American museums have prowled TEFAF, the Maastricht art fair on through the end of this week, and made significant purchases. Washington's National Gallery of Art bought a 17th-century winter landscape with skaters by Adam van Breen for €910,000 (£830,000). The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art from Connecticut picked up "The Astronomy Lesson," by the 17th-century court painter François de Troy, among other works.

Other sales, so far, include Lucas Cranach the Elder's 1534 painting of David and Bathsheba, offered by Konrad Bernheimer, with the asking price of £4.8 million. He brought the same painting to the fair last year, priced at £4.6 million, with no takers.