George Frideric Handel is reported to have had a great love for painting, and until his eyesight failed him, he enjoyed viewing collections of pictures that were for sale.[1] He owned a large art collection consisting of at least seventy paintings and ten prints, including landscapes; ruins; hunting, historical, marine and battle scenes; erotica; and a few Biblical paintings and portraits.
The paintings and prints in Handel's collection (that weren't bequeathed in his will) were auctioned by Abraham Langford[2] a little over ten months after his death (the auction catalogue was dated 27–28 February 1760).[3]
The auction of Handel's art collection occurred on 28 February 1760. The sale catalogue listed the following items:
| Lot | Genre | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dorigny, N. | Eight of the planets | |
| 2 | Solimene | The flight into Egypt, and 8 others | |
| 3 | Dorigny, N. | Seven prints of the Angels and Crucifixion | |
| 4 | Poussin, N. | Eight landscapes | |
| 5 | Lambert and Scott | Six sea pieces | |
| 6 | Goupy | Four landscapes (after Poussin, etc.) | |
| 7 | Dorigny, N. | Four views of Malta, and 3 others | |
| 8 | Goupy | Eight landscapes (after Sal. Rosa) | |
| 9 | Goupy | Rubens stag-hunting, and 5 others | |
| 10 | Map | — | Eight maps on rollers |
| 11 | Frame | — | Two burnished gold frames |
| 12 | Painting | Unknown | Two door pieces (after Servandoni), and 2 others |
| 13 | Painting | Vandiest | A landscape with buildings |
| 13 | Painting | Mompert | A small landscape |
| 13 | Painting | Percelles | A sea piece |
| 14 | Painting | Unknown | A Dutch conversation (in the style of Ostade) |
| 14 | Painting | Unknown | A landscape (in the style of Housman) |
| 14 | Painting | Unknown | Two portraits |
| 15 | Painting | Pellegrini | Two history pieces |
| 16 | Painting | Ardine | Two flower pieces |
| 16 | Painting | Montingo | One flower piece |
| 17 | Painting | Percelles | A fresh gale |
| 17 | Painting | Unknown | A calm |
| 17 | Painting | Unknown | Two others |
| 18 | Painting | van Bassen, Ab. | A Town on Fire |
| 18 | Painting | Vandiest | A Landscape |
| 18 | Painting | Vandiest | Two heads in one picture |
| 19 | Painting | Teniers, D. | A conversation of Boors |
| 20 | Painting | Angeles | Two monkeys in friars habits |
| 20 | Painting | Vangoen | A small landscape |
| 21 | Painting | Mola, Fr. | Narcissus in a landscape |
| 21 | Painting | Unknown | A man playing on a German flute (in the style of Titian) |
| 22 | Painting | Ardine | A flower piece |
| 22 | Painting | Unknown | A landscape |
| 23 | Painting | Unknown | Two landscapes |
| 24 | Painting | Griffier, Jan ("Old") | A landscape and cattle (after Berghem) |
| 24 | Painting | Ruysdael, Sol. | A landscape and cattle |
| 25 | Painting | Servandoni | A piece of ruins |
| 26 | Painting | Pellegrini | Sampson and Dalilah |
| 27 | Painting | Unknown | A head (in the style of Rembrandt) |
| 28 | Painting | Watteau | A conversation |
| 29 | Painting | Watteau | Companion to "A conversation" |
| 30 | Painting | Unknown | Jupiter and Leda (in water colours) |
| 31 | Painting | Unknown | Jupiter and Danaë (Companion to "Juptier and Leda") |
| 32 | Painting | Mompert | A landscape |
| 33 | Painting | Andrea, S. | A lamp-light |
| 34 | Painting | Unknown | The Rape of Proserpine |
| 35 | Painting | Goupy | Hagar and Ishmael |
| 36 | Painting | Parrocelle | A landscape with a bridge |
| 36 | Painting | Parrocelle | The finding of Moses |
| 37 | Painting | Cantarini | Two Angels heads in an oval, and its companion |
| 38 | Painting | Swanevelt | A landscape |
| 39 | Painting | Wooton | A sun-set |
| 40 | Painting | Poussin, N. | A landscape |
| 41 | Painting | Horizonti | An upright landscape |
| 42 | Painting | Horizonti | Companion to "An upright landscape" |
| 43 | Painting | Goupy | Belisarius (after van Dyck), in water colours |
| 44 | Painting | Michau | An upright landscape |
| 45 | Painting | Hondius | An upright landscape with Vulcan's forge |
| 46 | Painting | Savory, Rowland | A landscape (Roelant Savery?) |
| 47 | Painting | Unknown | Jupiter and Iö, in water colours |
| 48 | Painting | Unknown | Jupiter and Ixion (companion to Jupiter and Iö) |
| 49 | Painting | Hondius | A hunting piece |
| 50 | Painting | Horizonti | A landscape |
| 51 | Painting | Ricci, M. | A landscape and buildings, in water colours |
| 52 | Painting | Ricci, M. | A landscape and buildings |
| 53 | Painting | Ricci, M. | A landscape and buildings (small) |
| 54 | Painting | Unknown | A large piece of architecture and tuins (after Panini) |
| 55 | Painting | Poussin, N. | The siege of Troy |
| 56 | Painting | Tillemans | Two battle pieces |
| 57 | Painting | Brueghell? | A small landscape |
| 58 | Painting | Goupy | Mucius Scaevola |
| 59 | Painting | Andrea del Sarto | Venus with her Attendants |
| 60 | Painting | Ferg | A landscape and figures, on copper |
| 61 | Painting | Ferg | Companion to "A landscape and figures" |
| 62 | Painting | Lucatelli | A landscape |
| 63 | Painting | Cannaletti | The Doge's palace |
| 64 | Painting | Poelenburgh | Bacchus and Ariadne |
| 65 | Painting | Ricci, Seb. | Venus and Adonis |
| 66 | Painting | Capriacci | Venus and Cupid (in an oval) |
| 67 | Painting | Servandoni | A large piece of ruins and figures |