Art Sales Catalogues Online (ASCO)

The database offers easy access to complete historical art sales catalogues for the period 1600 to 1900. The records are based on the online version of Frits Lugt’s (collector and connoisseur) bibliography Répertoire des catalogues de ventes publiques intéressant l’art ou la curiosité (“Repertory of Catalogues of Public Sale concerned with Art or Objets d’art”).

The scanned catalogues come from many different libraries in Europe and the USA. Art sales catalogues contain a listing of art works on sale during an auction and are often annotated with the names of buyers and prices paid for the art works.

The earliest art sales catalogues, also known as auction catalogues, appeared in the early 17th century, as simple leaflets. Over time, the catalogues grew into extensive, richly-illustrated publications. The catalogues are intriguing not only from the point of view of Art History, but also provide glimpses into the economic and sociological climate of the time.

Remote access for NL´s users in June 1- 30, 2022 here >>