ABSTRACT
The following case study reveals preliminary results of a research project on the art trade between the Netherlands and the Baltic Area, with special respect to Denmark. Apart from direct contacts between Holland and Scandinavia, the Hamburg art market played a crucial role. It emerged as the leading art market in eighteenth-century Germany, due to its favorable location and its liberal auction laws, as art auctions became the most important form of art supply for a growing number of collectors. This article examines the pattern of collecting in Hamburg and explores possible influences on collectors in Denmark, Northern Germany, and Poland.
