SYDNEY.- Leonard Joel Auction House is proud to announce an extraordinary auction to be held on December 8, 2025, showcasing the Robert Compton Jones Collection of Old Master Paintings. This remarkable private collection spans centuries of European art history, with works dating as far back as the 14th century, with a particular focus on the Italian Renaissance.

Robert Compton Jones, a distinguished dealer in Old Master paintings and European porcelain, curated this collection over decades through his company, The Woollahra Trading Company, operating in London, Sydney, and internationally. While he exhibited widely at prestigious fairs such as the Paris Biennale and Olympia Antique Fair, the works featured in this auction were those he chose to keep for his personal enjoyment. After relocating to Australia later in life, he brought the collection with him, where it remained until his passing in Sydney in 2020.

Among the highlights of the auction are two Venetian scenes by Francesco Guardi: The Island of San Giorgio Maggiore from the west and View of the Cannaregio, with the Ponte dei Tre Archi and the Palazzo Surian-Bellotto. These works were once part of the esteemed collection of Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere (1868-1940), housed at Warwick House, St. James’s, London.

Another feature is a rare tempera on gold ground panel depicting Saints Romauld, Mark, and Paul the Hermit, attributed to Jacopo di Cione (active in Florence c. 1362 1400). Believed to be part of the Ognissanti Altarpiece originally located in the Santa Maria degli Angeli, Florence. This work’s ownership can be traced back to the 18th century.

Also featured is a small but powerful panel of Saint Michael by Luca Signorelli, identified by Laurence Kanter as originating from one of the pilasters of Signorelli’s Lamentation (1501–1502), now housed in the Diocesan Museum; and a compelling early work by Jacopo Tintoretto, The Feast of Dives and Lazarus.

Additional artists represented in the collection include Giuseppe Maria Crespi, Marco Basaiti, Neri di Bicci, Paolo Schiavo, Girolamo di Benvenuto, Bicci di Lorenzo, and Carlo Maratta. Notably, some works were acquired as early as 1962, such as the Matthias Stomer painting purchased from Colnaghi & Co., London. This auction offers collectors and institutions a rare opportunity to acquire museum-quality works with exceptional provenance and historical significance.