AT the beginning of this week, I had a nostalgic time working my way through a pile of new auction catalogues—actual, physical catalogues. That used to be the way all of my weeks began, as it helped me to plan forthcoming visits and viewings. There are significant advantages to online catalogues when they are intelligently laid out, with illustrations from different angles and showing the backs of pictures, especially when there is a good-quality zoom facility. The innovation of showing a person standing next to a hanging picture to demonstrate its ‘live ability’ is an excellent adjunct to sometimes easily overlooked printed measurements.
