Old Masters Worldwide

As a result of the Napoleonic wars vast numbers of Old Master paintings were released on to the market from public and private collections across continental Europe. The knock-on effect was the growth of the market for Old Masters from the 1790s up to the early 1930s when the Great Depression put an end to its expansion.<br/><br/>This book explores the global movement of Old Master paintings and investigates some of the changes in the art market that took place as a result of this new interest. Arguably the most important phenomenon was the diminishing of the traditional figure of the art agent and the rise of more visible increasingly professional dealerships; firms such as Colnaghi and Agnew's in Britain Goupil in France and Knoedler in the USA came into existence. <i>Old Masters Worldwide</i> explores the ways in which the pioneering practices of such businesses contributed to shape a changing market.