▁art ▁from ▁the ▁Pap al ▁States . ▁It ▁wasn ’ t ▁until ▁the ▁mid - 1 5 0 0 s ▁that ▁any ▁s izable ▁amount ▁of ▁formal ▁art work ▁was ▁transferred ▁between ▁nations ▁in ▁lic it ▁mark ets . ▁ ▁Pre viously , ▁local ▁demand ▁had ▁satisfied ▁the ▁supply ▁of ▁art work , ▁but ▁it ▁couldn ’ t ▁keep ▁up ▁as ▁the ▁number ▁of ▁artists ▁increased . ▁ ▁Con sequently , ▁artists ▁export ed ▁their ▁works ▁to ▁foreign ▁mark ets . ▁ ▁Between ▁ 1 5 4 0 ▁and ▁ 1 6 7 0 , ▁an ▁average ▁of ▁ 1 4 4 ▁paint ings ▁per ▁year ▁were ▁transport ed ▁between ▁the ▁Netherlands ▁and ▁New ▁Spain . ▁ ▁Through out ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁early ▁modern ▁period , ▁if ▁an ▁artist ▁could ▁not ▁dom est ically ▁sell ▁his ▁art , ▁he ▁sold ▁it ▁instead ▁to ▁deal ers ▁who ▁export ed ▁the ▁works ▁abroad . ▁ ▁Starting ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁Century , ▁however , ▁most ▁art ▁was ▁trad ed ▁at ▁the ▁massive ▁au ction ▁houses ▁of ▁Christ ie ' s ▁and ▁S othe by ' s ▁of ▁London , ▁which ▁both ▁still ▁surv ive ▁today . ▁ ▁Like ▁any ▁other ▁trad ed ▁good , ▁art ▁has ▁been ▁histor ically ▁subject ed ▁to ▁import ▁duties . ▁ ▁For ▁example , ▁in ▁the ▁more ▁en light ened ▁years ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁Century , ▁art ▁escaped ▁high ▁tar iffs ▁in ▁America ▁because ▁the ▁government ▁viewed ▁art ▁as ▁an ▁important ▁cultural ▁good . ▁▁