Dr. Anke Charlotte Held Art Consulting & Expertise

About me

Dr. Anke Charlotte Held

As art historian with more than 20 years’ ample experience in the international art market, I became in 2021 an independent art expert and a member of the Belgian Association of Art Experts. Previously, I have been Senior Specialist for Old Masters at Christie’s for 10 years. I have published about south German baroque painting, and about Georg Philipp Rugendas in particular (see here). Throughout my career, I have gained a profound knowledge of paintings from 1400 to 1900 and developed a great network of collectors, curators and scholars as well as strong institutional ties. I am based in Belgium and South Germany but open to act internationally.

My ambition is to advise private collectors, public institutions, art galleries and insurance companies on old master paintings by taking a relevant role in the procedure of researching, valuating, buying, selling and doing inventories. My expertise comes with my passion about art which was always the source of my persuasiveness and my negotiation skills as business getter which made me to a highly motivated ambassador for the companies I’ve been working for.

SERVICEs

Valuation and appraisal

Value appraisals for single works of art or collections done individually and tailored to your requirements according to the following criteria:

· Current time value (for planned purchases and sales).

· Insurance value (replacement value).

· The appraisal will be done based on a professional high resolution (digital) photo or/and after first hand inspection of the original.

Inventories and estate management

The basis for all projects, whether buying or selling, is the expert inventory of your property according to international standards. I create a dossier for individual works; collections are recorded in inventory catalogues. This includes photographic documentation, art historical classification and, if necessary, provenance research.

Inventory has several advantages for you:

· You can use your inventory list with photos for your insurance.

· You have an overview of your collection - where does it need additions or restructuring.

· You have all the relevant data in case of sales, inheritance divisions or divorce.

In case of estates (division of inheritance), divorce cases or insolvencies I draw up inventories and prepare appraisals of the works on art. The inventories and appraisals will be done after first hand inspection of the collection.

Authentication and provenance

For the authentication and any required expert reports I cooperate with internationally renowned experts and specialized archives. I also organize the authentication for you.

For provenance research of your artworks, I am working together with internationally renowned researches on provenance and with specialized archives.

Old master paintings often have no attribution or an uncertain or wrong attribution. In many cases they are unsigned, bear illegible remnants of a signature or have doubtful signatures. With my long experience as art historian and researcher on this field I will assist you to figure out the artist of your painting and thus increase its attractivity and value.

Build your collection

· Purchase projects

Task is to find suitable works of art and acquire them at realistic prices. Whether in auctions or galleries, I filter the national and international offer to find the optimal work for you.

· Restoration and conservation

I provide expert advice on all questions of long-term conservation. In cases of damage, I have experienced restorers at my side. Depending on the problem, I will give you the appropriate recommendation and put you in touch with them.

· Reasoned catalogues

Catalogues raisonnés or monographs compiled by art historians serve to document the complete works of an artist, collections or artists' estates. In addition to the pure recording and documentation of the works, the biography of the artists is worked out by reviewing archival documents and correspondence. Furthermore, the art historical context is researched. For reference, please have a look at my reasoned catalogue about the south German baroque painter Georg Philipp Rugendas (1666-1742).

Private Sales

Whether you are seeking a specific artwork for your growing collection or wish to sell, I am ready to source, sell, advise and research on your behalf. Unlike auction prices which are subject to demand, in private sales prices are fixed, clear and always mutually agreed upon between both parties.

References

Discovery of hidden and unrecognized masterpieces in private collections

While under contract with Christie’s, I discovered in a private family collection an early Flemish painting depicting Adam and Eve, which I could attribute to the Master of the Embroidered Foliage.

The painting was the most expensive old master painting sold at Christie’s Amsterdam. In 2013, it was presented to a wider public in the exhibition The Heritage of Rogier van der Weyden. Painting in Brussels 1450-1520 in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels as a work of Aert van den Bossche.

Master of the Embroidered Foliage (active 1480-1510)

Adam and Eve

Oil on panel

49,6 x 33 cm (measured within the frame)

Original frame with mark of the carpenters of Brussels

(The 40th Anniversary Sale Christie’s, Amsterdam, 20 November 2012, lot 86, €1.210.000 hammer)

Insurance value estimation of old master paintings in private and company collections

While under contract with Christie’s, I valued e.g. the old master paintings in the collection of the banking house Sal. Oppenheim, Cologne, in 2011.

I rediscovered in the collection a painting by the Dutch painter Jan Lievens, which is since 2012 on loan in the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Cologne. The picture was recently presented to a wider public in the exhibition Inside Rembrandt 1606-1669 in the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum Cologne.

Jan Lievens (1607-1674)

A merchant tailoring a feather pen, circa 1627

Oil on canvas

127 x 107,5 cm

Private collection, on loan in the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Cologne

Welcome

Dr. Anke Charlotte Held Art Consulting & Expertise

About me

Dr. Anke Charlotte Held

SERVICEs

References

Discovery of hidden and unrecognized masterpieces in private collections

Insurance value estimation of old master paintings in private and company collections

Contact

I would love to hear from you

Dr. Anke Charlotte Held Art Consulting & Expertise

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