1899 1900
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : France Groups Children Gauguin Degas Series by Monet Tiffany Studios Inventions
See also : France Groups Children Gauguin Degas Series by Monet Tiffany Studios Inventions
1897-1899 Nymphéas by Monet
2024 SOLD for HK$ 233M by Christie's
Monet is an amateur but careful and skilled gardener. He visits the booth of the horticulturist Latour-Marliac at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1889.
A specialist in bamboos and other aquatic plants, Latour-Marliac is a skilled hybridizer. He was the first in Western Europe to create colored nenuphars by crossbreeding the usual white blossomed plants with wild species.
In 1893, when Monet obtains the administrative authorization to create a water garden in his estate at Giverny, he already knows that it will be a laboratory for his artistic creation. He was then interested in the reflections of the tall trees in water and in his Japanese bridge.
In 1894 he purchases from Latour-Marliac plants from 32 different species including a yellow Nymphaea created in 1888 and a pink Nymphaea created in 1892. His interest in these hybrids is not immediate but his curiosity increases.
As for painting, the small series of four Massif de chrysanthèmes is a breakthrough, in 1897. The top down view in close up eliminates the horizon for a full vertical filling of the flower bed in brilliant colors without peripheral details or perspective effect. An oil on canvas 130 x 89 cm was sold for £ 8.3M by Sotheby's on March 2, 2022, lot 118.
A visitor observed that Monet wants as many flowers in his garden as a space can hold. He also wants to look at them all year round, always present but ever changing.
Monet paints his first Nymphéas in 1897 also, displaying the plants on the water in close-up with a botanical accuracy, also as a top down view without a horizon. That first Nymphéas series is made of eight paintings executed between 1897 and 1899.
An oil on canvas 73 x 100 cm features two waterlily blossoms in brilliant white on the surface of the pond rendered in a mingling of blues, violets, indigos for the water and deep greens and turquoises for the plants. It was sold for HK $ 233M from a lower estimate of HK $ 200M by Christie's on September 26, 2024, lot 8. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Grok thought :
Quote
ArtMajeur @artmajeur Aug 22, 2024
Christie’s Bets Big on Asia: Monet's "Nymphéas" to Lead $35M Auction in Hong Kong Read the full article here: https://tinyurl.com/yc7cxkbn #Monet #Nymphéas #Auction #HongKong #Christies #ArtMarket #WesternArt #Asia #HighValueArt #Giverny
A specialist in bamboos and other aquatic plants, Latour-Marliac is a skilled hybridizer. He was the first in Western Europe to create colored nenuphars by crossbreeding the usual white blossomed plants with wild species.
In 1893, when Monet obtains the administrative authorization to create a water garden in his estate at Giverny, he already knows that it will be a laboratory for his artistic creation. He was then interested in the reflections of the tall trees in water and in his Japanese bridge.
In 1894 he purchases from Latour-Marliac plants from 32 different species including a yellow Nymphaea created in 1888 and a pink Nymphaea created in 1892. His interest in these hybrids is not immediate but his curiosity increases.
As for painting, the small series of four Massif de chrysanthèmes is a breakthrough, in 1897. The top down view in close up eliminates the horizon for a full vertical filling of the flower bed in brilliant colors without peripheral details or perspective effect. An oil on canvas 130 x 89 cm was sold for £ 8.3M by Sotheby's on March 2, 2022, lot 118.
A visitor observed that Monet wants as many flowers in his garden as a space can hold. He also wants to look at them all year round, always present but ever changing.
Monet paints his first Nymphéas in 1897 also, displaying the plants on the water in close-up with a botanical accuracy, also as a top down view without a horizon. That first Nymphéas series is made of eight paintings executed between 1897 and 1899.
An oil on canvas 73 x 100 cm features two waterlily blossoms in brilliant white on the surface of the pond rendered in a mingling of blues, violets, indigos for the water and deep greens and turquoises for the plants. It was sold for HK $ 233M from a lower estimate of HK $ 200M by Christie's on September 26, 2024, lot 8. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Grok thought :
Quote
ArtMajeur @artmajeur Aug 22, 2024
Christie’s Bets Big on Asia: Monet's "Nymphéas" to Lead $35M Auction in Hong Kong Read the full article here: https://tinyurl.com/yc7cxkbn #Monet #Nymphéas #Auction #HongKong #Christies #ArtMarket #WesternArt #Asia #HighValueArt #Giverny
- ArtMajeur's post highlights Christie's strategic push into Asia by auctioning Claude Monet's 1897–99 "Nymphéas," a water lily painting estimated at HK$200–280 million ($25–35 million), as the centerpiece of their September 2024 Hong Kong sale at a new headquarters.
- The embedded video animates key details—skyline shots, gavel imagery, and serene lily pond visuals—to emphasize the work's rarity as one of eight from Monet's series, while promoting ArtMajeur's AI-powered art marketplace.
- The lot sold for HK$233 million ($30 million), contributing to a $134 million total and affirming Asia's rising demand for Western masterpieces, with data showing Hong Kong auctions surpassing 2023 figures by 50%.
1899 Maternité by Gauguin
2022 SOLD for $ 106M by Christie's
Far from his European family, Paul Gauguin manages to rebuild a family in Punaauia, a village near Papeete, with a vahine named Pahura, far too young by European standards. The birth of a boy in April 1899 is a moment of great joy.
Gauguin paints maternity scenes, with warm colors. Femmes sur le bord de la mer, later known as Maternité (I), shows a seated young mother breastfeeding her newborn. She is surrounded by two standing women who bring fruit and flowers, symbols of abundance and beauty. Fishermen and a dog complete the atmosphere. This oil on canvas 94 x 72 cm is kept at the Hermitage Museum in Saint-Petersburg.
Maternité (II), limited to the group of women, is therefore a more direct interpretation of the theme of fertility. This oil on burlap 95 x 61 cm was sold for $ 39M by Sotheby's on November 4, 2004, lot 15, and for $ 106M by Christie's on November 9, 2022, lot 11. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
With Gauguin the mystical interpretation, both religious and anticlerical, is always underlying. For example, a Nativité painted in 1902 stages a larger Polynesian group simulating the Crèche. The head of the baby is adorned with a radiant halo. This oil on canvas 44 x 62 cm was sold for $ 5.9M by Sotheby's on May 5, 2015.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc Nov 10, 2022
#AuctionRecord From the Paul G. Allen Collection ‘Maternité II’ by Paul Gauguin set an auction record for the artist with a price realized of $105.73 million, a little over 3x the artist’s previous auction record
Gauguin paints maternity scenes, with warm colors. Femmes sur le bord de la mer, later known as Maternité (I), shows a seated young mother breastfeeding her newborn. She is surrounded by two standing women who bring fruit and flowers, symbols of abundance and beauty. Fishermen and a dog complete the atmosphere. This oil on canvas 94 x 72 cm is kept at the Hermitage Museum in Saint-Petersburg.
Maternité (II), limited to the group of women, is therefore a more direct interpretation of the theme of fertility. This oil on burlap 95 x 61 cm was sold for $ 39M by Sotheby's on November 4, 2004, lot 15, and for $ 106M by Christie's on November 9, 2022, lot 11. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
With Gauguin the mystical interpretation, both religious and anticlerical, is always underlying. For example, a Nativité painted in 1902 stages a larger Polynesian group simulating the Crèche. The head of the baby is adorned with a radiant halo. This oil on canvas 44 x 62 cm was sold for $ 5.9M by Sotheby's on May 5, 2015.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc Nov 10, 2022
#AuctionRecord From the Paul G. Allen Collection ‘Maternité II’ by Paul Gauguin set an auction record for the artist with a price realized of $105.73 million, a little over 3x the artist’s previous auction record
- The painting "Maternité II" by Paul Gauguin, sold for $105.73 million in 2022, reflects his 1899 Tahitian period where he blended Western art traditions with Polynesian influences, a fusion later validated by studies like those in the 1988 National Gallery of Art catalog showing his use of Borobudur frieze motifs.
- This auction record, part of the Paul G. Allen Collection, highlights a shift in art valuation, with Christie’s 2022 sales exceeding $1 billion, a trend supported by economic data from the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report showing a 20% annual increase in high-value art transactions since 2018.
- Gauguin’s depiction of Tahitian motherhood challenges colonial art narratives by reimagining Christian iconography, a perspective backed by art historian Nancy Mowll Mathews’ research on his intentional subversion of European norms during his Polynesian exile.
1899 Misia et Vallotton by Vuillard
2017 SOLD for $ 17.8M by Christie's
The three Natanson brothers created in Liège in 1889 La Revue Blanche, a literary and artistic magazine which they moved to Paris soon afterward. An intense social activity will be established around the pianist Misia Godebska who marries Thadée Natanson in 1893.
Misia is indeed an endearing muse in this atmosphere of free life close to the anarchists. Musicians, dancers, poets and artists revolve around her charismatic personality, which is altogether seductive, authoritarian, burlesque, hyper-active, nymphomaniac and mythomaniac. The husband is complacent. During the summers the Natansons host their friends in their country house at Villeneuve-sur-Yonne.
Edouard Vuillard is crazy about Misia of whom he will make about 90 portraits. A member of the Nabi group since 1889, he mainly paints scenes of cozy interiors which are excuses for colored textures that anticipate Matisse.
One of these scenes was sold for $ 17.8M from a lower estimate of $ 7M for sale by Christie's on November 13, 2017, lot 49 A. As decentered and complex as a composition by Degas, this oil on canvas 70 x 51 cm painted in 1899 stages three characters in Villeneuve.
Misia in the foreground handles a porcelain bowl. The dog begs for sugar. Behind her, Vallotton talks with Thadée recognizable by his beard but indeed almost entirely cut away by the edge of the picture. The two groups are ignoring each other, leaving the shy Edouard with his illusion of intimacy with the muse. The background is a double still life, with a plant on a table plus the wall image of a decorative painting made previously by Edouard for Thadée.
Misia is indeed an endearing muse in this atmosphere of free life close to the anarchists. Musicians, dancers, poets and artists revolve around her charismatic personality, which is altogether seductive, authoritarian, burlesque, hyper-active, nymphomaniac and mythomaniac. The husband is complacent. During the summers the Natansons host their friends in their country house at Villeneuve-sur-Yonne.
Edouard Vuillard is crazy about Misia of whom he will make about 90 portraits. A member of the Nabi group since 1889, he mainly paints scenes of cozy interiors which are excuses for colored textures that anticipate Matisse.
One of these scenes was sold for $ 17.8M from a lower estimate of $ 7M for sale by Christie's on November 13, 2017, lot 49 A. As decentered and complex as a composition by Degas, this oil on canvas 70 x 51 cm painted in 1899 stages three characters in Villeneuve.
Misia in the foreground handles a porcelain bowl. The dog begs for sugar. Behind her, Vallotton talks with Thadée recognizable by his beard but indeed almost entirely cut away by the edge of the picture. The two groups are ignoring each other, leaving the shy Edouard with his illusion of intimacy with the muse. The background is a double still life, with a plant on a table plus the wall image of a decorative painting made previously by Edouard for Thadée.
David’s Is Not the Only Rockefeller Estate Christie’s Has to Sell https://t.co/QRfo3SPET7 pic.twitter.com/vpSmQiKaxm
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) October 2, 2017
1899 Eragny by PISSARRO
1
Les Peupliers, après-midi
2007 SOLD for $ 5.4M by Christie's
Pommiers et faneuses à Eragny, painted by Pissarro in 1895, features his beloved apple orchard in front of his home. Two women viewed from back are raking hay in a perfectly synchronized movement. The early apple fruit are positioning this view in late summer. This oil on canvas 59 x 74 cm was sold for $ 4.2M by Christie's on November 7, 2012, lot 43. Work in the field is a recurring political symbol for this utopian follower of Kropotkin.
In June 1899 the artist is back in Eragny-sur-Epte after another several months busy with cityscape series in Paris. He confesses that no other view can match in his mind the immediate surrounding of his beloved studio house.
Peasant workers are increasingly blurred and tiny. Les peupliers, après-midi à Eragny, displays in the distance two peasants, man and woman, at work in an open field surrounded by poplars.
This oil on canvas 72 x 92 cm was sold for $ 5.4M from a lower estimate of $ 4.5M by Christie's on November 6, 2007, lot 28.
In September Pissarro leaves home again, this time for a stay in Varengeville.
In June 1899 the artist is back in Eragny-sur-Epte after another several months busy with cityscape series in Paris. He confesses that no other view can match in his mind the immediate surrounding of his beloved studio house.
Peasant workers are increasingly blurred and tiny. Les peupliers, après-midi à Eragny, displays in the distance two peasants, man and woman, at work in an open field surrounded by poplars.
This oil on canvas 72 x 92 cm was sold for $ 5.4M from a lower estimate of $ 4.5M by Christie's on November 6, 2007, lot 28.
In September Pissarro leaves home again, this time for a stay in Varengeville.
2
Paysage avec Peupliers, temps gris
2018 SOLD for $ 4.8M by Christie's
Paysage avec peupliers, temps gris, Eragny, was painted in the same season and technique as the example above.
In the foreground, a receding path is limited by a typical rural fence. Two peasant women are working with large wicker baskets.
This oil on canvas 81 x 65 cm was sold for $ 4.8M from a lower estimate of $ 3M by Christie's on May 8, 2018, lot 13.
In the foreground, a receding path is limited by a typical rural fence. Two peasant women are working with large wicker baskets.
This oil on canvas 81 x 65 cm was sold for $ 4.8M from a lower estimate of $ 3M by Christie's on May 8, 2018, lot 13.
1899 The Hold Up by Russell
2008 SOLD for $ 5.2M by The Coeur d'Alene Art Auction
After a boyhood in Missouri, Charles M. Russell was definitely attracted by Rocky Mountains and pioneer life. He made his first visit to Montana in 1880 at sixteen years old. He returned two years later to spend there the rest of his life.
Charley was a cowboy before being an artist. Unlike Remington, he was not working as an illustrator and did not want to compromise with eastern American lifestyle. His wife Nancy seconded him to disclose his art.
On July 26, 2008, The Coeur d'Alene Art Auction sold a Wild West painting by Charles M. Russell for $ 5.2M from a lower estimate of $ 4M, lot 134.
This oil on canvas 75 x 120 cm dated 1899 stages a hold up. It features bandits pointing their guns towards travelers as they just leaved their diligence. They have their hands up, which is a fairly classical and even recommended attitude in such a situation.
Charley was a cowboy before being an artist. Unlike Remington, he was not working as an illustrator and did not want to compromise with eastern American lifestyle. His wife Nancy seconded him to disclose his art.
On July 26, 2008, The Coeur d'Alene Art Auction sold a Wild West painting by Charles M. Russell for $ 5.2M from a lower estimate of $ 4M, lot 134.
This oil on canvas 75 x 120 cm dated 1899 stages a hold up. It features bandits pointing their guns towards travelers as they just leaved their diligence. They have their hands up, which is a fairly classical and even recommended attitude in such a situation.
masterpiece
1899-1900 The Dance of Life by Munch
Nasjonalgalleriet Oslo
The meaning of Love was a great obsession to Edvard Munch. He began in 1893 an autobiographical series of paintings which will soon be titled Frieze of Life - a Poem about Life, Love and Death. The series includes the most poignant works by Munch : The Scream, Vampire, Madonna, The Kiss, Angst, Melancholy.
The Dance of Life, painted in 1899-1900, is a summary of the theme. In the foreground the dancing couple is a self portrait with his first love Millie. Youth and old age are respectively on their left and right side, looking at the viewer. They both are the same woman, his new partner Tulla, in bridal gown and mourning garb.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
That mystic quest comes in the same period as Gauguin's D'où venons nous? Que sommes nous? Où allons nous? painted about two years earlier.
The Dance of Life, painted in 1899-1900, is a summary of the theme. In the foreground the dancing couple is a self portrait with his first love Millie. Youth and old age are respectively on their left and right side, looking at the viewer. They both are the same woman, his new partner Tulla, in bridal gown and mourning garb.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
That mystic quest comes in the same period as Gauguin's D'où venons nous? Que sommes nous? Où allons nous? painted about two years earlier.
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masterpiece
1900 Attersee by Klimt
Leopold Museum
From 1900 to 1907 Gustav Klimt spends the summer in the small village of Litzlberg on the Attersee in the Austrian Alps of Salzkammergut. Far away from the hectic life of Vienna, he has a quiet pastime including swim in the lake and outdoor painting after breakfast when the weather is fine, plus an optional swim and second painting session in the afternoon, "early to bed, early to rise in the next morning".
Like Monet he does not feel like a tourist and is not appealed by panoramic views. He is serenely looking for the deep essence of nature, catching its texture in square format. Monet also had used this solution.
In an oil on canvas 80 x 80 cm of the Attersee painted in 1900, nearly the whole surface is occupied by the turquoise spots in grazing incidence against the misty sunlight. The surface of the lake is lapping in shimmering shades from green in the forefront to bluish violet in the distance.
The sunrise and the horizon appear in a very narrow area where the sun is trimmed. Please watch the video shared by the Leopold Museum.
Klimt's textures express a sensation that anticipates the abstraction.
Like Monet he does not feel like a tourist and is not appealed by panoramic views. He is serenely looking for the deep essence of nature, catching its texture in square format. Monet also had used this solution.
In an oil on canvas 80 x 80 cm of the Attersee painted in 1900, nearly the whole surface is occupied by the turquoise spots in grazing incidence against the misty sunlight. The surface of the lake is lapping in shimmering shades from green in the forefront to bluish violet in the distance.
The sunrise and the horizon appear in a very narrow area where the sun is trimmed. Please watch the video shared by the Leopold Museum.
Klimt's textures express a sensation that anticipates the abstraction.
1900 Trois Danseuses by Degas
2015 SOLD for $ 12M by Christie's
Edgar Degas is 54 years old in 1888. Still a keen observer of the backstage of the Opéra, he shifts his interest from the petits rats of the dancing school to mature ballerinas.
In his oil paintings the misogynist artist used to display women with ugly faces damaged by vice or hard labor. L'Absinthe, painted in 1875-1876, is a great example. His pastels of ballerinas and bathing nudes had a commercial purpose, and he most often preferred hiding or blurring the faces.
Made ca 1888, Avant l'entrée en scène (deux danseuses) features two aging ballerinas in the backstage. One of them holds a fan in an overall stiff attitude that contradicts her role in a ballet. Both profile faces are visible. This 60 x 34 cm pastel was listed and withdrawn by Christie's on June 21, 2011.
Trois danseuses, painted ca 1900, features two standing women in colored tutu in the foreground plus a third one half hidden by them. They are viewed from the back. The positions are varied but clumsy. Two of them bend the body and raise an arm while the leading woman turns her head, making visible an unfriendly profile of the face.
This pastel laid down on board 65 x 52 cm was sold for $ 12M from a lower estimate of $ 6M by Christie's on May 14, 2015, lot 16C.
Trois Danseuses, pastel on tracing paper mounted on card 67 x 51 cm executed by Degas ca 1897, was sold for $ 5.8M by Sotheby's on November 20, 2025, lot 126.
Asking Grok to compare both lots.
Grok thought :
Comparison of Two Notable "Trois Danseuses" Pastels by Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas (1834–1917) created numerous works titled or subtitled Trois danseuses (Three Dancers) throughout his career, particularly in pastel, his preferred medium for ballet subjects in his later years. These often depict ballerinas in rehearsal, preparation, or performance poses, with variations in composition, color, pose, and costume. Degas frequently revisited motifs serially, refining poses and experimenting with vibrant hues and layered application.Here are the two specific works referenced, based on auction records:
1. Trois danseuses – Sotheby's New York, Modern Evening Auction, November 20, 2025, Lot 126
AspectSotheby's 2025 (Lot 126)Christie's 2015 (Lot 16C)
Composition
Earlier : three dancers; typically rehearsal/prep, asymmetrical grouping
Later : Three dancers in tutus; frieze-like, with arms raised or adjusted poses; focus on harmony and color contrast
Color Palette
Earlier : Vibrant, luminous (Degas's signature late intensity)
Later : Bold primaries/contrasts (e.g., yellow/blue/red skirts, green bodices common in series)
Technique
Earlier : Heavy pastel layering, hatching for volume and light
Later : Similar layered/opaque pastel; experimental, almost sculptural texture
Theme
Earlier : Backstage ballet life, movement frozen in time
Later : Same – emphasis on grace, effort, and artificiality of dance
Differences
Earlier : Unique pose variation
Later : More horizontal emphasis in some related series works; known for classical inspiration (e.g., echoes of The Three Graces)
Similarities
Both quintessential late Degas: obsession with ballet, serial exploration, radiant color, and psychological depth in "everyday" dancer moments
Degas produced dozens of "three dancers" variations, often without fixed titles – many share motifs but differ in orientation (e.g., dancers facing left/right), costume details, and background abstraction. The two works considered here are distinct pieces from this rich late oeuvre, where Degas's vision grew bolder, more abstract, and color-saturated as his eyesight declined. Both exemplify why his dancer pastels remain among the most sought-after Impressionist works: they capture fleeting grace with monumental presence.
In his oil paintings the misogynist artist used to display women with ugly faces damaged by vice or hard labor. L'Absinthe, painted in 1875-1876, is a great example. His pastels of ballerinas and bathing nudes had a commercial purpose, and he most often preferred hiding or blurring the faces.
Made ca 1888, Avant l'entrée en scène (deux danseuses) features two aging ballerinas in the backstage. One of them holds a fan in an overall stiff attitude that contradicts her role in a ballet. Both profile faces are visible. This 60 x 34 cm pastel was listed and withdrawn by Christie's on June 21, 2011.
Trois danseuses, painted ca 1900, features two standing women in colored tutu in the foreground plus a third one half hidden by them. They are viewed from the back. The positions are varied but clumsy. Two of them bend the body and raise an arm while the leading woman turns her head, making visible an unfriendly profile of the face.
This pastel laid down on board 65 x 52 cm was sold for $ 12M from a lower estimate of $ 6M by Christie's on May 14, 2015, lot 16C.
Trois Danseuses, pastel on tracing paper mounted on card 67 x 51 cm executed by Degas ca 1897, was sold for $ 5.8M by Sotheby's on November 20, 2025, lot 126.
Asking Grok to compare both lots.
Grok thought :
Comparison of Two Notable "Trois Danseuses" Pastels by Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas (1834–1917) created numerous works titled or subtitled Trois danseuses (Three Dancers) throughout his career, particularly in pastel, his preferred medium for ballet subjects in his later years. These often depict ballerinas in rehearsal, preparation, or performance poses, with variations in composition, color, pose, and costume. Degas frequently revisited motifs serially, refining poses and experimenting with vibrant hues and layered application.Here are the two specific works referenced, based on auction records:
1. Trois danseuses – Sotheby's New York, Modern Evening Auction, November 20, 2025, Lot 126
- Date of execution: Degas's late dancer pastels typically date from c. 1895–1910.
- Medium: Pastel (likely on paper or joined paper, mounted as was common for Degas).
- Description/Provenance highlights: aligns with Degas's iconic late-style ballerina groups – bold colors, dynamic poses, and luminous effects. Provenance traces back through private collections; many such works originated from Degas's atelier sales (1918–1919).
- Style notes: vibrant, expressive application typical of Degas's mature pastels, emphasizing movement, tutus in contrasting colors (e.g., yellow skirts, green/red bodices), and off-center framing.
- Date of execution: c. 1900–1905 (late period).
- Medium: Pastel on joined paper laid down on board.
- Dimensions: Approximately 25–26 inches in height/width (similar scale to many late Degas dancer pastels).
- Description: Depicts three ballerinas in tutus, often in preparatory or resting poses, with rich, saturated colors (e.g., variations in skirt hues like yellow, blue, or red; bodices in contrasting tones). This work belongs to Degas's series exploring frieze-like arrangements of dancers, with bold hatching, layered pastel for texture, and a sense of intimacy/backstage atmosphere.
- Provenance highlights: From Degas's estate/atelier sales; passed through notable collectors. Comparable to works like Trois danseuses (jupes bleues, corsages rouges) (c. 1903, Fondation Beyeler) or other late serial variations.
AspectSotheby's 2025 (Lot 126)Christie's 2015 (Lot 16C)
Composition
Earlier : three dancers; typically rehearsal/prep, asymmetrical grouping
Later : Three dancers in tutus; frieze-like, with arms raised or adjusted poses; focus on harmony and color contrast
Color Palette
Earlier : Vibrant, luminous (Degas's signature late intensity)
Later : Bold primaries/contrasts (e.g., yellow/blue/red skirts, green bodices common in series)
Technique
Earlier : Heavy pastel layering, hatching for volume and light
Later : Similar layered/opaque pastel; experimental, almost sculptural texture
Theme
Earlier : Backstage ballet life, movement frozen in time
Later : Same – emphasis on grace, effort, and artificiality of dance
Differences
Earlier : Unique pose variation
Later : More horizontal emphasis in some related series works; known for classical inspiration (e.g., echoes of The Three Graces)
Similarities
Both quintessential late Degas: obsession with ballet, serial exploration, radiant color, and psychological depth in "everyday" dancer moments
Degas produced dozens of "three dancers" variations, often without fixed titles – many share motifs but differ in orientation (e.g., dancers facing left/right), costume details, and background abstraction. The two works considered here are distinct pieces from this rich late oeuvre, where Degas's vision grew bolder, more abstract, and color-saturated as his eyesight declined. Both exemplify why his dancer pastels remain among the most sought-after Impressionist works: they capture fleeting grace with monumental presence.
1900 Stue by Hammershøi
2022 SOLD for $ 6.3M by Christie's
Born in Copenhagen, Vilhelm Hammershøi married Ida in 1891. They have no children. Vilhelm is a gifted artist but his taciturn temperament keeps him away from any worldliness. Ida follows. A gigantic portrait of five artists painted in 1901-1902, 190 x 340 cm, shows his closest colleagues including his own brother with austere and gloomy attitudes. Vilhelm and Ida have no more friends and no need for them. Their outings are the subject of landscape paintings. The dreary countryside is of extreme coldness without any animation.
From 1898 to 1909, they live at the first floor in an old building of a historic district of Copenhagen, at Strandgade 30. Throughout that period it was the main theme of his work, featured in more than 60 paintings.
The rooms are sparsely furnished and not decorated. The walls are white under the high ceiling. Ida is often present, from back, sometimes reading, in an attitude that systematically excludes anecdote and emotion. The interior doors are opened or closed. His care for light reminds the Dutch golden age and his interest for simplified geometries anticipates Mondrian.
Vilhelm is shy and austere, and the idea of a recluse life does not disturb him. His sharp compositions oppose the trends of modern art that he nevertheless knew. His questions about the society of his time resulted in a rejection. He is now considered as having been a precursor to Hopper.
The flat at Strandgade 30 is poorly lit and Vilhelm observes its dull colors. He becomes a colorist of subtle hues and the art critics like now to compare his palette with Morandi's still lifes.
On May 12, 2022, Christie's sold for $ 6.3M an oil on canvas 55 x 46 cm painted in 1900 in Strandgade 30, lot 8C. It is simply titled Stue, meaning 'Home' in Danish. The standing brunette is for sure Ida, the only person who is still accepted in Vilhelm's privacy. Facing a closed and possibly fake door inserted without handles in the wall of the apartment, she resolutely turns her back to the viewer. On the same wall, an oval mirror reflects a portion of the curtain and window.
From 1898 to 1909, they live at the first floor in an old building of a historic district of Copenhagen, at Strandgade 30. Throughout that period it was the main theme of his work, featured in more than 60 paintings.
The rooms are sparsely furnished and not decorated. The walls are white under the high ceiling. Ida is often present, from back, sometimes reading, in an attitude that systematically excludes anecdote and emotion. The interior doors are opened or closed. His care for light reminds the Dutch golden age and his interest for simplified geometries anticipates Mondrian.
Vilhelm is shy and austere, and the idea of a recluse life does not disturb him. His sharp compositions oppose the trends of modern art that he nevertheless knew. His questions about the society of his time resulted in a rejection. He is now considered as having been a precursor to Hopper.
The flat at Strandgade 30 is poorly lit and Vilhelm observes its dull colors. He becomes a colorist of subtle hues and the art critics like now to compare his palette with Morandi's still lifes.
On May 12, 2022, Christie's sold for $ 6.3M an oil on canvas 55 x 46 cm painted in 1900 in Strandgade 30, lot 8C. It is simply titled Stue, meaning 'Home' in Danish. The standing brunette is for sure Ida, the only person who is still accepted in Vilhelm's privacy. Facing a closed and possibly fake door inserted without handles in the wall of the apartment, she resolutely turns her back to the viewer. On the same wall, an oval mirror reflects a portion of the curtain and window.
#AuctionUpdate Vilhelm Hammershøi’s ‘Stue (Interior with an Oval Mirror)’ sets an auction record for the artist this evening; price realized $6.3 million pic.twitter.com/4eFmAXJAlq
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 12, 2022
1900 The Buffalo Signal by Remington
2007 SOLD for $ 4.4M by Christie's
Frederic Remington had used to make frequent trips to the West to soak up the atmosphere. The men of the cavalry were gallant heroes against the fierce Indians, and they were also clients who could ensure his glory.
In 1900 he returns disappointed : civilization had distorted the life in the West which supported his business. He decides never to go West again and will keep his word. He still has his imagination and his artistic production is not slowed down.
Remington provides the images expected by the readers. He has no ethnological curiosity. The Indian is an enemy warrior with whom communication is impossible.
The Buffalo Signal, oil on canvas 102 x 69 cm painted in 1900, is a rare example in which Remington expresses his nostalgia. To make a signal, an Indian scout rears his horse and brandishes a buffalo hide high over his head. A buffalo skull is placed in front of him on the sand. The arid desert and the cloudless sky complete this typical atmosphere that anticipates the western movies.
Two years later Remington uses this image as the frontispiece in a book, with the title If Skulls Could Speak, a direct allusion to the bygone cultures of the American West, symbolized by the extinction of the bison herds.
The painting was sold by Christie's for $ 4.4M on November 29, 2007, lot 103, and for $ 2.9M on October 28, 2020, lot 16.
From 1901 his work for Collier's became steady. When Remington died in 1909, the magazine still had sixteen of his paintings ready to be published.
In 1900 he returns disappointed : civilization had distorted the life in the West which supported his business. He decides never to go West again and will keep his word. He still has his imagination and his artistic production is not slowed down.
Remington provides the images expected by the readers. He has no ethnological curiosity. The Indian is an enemy warrior with whom communication is impossible.
The Buffalo Signal, oil on canvas 102 x 69 cm painted in 1900, is a rare example in which Remington expresses his nostalgia. To make a signal, an Indian scout rears his horse and brandishes a buffalo hide high over his head. A buffalo skull is placed in front of him on the sand. The arid desert and the cloudless sky complete this typical atmosphere that anticipates the western movies.
Two years later Remington uses this image as the frontispiece in a book, with the title If Skulls Could Speak, a direct allusion to the bygone cultures of the American West, symbolized by the extinction of the bison herds.
The painting was sold by Christie's for $ 4.4M on November 29, 2007, lot 103, and for $ 2.9M on October 28, 2020, lot 16.
From 1901 his work for Collier's became steady. When Remington died in 1909, the magazine still had sixteen of his paintings ready to be published.
1900 Dandelion Lamp by Tiffany Studios
2021 SOLD for $ 3.75M by Rago
In 1900 skilled craftsmen rush from everywhere in the world to display their achievements at the Exposition Universelle de Paris.
In New York the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company develops various techniques for the growing market of the lighting. Their very own recently patented favrile glass displaying bright colors is awarded a Grand Prix at that Exposition. The color glass pieces are pressed in the bulk between layers of molten glass.
Tiffany operates also a production line for bronze casting, for enameling and will soon have one for ceramics.
The 75 cm high Dandelion lamp is one of the masterpieces conceived especially by Tiffany for the Paris Exposition. In 1901 it will also be displayed at the Pan American in Buffalo. At the same time in France, Gallé was inspired by all current forms of nature and highlighting a mere dandelion was in the fashion of the time.
The lamp is a glass globe 29 cm in diameter atop a tall and narrow copper base. It is not enameled and its technical feat is not in the blown white glass engraved with a flow of seeds but in the copper, intricately hammered with all the growing elements of a dandelion and displaying a variety of patinations by oxidizing.
The production process was time consuming. After making a replica of the dandelion, no other unit will be made. From 1901 the assembly of a shade with hundreds of small colored favrile plaques is the solution for developing the highly successful production line of the Tiffany lamps, farther from botanical realism but more appealing to the customers.
The original Dandelion lamp has just resurfaced. It was sold for $ 3.75M by Rago on May 13, 2021, lot 273 here linked on the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
In New York the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company develops various techniques for the growing market of the lighting. Their very own recently patented favrile glass displaying bright colors is awarded a Grand Prix at that Exposition. The color glass pieces are pressed in the bulk between layers of molten glass.
Tiffany operates also a production line for bronze casting, for enameling and will soon have one for ceramics.
The 75 cm high Dandelion lamp is one of the masterpieces conceived especially by Tiffany for the Paris Exposition. In 1901 it will also be displayed at the Pan American in Buffalo. At the same time in France, Gallé was inspired by all current forms of nature and highlighting a mere dandelion was in the fashion of the time.
The lamp is a glass globe 29 cm in diameter atop a tall and narrow copper base. It is not enameled and its technical feat is not in the blown white glass engraved with a flow of seeds but in the copper, intricately hammered with all the growing elements of a dandelion and displaying a variety of patinations by oxidizing.
The production process was time consuming. After making a replica of the dandelion, no other unit will be made. From 1901 the assembly of a shade with hundreds of small colored favrile plaques is the solution for developing the highly successful production line of the Tiffany lamps, farther from botanical realism but more appealing to the customers.
The original Dandelion lamp has just resurfaced. It was sold for $ 3.75M by Rago on May 13, 2021, lot 273 here linked on the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
Tiffany Studios Dandelion lamp, 1900, hand-blown Favrile glass & hammered & patinated copper, 29½" H x 11½" D, sold for $3,745,000 (est $50,000/75,000), setting a new auction record for a Tiffany Lamp https://t.co/GbVsxkrHkD #antiques #antique #vintage #Tiffany #lamp #lamps pic.twitter.com/BvfxkqWbzJ
— Maine Antique Digest (@AntiqueDigest) July 30, 2021
