| | | | | | | | Document | Sale Catalog Br-1809 | |
| Auction House | Christie's -- from catalog: Mr. Christie | | Sale Location | Premises, Surry St., Norwich, England, UK | | Seller(s) | from catalog: John Patteson, Esq.
from auctioneer's copy: [Same] | | Lugt Number | 9605 | | No. of Painting Lots | 211 | | Notes | John Patteson (1755-1833), a wealthy brewer and merchant from Norwich, was one of the most important collectors from Norfolk during the early nineteenth century. (For an extensive discussion of Patteson and the present sale, see Andrew W. Moore, Dutch and Flemish Painting in Norfolk, 1988, pp.40-47.) He had travelled extensively in Italy and on the continent, but these trips do not seem to have been occasions to make purchases. The major impetus to his career as collector came in 1781, when he acquired through marriage the pictures formerly belonging to the Rev. Cox Macro (1683-1767) of Little Haugh Hall, Norton, near Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. This collection consisted of approximately 42 works, mostly by Dutch artists and many of good quality. Subsequently, he purchased a significant number himself, although with the exception of works acquired from Norfolk artists, his acquisitions were apparently made primarily on the continent and from unknown sources. By 1819, however, Patteson's businesses were in serious financial difficulty. He had been both mayor and sheriff of Norwich as well as M.P., but the collapse of a bank in which he had an interest finally forced him into a state of near bankruptcy. His pictures were among the first things to be put up for sale, resulting in an auction that was probably the most important ever to be held in Norwich. That James Christie was enlisted to organize the sale instead of a local auctioneer is a testimony to the value of the collection, but it is not clear why the sale was not held in London. Perhaps Patteson's devotion to his hometown was part of the reason. In any event, the sale was held in Patteson's home and lasted for two days. The individual works are described as they were hung in the house, room by room. Although there were a few Italian works, mostly from the eighteenth century, the focus of the collection was on the Dutch school. Fortunately, copies of the catalogue at CMN, which were annotated by a member of the family, were marked with an "N" (for Norton), stipulating which pictures had come from the Cox Macro collection. From annotated copies of the catalogue it is clear that a number of London dealers made the pilgrimage to Norwich to participate, and to judge from the auctioneer's (CL) annotated catalogue, everything was sold at generally good prices. One lot, a Rocky Landscape by Berchem, did exceptionally well, fetching £393.15 from Horatio Walpole, later 3rd Earl of Orford. (It is untraced since 1863.) A pair of landscapes by Teniers was sold for £105. Many lots exceeded £30, a rare occurrence even in London. However, a note in the CMN I copy of the catalogue states that "about 50 pictures returned." The same catalogue places no results by about 21 lots and gives the sale total as £2041.2.6. But it is not yet clear which lots were, in fact, left unsold, and whether the total should perhaps be adjusted somewhat lower. Patteson's collection of manuscripts was sold by Christie's in February, 1820, and his medals were sold by Christie's on June 1, 1821. Both of these were held under the name of the Rev. Macro Cox, their original proprietor. (B. Fredericksen) | | Catalog Location(s) | CL [annotations used in Sales Contents] Auctioneer's copy, annot. with all buyers and prices.
LN [photocopy in Provenance Index Sales Files] Annot. with all buyers and prices. It belonged to "R. Taylor" whose name is written on the title page.
CMN I [photocopy in Provenance Index Sales Files] Annot. with all prices and notes about the total receipts and details about the subsequent location of individual pictures. Many lots are also marked with an "N" to identify those that had come from Norton Hall. It belonged to the estate of John Patteson.
CMN II Annot. with all prices. Many lots are also marked with an "N" to identify those coming from Norton Hall. It belonged to the estate of John Patteson.
CMN III Annot. with all prices. Many lots are also marked with an "N" to identify those coming from Norton Hall.
CMN IV Annot. with all prices. There are also notes in pencil about earlier and later provenance. It belonged to J. Marshall.
VAL [photocopy in Provenance Index Sales Files] Not annot. | | Photocopies | NGL, BIB and CIL (all of VAL) | | See Also | Sale Contents | | | Art Sales Catalogues Online | | | |
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