range of media and objects beginning with the seventeenth century, including paintings, medallions, drawings, tapestries, intaglios, antiquities, ceramics and furniture. Four volumes, divided chronologically.

Index of paintings sold in Germany prior to 1800. Also available as part of Getty Provenance Index.

Periodicals

Many journals contain sections about recent and upcoming auctions:

American Indian Art Magazine	("Auction Block")
Apollo	("Round the Auction House")
Art and Antiques	("On the Market")
Art News	("The Art Market")
Drawing	("International Auction Review")
Nouvelle de l'estampe	("Ventes Publiques")
Print Collectors Newsletter	("International Auction Review")
Weltkunst	("Auktionen")

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Studies of the History of Auctions and Sales

Below is just a sampling of the library's holdings. More sources can be found by searching the Library's online catalog using "art auctions" as a subject heading or keyword.

Lacey, Robert. Sotheby's : bidding for class. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1998. REF N6502.L46 1999

Traces the two centuries of Sotheby's history, from its foundation to the present day. Plenty of accounts of famous and wealthy collectors and the famous, sometimes curious objects they have bought and sold.

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