Cats and Lions
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Animals Sculpture Ancient sculpture Persia Ancient drawing Rembrandt Imperial seal Renoir Picasso Picasso 1940-1960 Picasso in Mougins Marc Ancient French painting
Chronology : Origin 1640-1649 1730-1739 1860-1869 1912 1940-1949 1941 1989
See also : Animals Sculpture Ancient sculpture Persia Ancient drawing Rembrandt Imperial seal Renoir Picasso Picasso 1940-1960 Picasso in Mougins Marc Ancient French painting
Chronology : Origin 1640-1649 1730-1739 1860-1869 1912 1940-1949 1941 1989
3000 BCE The Guennol Lioness
2007 SOLD for $ 57M by Sotheby's
The Guennol Lioness was sold for $ 57M by Sotheby's on December 5, 2007, lot 30.
This very finely chiseled stone figure 8.3 cm high has the head of a lioness on a human body. It certainly comes from the Iranian plateau and was sold in 1931 to a New York merchant. Its discovery thus precedes the excavations of Tell Agrab, begun in 1936 by a team from the University of Chicago appealed by other finds among the antique dealers of Baghdad.
Such hybrid representations between human and feline date back to prehistoric cultures. The ivory lion-man from the Hohlenstein-Stadel cave, dated ca 35,000 to 40,000 years ago by radiocarbon, is the oldest authenticated example of figurative art. The Chauvet cave, painted 30,000 years ago, also includes a lion-woman hybrid.
The Guennol Lioness was sculpted about 5,000 years ago. It belongs to the Proto-Elamite culture, characterized by the development of a proto-writing that has not been decrypted. It is several centuries earlier than the use of the sphinx as a necropolis guardian in Egypt.
It is one of a kind in the round, but is related to similar figures that raise mountains or huge trunks in two-dimensional sigillary iconography. These representations are therefore symbols of extreme power, confirmed in the Guennol Lioness by the hypertrophy of the muscles and the authoritarian position of the head. The head is pierced, allowing to hang it to the neck of a prominent character.
Its name and its exact role in the mythology of that time are not known. It must be analyzed alongside its male counterpart, a bull's head on a human body, of which a kneeling figure is kept at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Unlike the Guennol Lioness whose hands are joined on the abdomen, this proto-Elamite hybrid holds a liturgical vessel.
Guennol is the pseudonym chosen by the couple of collectors who acquired it in 1948 and entrusted its exhibition for almost 60 years to the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
Grok thought :
Quote
History Content @HistContent Sep 24
5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia The Guennol Lioness—half human, half lion—symbolized raw power. In 2007, it sold for $57.2M, the most expensive ancient sculpture ever. Why did our ancestors craft such hybrids?
This very finely chiseled stone figure 8.3 cm high has the head of a lioness on a human body. It certainly comes from the Iranian plateau and was sold in 1931 to a New York merchant. Its discovery thus precedes the excavations of Tell Agrab, begun in 1936 by a team from the University of Chicago appealed by other finds among the antique dealers of Baghdad.
Such hybrid representations between human and feline date back to prehistoric cultures. The ivory lion-man from the Hohlenstein-Stadel cave, dated ca 35,000 to 40,000 years ago by radiocarbon, is the oldest authenticated example of figurative art. The Chauvet cave, painted 30,000 years ago, also includes a lion-woman hybrid.
The Guennol Lioness was sculpted about 5,000 years ago. It belongs to the Proto-Elamite culture, characterized by the development of a proto-writing that has not been decrypted. It is several centuries earlier than the use of the sphinx as a necropolis guardian in Egypt.
It is one of a kind in the round, but is related to similar figures that raise mountains or huge trunks in two-dimensional sigillary iconography. These representations are therefore symbols of extreme power, confirmed in the Guennol Lioness by the hypertrophy of the muscles and the authoritarian position of the head. The head is pierced, allowing to hang it to the neck of a prominent character.
Its name and its exact role in the mythology of that time are not known. It must be analyzed alongside its male counterpart, a bull's head on a human body, of which a kneeling figure is kept at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Unlike the Guennol Lioness whose hands are joined on the abdomen, this proto-Elamite hybrid holds a liturgical vessel.
Guennol is the pseudonym chosen by the couple of collectors who acquired it in 1948 and entrusted its exhibition for almost 60 years to the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
Grok thought :
Quote
History Content @HistContent Sep 24
5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia The Guennol Lioness—half human, half lion—symbolized raw power. In 2007, it sold for $57.2M, the most expensive ancient sculpture ever. Why did our ancestors craft such hybrids?
- The Guennol Lioness, a 3.3-inch limestone sculpture from circa 3000 BCE in Mesopotamia (likely Elamite), depicts a muscular female lion-human hybrid in a protective stance, symbolizing raw power and fertility; it fetched $57.2 million at Sotheby's in 2007, setting a record for ancient sculptures until surpassed in 2019.
- In Mesopotamian art, hybrid figures like this combined human intellect with animal ferocity to represent divine authority and apotropaic protection against evil, as seen in palace reliefs where similar motifs guarded kings, per analyses in the Metropolitan Museum's Mesopotamian collections.
- Ancestors crafted such hybrids to embody cosmic forces and royal might, drawing from mythological precursors to ordered creation—evidenced by cuneiform texts describing leonine deities like Inanna's consort as embodiments of uncontrollable strength, blending awe with ritual control.
History of the Guennol Lioness
The Guennol Lioness (also called the Guennol Lioness Anthropomorphic Figurine) is a small limestone statue, approximately 8.26 cm (3¼ inches) tall, dating to the Proto-Elamite period, ca. 3300–2800 BCE. It was discovered sometime before 1931, most likely in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), near Baghdad. Its exact archaeological provenance is unknown because it surfaced on the antiquities market without documented excavation records.
The Guennol Lioness is widely regarded as one of the most important surviving works of early Mesopotamian/Elamite art for several reasons:
The Guennol Lioness is universally accepted as authentic by major scholars and institutions:
The Guennol Lioness (also called the Guennol Lioness Anthropomorphic Figurine) is a small limestone statue, approximately 8.26 cm (3¼ inches) tall, dating to the Proto-Elamite period, ca. 3300–2800 BCE. It was discovered sometime before 1931, most likely in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), near Baghdad. Its exact archaeological provenance is unknown because it surfaced on the antiquities market without documented excavation records.
- First known owner: Purchased in 1931 by the British archaeologist and collector Sir Leonard Woolley on behalf of the American collector Alastair Bradley Martin and his wife Edith Park Martin.
- Name origin: The Martins kept their collection at their estate named “Guennol” (Welsh for “martin”) in Long Island, New York; the piece became known as the Guennol Lioness.
- Public display: Loaned for decades to the Brooklyn Museum (1948–2007), where it became one of its most famous objects.
- 2007 auction: On 5 December 2007, Sotheby’s New York sold the statue for US $57.2 million (including premium), then the highest price ever paid for any sculpture or antiquity at auction. The buyer was a private English collector bidding through an agent.
- Current ownership: Remains in private hands; it has been exhibited only rarely since 2007 (notably in 2009 at the Louvre Abu Dhabi on temporary loan).
The Guennol Lioness is widely regarded as one of the most important surviving works of early Mesopotamian/Elamite art for several reasons:
- Artistic mastery: Despite its tiny size, it is an extraordinarily powerful and dynamic sculpture. The figure combines human and lion characteristics (therianthropomorphic): a muscular, standing anthropoid body with human arms and hands, but leonine legs, paws, face, ears, and mane. The pose—standing on tiptoes, elbows out, hands clenched—suggests intense strength or a ritual gesture.
- Iconographic importance: It is the finest and most complete example of a very rare type of Proto-Elamite figurine that mixes human and lion traits. Scholars interpret it variously as:
- A female demon or protective spirit (lioness attributes often linked to fertility, war, or the goddess Inanna/Ishtar)
- A representation of a priestess or worshipper in lion form
- A mythological being connected to the earliest known heroic motifs (similar to later Mesopotamian “lion-hunter” or Gilgamesh-type imagery)
- Rarity: Fewer than ten comparable Proto-Elamite anthropomorphic lion figures are known, and none match its quality or state of preservation.
- Cultural bridge: It belongs to the transitional period between the late Uruk and early Proto-Elamite cultures in southern Mesopotamia and southwestern Iran, a crucial phase in the development of complex urban societies and early writing.
The Guennol Lioness is universally accepted as authentic by major scholars and institutions:
- Material: Carved from creamy-white magnesite limestone typical of the period and region.
- Stylistic features: The exaggerated muscular anatomy, incised details, and proportions are consistent with other verified Proto-Elamite sculptures (e.g., similar lion-demons from Susa and the “Louvre lioness”).
- Thermoluminescence (TL) testing: Conducted in the 1990s and again before the 2007 sale; results were consistent with an age of approximately 5,000 years.
- Scholarly consensus: Published and accepted since the 1930s by leading archaeologists (Henri Frankfort, Pierre Amiet, Edith Porada, Annie Caubet, etc.). No serious scholar has questioned its authenticity.
5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia
— History Content (@HistContent) September 24, 2025
The Guennol Lioness—half human, half lion—symbolized raw power.
In 2007, it sold for $57.2M, the most expensive ancient sculpture ever.
Why did our ancestors craft such hybrids? pic.twitter.com/Xy4mPJ31P7
1638-1642 Young Lion Resting by Rembrandt
2026 SOLD for $ 18M by Sotheby's
Young Lion Resting, black chalk, white chalk heightening and gray wash on brown laid paper 11.5 x 15 cm executed by Rembrandt ca 1638-1642, was sold for $ 18M by Sotheby's on February 4, 2026, lot 201. The video is shared by the auction house.
Rembrandt's "Young Lion Resting" (c. 1638–1642) holds notable significance in the artist's career, though animal studies represent only a small, specialized portion of his vast oeuvre, which is dominated by portraits, biblical scenes, history paintings, self-portraits, and etchings.
Rarity and Focus on Exotic Animals
Rembrandt produced very few animal drawings from life, with lions particularly intriguing him due to their rarity in 17th-century Netherlands. Only six autograph lion drawings by Rembrandt are known today, making this one exceptionally scarce. "Young Lion Resting" is the only animal depiction by him remaining in private hands—all others are in institutions like the British Museum (two related studies of the same lion), Louvre, Rijksmuseum, and Boijmans Van Beuningen.
These works date primarily to the late 1630s–early 1640s, a period of artistic maturity when Rembrandt was in his 30s, established in Amsterdam, and exploring direct observation. Exotic animals like North African lions arrived via Dutch East India Company ships and appeared in menageries or fairs, opportunities Rembrandt (and his pupils) seized for study. Contemporary advice to artists emphasized sketching such rarities "from life" (nae 't leven) for future use in compositions.
Demonstration of Observational Mastery
The drawing exemplifies Rembrandt's skill in capturing not just physical form but inner life and character—a piercing gaze, poised power, and restless vitality conveyed through black chalk, subtle gray washes, and adjustments (e.g., the paw sketched in two positions). This aligns with his broader interest in psychological depth, seen in human portraits, but applied here to an animal, infusing it with almost anthropomorphic intensity.
Practical Role in His Practice
These studies served as reference material, allowing Rembrandt to depict animals convincingly from imagination in later works. Lions often symbolized strength or appeared in biblical contexts (e.g., Saint Jerome's companion). Earlier etchings show less accurate lions, while post-study depictions improved, though direct links to this specific drawing are limited.
Broader Context in Rembrandt's Career
While masterful, animal drawings were peripheral compared to his prolific output in other genres. They reflect his empirical approach during a prosperous phase before personal/financial challenges in the 1650s. The 1656 bankruptcy inventory mentions an album of his animal sketches from life, underscoring their value as study tools.
In summary, "Young Lion Resting" is significant for its extreme rarity, vivid demonstration of Rembrandt's draughtsmanship and observational prowess, and insight into his working methods—yet it remains a specialized outlier in a career defined by human-centered innovation.
Compare naturalistic precision in these drawings : Head of a Bear by Leonardo (1480s, sold on July 8, 2021 by Christie's, lot 20), Feldhase by Dürer (1502, Albertina Wien), 1638-1642 Young Lion Resting by Rembrandt (1638-1642, for sale on February 4, 2026, by Sotheby's, lot 201). Explain the technique and purpose of these drawings.
Rembrandt van Rijn: Young Lion Resting (c. 1638–1642)
Executed in black chalk with white chalk heightening and grey wash on brown laid paper (11.5 × 15 cm), this shows a young lion resting in three-quarter view, with emphasis on the mane, face, and forepaws. Rembrandt uses loose, energetic strokes, washes for tone, and highlights to suggest fur volume and texture. The eyes are accentuated to convey inner life and nobility, but the rendering is more expressive and sketch-like than minutely detailed.
Purpose: One of a small series of studies from a live lion (likely in an Amsterdam menagerie). These were observational exercises capturing the animal's form and character, possibly for use in paintings, etchings (e.g., Adam and Eve, 1638), or symbolic works like a political grisaille featuring a lion.
Comparison of Naturalistic Precision
All three works exemplify Renaissance/Baroque advances in observing and depicting animals from life, moving beyond medieval stylization toward empirical accuracy.
- Estimated at $15-20 million, the piece originates from The Leiden Collection—home to the world's largest private Rembrandt holdings—and its sale on February 4, 2026, in New York will fund Panthera, a global wild cat conservation effort founded by collector Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan.
- Provenance traces back to 18th-century French collector Jean-Jacques de Boissieu, underscoring the drawing's historical prestige, while its modest scale belies Rembrandt's innovative use of materials to convey the lion's poised power and vitality.
Rembrandt's "Young Lion Resting" (c. 1638–1642) holds notable significance in the artist's career, though animal studies represent only a small, specialized portion of his vast oeuvre, which is dominated by portraits, biblical scenes, history paintings, self-portraits, and etchings.
Rarity and Focus on Exotic Animals
Rembrandt produced very few animal drawings from life, with lions particularly intriguing him due to their rarity in 17th-century Netherlands. Only six autograph lion drawings by Rembrandt are known today, making this one exceptionally scarce. "Young Lion Resting" is the only animal depiction by him remaining in private hands—all others are in institutions like the British Museum (two related studies of the same lion), Louvre, Rijksmuseum, and Boijmans Van Beuningen.
These works date primarily to the late 1630s–early 1640s, a period of artistic maturity when Rembrandt was in his 30s, established in Amsterdam, and exploring direct observation. Exotic animals like North African lions arrived via Dutch East India Company ships and appeared in menageries or fairs, opportunities Rembrandt (and his pupils) seized for study. Contemporary advice to artists emphasized sketching such rarities "from life" (nae 't leven) for future use in compositions.
Demonstration of Observational Mastery
The drawing exemplifies Rembrandt's skill in capturing not just physical form but inner life and character—a piercing gaze, poised power, and restless vitality conveyed through black chalk, subtle gray washes, and adjustments (e.g., the paw sketched in two positions). This aligns with his broader interest in psychological depth, seen in human portraits, but applied here to an animal, infusing it with almost anthropomorphic intensity.
Practical Role in His Practice
These studies served as reference material, allowing Rembrandt to depict animals convincingly from imagination in later works. Lions often symbolized strength or appeared in biblical contexts (e.g., Saint Jerome's companion). Earlier etchings show less accurate lions, while post-study depictions improved, though direct links to this specific drawing are limited.
Broader Context in Rembrandt's Career
While masterful, animal drawings were peripheral compared to his prolific output in other genres. They reflect his empirical approach during a prosperous phase before personal/financial challenges in the 1650s. The 1656 bankruptcy inventory mentions an album of his animal sketches from life, underscoring their value as study tools.
In summary, "Young Lion Resting" is significant for its extreme rarity, vivid demonstration of Rembrandt's draughtsmanship and observational prowess, and insight into his working methods—yet it remains a specialized outlier in a career defined by human-centered innovation.
Compare naturalistic precision in these drawings : Head of a Bear by Leonardo (1480s, sold on July 8, 2021 by Christie's, lot 20), Feldhase by Dürer (1502, Albertina Wien), 1638-1642 Young Lion Resting by Rembrandt (1638-1642, for sale on February 4, 2026, by Sotheby's, lot 201). Explain the technique and purpose of these drawings.
Rembrandt van Rijn: Young Lion Resting (c. 1638–1642)
Executed in black chalk with white chalk heightening and grey wash on brown laid paper (11.5 × 15 cm), this shows a young lion resting in three-quarter view, with emphasis on the mane, face, and forepaws. Rembrandt uses loose, energetic strokes, washes for tone, and highlights to suggest fur volume and texture. The eyes are accentuated to convey inner life and nobility, but the rendering is more expressive and sketch-like than minutely detailed.
Purpose: One of a small series of studies from a live lion (likely in an Amsterdam menagerie). These were observational exercises capturing the animal's form and character, possibly for use in paintings, etchings (e.g., Adam and Eve, 1638), or symbolic works like a political grisaille featuring a lion.
Comparison of Naturalistic Precision
All three works exemplify Renaissance/Baroque advances in observing and depicting animals from life, moving beyond medieval stylization toward empirical accuracy.
- Highest precision: Dürer's Young Hare stands out for its meticulous, almost hyper-real detail—every strand of fur, subtle color variations, and lifelike illumination make it the most "scientific" and photographically convincing, often called a masterpiece of observational naturalism.
- Leonardo's Head of a Bear achieves remarkable subtlety and tenderness in a constrained medium and format, with precise tonal modeling that feels alive and volumetric. Its naturalism is profound but focused on a fragment rather than the whole animal.
- Rembrandt's Young Lion Resting prioritizes expressive vitality and psychological depth over exhaustive detail; the looser technique captures essence and movement but sacrifices some fine precision for Baroque dynamism.
The most important drawing by Rembrandt to appear at auction in half a century is coming to #SothebysNewYork. https://t.co/pCEzYaM9Uv
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) November 4, 2025
1735-1738 Qianlong Soapstone Seal
2022 SOLD for HK$ 153M by Sotheby's
Qianlong yulan shi bao means Treasure admired by his Majesty the Qianlong emperor. This mark was printed by the emperor with red cinnabar paste on selected masterpieces from the imperial collection of tens of thousands artworks. His grandfather and father had used similar stamps.
When he acceded to the throne in 1735 CE the Qianlong emperor was already a keen connoisseur of arts. He picked out for his own yulan shi bao a 7.8 cm square 10.7 cm high soapstone seal finial from the Kangxi-Yongzheng transition. This piece is carved in the round with a crouching mythical winged lion, fitted with flames on the body and dragon scales on the legs, mothering two small creatures. Its eyes are set with black gemstones.
The terminus ante quem of the face with the six character Qianlong mark is the 3rd year of the reign when the complete set of seals needed for the immediate use of the new emperor went to be complete. The soapstone in intaglio has been slightly worn by its extensive stamping use before the preparation in 1745 of the Shiqu Baoji inventory catalogue of the imperial collection.
Resurfacing in 1965 at auction by Sotheby's, the seal was again out of public view afterwards. It was sold for HK $ 153M by Sotheby's on April 29, 2022, lot 3801. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The paintings bearing the imperial appreciation from that specific seal include among others Travelers among mountains and streams by Fan Kuan, Early spring by Guo Xi and A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains by Wang Ximeng, plus many top level calligraphies.
The Qianlong emperor owned six other yulan shi bao connoisseur seals of various sizes.
When he acceded to the throne in 1735 CE the Qianlong emperor was already a keen connoisseur of arts. He picked out for his own yulan shi bao a 7.8 cm square 10.7 cm high soapstone seal finial from the Kangxi-Yongzheng transition. This piece is carved in the round with a crouching mythical winged lion, fitted with flames on the body and dragon scales on the legs, mothering two small creatures. Its eyes are set with black gemstones.
The terminus ante quem of the face with the six character Qianlong mark is the 3rd year of the reign when the complete set of seals needed for the immediate use of the new emperor went to be complete. The soapstone in intaglio has been slightly worn by its extensive stamping use before the preparation in 1745 of the Shiqu Baoji inventory catalogue of the imperial collection.
Resurfacing in 1965 at auction by Sotheby's, the seal was again out of public view afterwards. It was sold for HK $ 153M by Sotheby's on April 29, 2022, lot 3801. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The paintings bearing the imperial appreciation from that specific seal include among others Travelers among mountains and streams by Fan Kuan, Early spring by Guo Xi and A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains by Wang Ximeng, plus many top level calligraphies.
The Qianlong emperor owned six other yulan shi bao connoisseur seals of various sizes.
1876 Jeune Fille au Chat by Renoir
1990 SOLD for $ 18M by Sotheby's
Jeune Fille au Chat, painted by Renoir in 1876, was sold for $ 18M by Sotheby's on May 17, 1990.
Grok thought :
"Jeune Fille au Chat" (Young Girl with a Cat), painted by Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1876, is a charming oil on canvas portrait that exemplifies the Impressionist's mastery of light, color, and intimate domestic scenes. The work depicts a young blonde girl in a simple white dress, her hair twisted up, gently holding a tabby cat close to her face against a soft blue wall with subtle floral patterns. This piece captures youthful innocence and spontaneity, themes Renoir often explored in his portraits of children and young women during his early Impressionist period. The cat symbolizes sensuality or domesticity, while the contrasting red and green palette reflects influences admired by contemporaries like Manet. Exhibited at the second Impressionist show in April 1876, it received praise for Renoir's innovative handling of light despite mixed reviews for the group's techniques overall. At the time, Renoir was gaining patronage from the Parisian bourgeoisie, who favored such depictions of refined everyday life.
The painting sold at Sotheby's in New York on May 17, 1990, for $18,150,000 USD including the 10% buyer's premium.
Grok thought :
"Jeune Fille au Chat" (Young Girl with a Cat), painted by Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1876, is a charming oil on canvas portrait that exemplifies the Impressionist's mastery of light, color, and intimate domestic scenes. The work depicts a young blonde girl in a simple white dress, her hair twisted up, gently holding a tabby cat close to her face against a soft blue wall with subtle floral patterns. This piece captures youthful innocence and spontaneity, themes Renoir often explored in his portraits of children and young women during his early Impressionist period. The cat symbolizes sensuality or domesticity, while the contrasting red and green palette reflects influences admired by contemporaries like Manet. Exhibited at the second Impressionist show in April 1876, it received praise for Renoir's innovative handling of light despite mixed reviews for the group's techniques overall. At the time, Renoir was gaining patronage from the Parisian bourgeoisie, who favored such depictions of refined everyday life.
The painting sold at Sotheby's in New York on May 17, 1990, for $18,150,000 USD including the 10% buyer's premium.
masterpiece
1905 Le Lion ayant Faim by Rousseau
Fondation Beyeler
Exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in 1905 beside avant-garde paintings by Matisse and Derain. Commented as follows by Rousseau for the exhibition :
"Le lion, ayant faim, se jette sur l'antilope, la dévore. La panthère attend avec anxiété le moment où, elle aussi, pourra en avoir sa part. Des oiseaux carnivores ont déchiqueté chacun un morceau de chair de dessus le pauvre animal versant un pleur! Soleil couchant."
A Renaissance style sculpture was also exhibited in the same room. Vauxcelles commented : "Donatello chez les Fauves". So was coined the term Fauvisme for the new style of Matisse and Derain.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
"Le lion, ayant faim, se jette sur l'antilope, la dévore. La panthère attend avec anxiété le moment où, elle aussi, pourra en avoir sa part. Des oiseaux carnivores ont déchiqueté chacun un morceau de chair de dessus le pauvre animal versant un pleur! Soleil couchant."
A Renaissance style sculpture was also exhibited in the same room. Vauxcelles commented : "Donatello chez les Fauves". So was coined the term Fauvisme for the new style of Matisse and Derain.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1912 Der Wasserfall by Marc
2007 SOLD for $ 20.2M by Sotheby's
The quest for a new art, mystical and dematerialized, brings together Kandinsky and Marc. Franz Marc loves the masculine strength of the wild horses. Kandinsky likes the theme of the rider. Blue is their favorite color. With among others Macke and Jawlensky, they create the Der Blaue Reiter movement in Munich in 1911. That name was also the title of a previous painting by Kandinsky.
Like Kandinsky, Marc gradually evolves towards an abstraction characterized by the raw expression of colors. His colors, symbols of the pantheistic forces, completely escape the realism. He explained how to interpret them : Blue is the male principle, austere, spiritual and intellectual. Yellow is the female principle, nice, kind and sensual. Red is an enemy, materialistic, brutal and heavy.
In support to his theories, Marc stages a wide variety of animals, ideal creations of nature. However, he does not forget that his goal is humanistic.
On November 7, 2007, Sotheby's sold for $ 20.2M Der Wasserfall, oil on canvas 165 x 158 cm painted in 1912, lot 41. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Der Wasserfall is a rare example from that period with human characters. In front of the waterfall, four naked women display dramatic gestures. The colors of the skins are different, expressing without a racial connotation the diversity of temperaments. The waterfall is an abundant and swirling flow in a striking blue, symbolizing the divine light. In the background on the left, a feline brings its contribution to the pantheism.
Like Kandinsky, Marc gradually evolves towards an abstraction characterized by the raw expression of colors. His colors, symbols of the pantheistic forces, completely escape the realism. He explained how to interpret them : Blue is the male principle, austere, spiritual and intellectual. Yellow is the female principle, nice, kind and sensual. Red is an enemy, materialistic, brutal and heavy.
In support to his theories, Marc stages a wide variety of animals, ideal creations of nature. However, he does not forget that his goal is humanistic.
On November 7, 2007, Sotheby's sold for $ 20.2M Der Wasserfall, oil on canvas 165 x 158 cm painted in 1912, lot 41. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Der Wasserfall is a rare example from that period with human characters. In front of the waterfall, four naked women display dramatic gestures. The colors of the skins are different, expressing without a racial connotation the diversity of temperaments. The waterfall is an abundant and swirling flow in a striking blue, symbolizing the divine light. In the background on the left, a feline brings its contribution to the pantheism.
_The_Waterfall_(Women_under_a_Waterfall),_lot.41.jpg)
1941 Dora Maar au Chat by Picasso
2006 SOLD for $ 95M by Sotheby's
Dora Maar au Chat is an oil on canvas 130 x 97 cm painted by Picasso in 1941. Among the many portraits that Picasso made of his mistress, it is one of the most meticulous, with vibrant colors.
Contrary to the artist's usual practice, it is dated by the year without indication of the day, thus appearing beside the rest of the work. Picasso gathered here his admiration and emotion in front of Dora. He emotionally departed from Dora in 1943 and from this specific painting before 1947.
Throughout Picasso's career, the excessively abundant work is dotted with some dazzling illuminations in which he expresses his deep feelings. Dora Maar au Chat is one of these masterpieces, alongside for example Le Garçon à la pipe, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, La Minotauromachie, La Femme qui pleure and Les Femmes d'Alger.
It is war time. The armchair is a space that might seem open but is in fact an obstacle to freedom, like the throne of Innocent X by Velazquez. Dora is willing to react, with her elegant clothes and her big hat as for going out. She smiles.
And then there is the cat. It is very small. Perched on the back of the chair, it walks towards the woman who does not care at all about it. Black in the least contrasted part of the image, it is sneaky. Pablo and Dora did not like cats, these pets that scratch for a simple change of mood. They preferred dogs. For these reasons this tiny cat cannot be a personification of the artist. It is at best an unsolicited visitor, at worst the danger of the outside world.
The amalgamation between human and animal interested Picasso. In the same phase, he paints portraits of Dora with the muzzle of their Afghan hound. Here Dora's very long nails are in some way the claws of the cat.
Dora Maar au Chat was sold for $ 95M by Sotheby's on May 3, 2006, lot 14.
Grok thought :
Quote
Clown @ClownsTrenches Apr 27
Dora Maar au Chat – Pablo Picasso Price: $95.2 million (2006, Sotheby’s Auction)
Contrary to the artist's usual practice, it is dated by the year without indication of the day, thus appearing beside the rest of the work. Picasso gathered here his admiration and emotion in front of Dora. He emotionally departed from Dora in 1943 and from this specific painting before 1947.
Throughout Picasso's career, the excessively abundant work is dotted with some dazzling illuminations in which he expresses his deep feelings. Dora Maar au Chat is one of these masterpieces, alongside for example Le Garçon à la pipe, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, La Minotauromachie, La Femme qui pleure and Les Femmes d'Alger.
It is war time. The armchair is a space that might seem open but is in fact an obstacle to freedom, like the throne of Innocent X by Velazquez. Dora is willing to react, with her elegant clothes and her big hat as for going out. She smiles.
And then there is the cat. It is very small. Perched on the back of the chair, it walks towards the woman who does not care at all about it. Black in the least contrasted part of the image, it is sneaky. Pablo and Dora did not like cats, these pets that scratch for a simple change of mood. They preferred dogs. For these reasons this tiny cat cannot be a personification of the artist. It is at best an unsolicited visitor, at worst the danger of the outside world.
The amalgamation between human and animal interested Picasso. In the same phase, he paints portraits of Dora with the muzzle of their Afghan hound. Here Dora's very long nails are in some way the claws of the cat.
Dora Maar au Chat was sold for $ 95M by Sotheby's on May 3, 2006, lot 14.
Grok thought :
Quote
Clown @ClownsTrenches Apr 27
Dora Maar au Chat – Pablo Picasso Price: $95.2 million (2006, Sotheby’s Auction)
- This X post highlights Pablo Picasso's 1941 cubist portrait "Dora Maar au Chat," depicting his muse with a cat in distorted, vibrant forms, reflecting her emotional turmoil during World War II.
- The artwork fetched $95.2 million at Sotheby's in 2006, a record for modern art then, bought anonymously after decades in private collection.
1955 Le Chat by Giacometti
2010 SOLD for $ 21M by Christie's
The existentialist universe of Alberto Giacometti was started with his Trinity in 1947. The artist will then have to complete this staging. L'Homme au doigt is not continued, leaving face to face L'Homme qui marche and La Femme debout. The meaning of isolated organs like La Main or Le Nez is rather hermetic. Alberto prepares assemblies like La Forêt, La Clairière or La Place. The busts of Diego are in the position of an idol.
The human being does not have the monopoly of existence. In 1951 the artist decides to add the animals. This theme does not excite him : he will not make Noah's ark and will start with some familiar specimens, the cat, the dog and a group of two horses. It is said that he made the three plasters in the same day.
The horses are too big to stay in the workshop. The rain returns them to the clay. He will not try again. The dog is ugly, altogether filiform and skeletal. His head bent to sniff, he has no dynamism and no presence. Alberto will later say to Genet that he wanted to identify himself with this sad street dog. We believe him or not.
The cat has a better personality. It is built on a horizontal 81 cm from head to tail mounted on its two pairs of high legs in the position of walking. The heavy head in line with the wiry body expresses the desire to move forward.
Bronzes of cat and dog have been edited. Le Chien has never been highlighted at auction.
This experiment of animal figures is the only one attempted by Alberto. He will leave complacently to Diego this theme that indeed did not appeal him.
Le Chat number 3/8 cast by Susse in 1955 and coming from the Brody collection was sold for $ 21M by Christie's on May 4, 2010 and for £ 12.6M by Sotheby's on June 19, 2018,, lot 13. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
From the same edition as the example above, a bronze in dark brown patina was sold for $ 17.2M by Christie's on November 11, 2018, lot 24A consigned from the Lambert family collection. This Chat had been numbered 2/8 on the top of the base during casting. The Fondation Giacometti lated disagreed and inscribed it 4/8 on the underside.
The human being does not have the monopoly of existence. In 1951 the artist decides to add the animals. This theme does not excite him : he will not make Noah's ark and will start with some familiar specimens, the cat, the dog and a group of two horses. It is said that he made the three plasters in the same day.
The horses are too big to stay in the workshop. The rain returns them to the clay. He will not try again. The dog is ugly, altogether filiform and skeletal. His head bent to sniff, he has no dynamism and no presence. Alberto will later say to Genet that he wanted to identify himself with this sad street dog. We believe him or not.
The cat has a better personality. It is built on a horizontal 81 cm from head to tail mounted on its two pairs of high legs in the position of walking. The heavy head in line with the wiry body expresses the desire to move forward.
Bronzes of cat and dog have been edited. Le Chien has never been highlighted at auction.
This experiment of animal figures is the only one attempted by Alberto. He will leave complacently to Diego this theme that indeed did not appeal him.
Le Chat number 3/8 cast by Susse in 1955 and coming from the Brody collection was sold for $ 21M by Christie's on May 4, 2010 and for £ 12.6M by Sotheby's on June 19, 2018,, lot 13. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
From the same edition as the example above, a bronze in dark brown patina was sold for $ 17.2M by Christie's on November 11, 2018, lot 24A consigned from the Lambert family collection. This Chat had been numbered 2/8 on the top of the base during casting. The Fondation Giacometti lated disagreed and inscribed it 4/8 on the underside.
1964 Petit Chat Noir by PICASSO
1
February, Femme Nue Couchée jouant avec un Chat
2023 SOLD for $ 21.2M by Sotheby's
In 1961, Picasso moves to Mougins with Jacqueline and discovers again, aged 80, the joy of being a newlywed. He enters the quietest period of his life. His wife adores him. They live together apart from society as an ordinary couple despite their 45 year difference of age.
In 1963, he devotes a large series of paintings to the theme of the painter and his model. The surroundings are varied, outdoors or in the studio. The naked woman is confident, with an evident pleasure to let herself being looked.
They are not self-portraits. The man has various faces. Pablo is not bearded and never uses the attributes he provides to his characters, easel and palette. The woman is not Jacqueline.
He paints very quickly, in a hurry, without trying a structured suite. Some of these oils are little more than sketches. The surface is divided into two equal parts with the artist in close-up on the left and the nude woman on the right.
Early in 1964, the Picassos joined to their pet dogs a kitten found by chance in the garden. Pablo executed a series of paintings and drawings featuring that petit chat noir until it disappeared in May.
Femme nue couchée jouant avec un chat, oil on canvas and Ripolin 130 x 195 cm, was painted on February 17, 1964 and from 7 to 9 March of the same year. The black cat supersedes the absent man on the left side of the picture. It is standing on its four legs, looking at a toy or a sweet hanging to a string, brought to it by the woman. She is reclining on a divan in full nudity. Her crossed leg does not hide the sex.
This painting was sold for $ 21.2M by Sotheby's on May 16, 2023, lot 125.
In 1963, he devotes a large series of paintings to the theme of the painter and his model. The surroundings are varied, outdoors or in the studio. The naked woman is confident, with an evident pleasure to let herself being looked.
They are not self-portraits. The man has various faces. Pablo is not bearded and never uses the attributes he provides to his characters, easel and palette. The woman is not Jacqueline.
He paints very quickly, in a hurry, without trying a structured suite. Some of these oils are little more than sketches. The surface is divided into two equal parts with the artist in close-up on the left and the nude woman on the right.
Early in 1964, the Picassos joined to their pet dogs a kitten found by chance in the garden. Pablo executed a series of paintings and drawings featuring that petit chat noir until it disappeared in May.
Femme nue couchée jouant avec un chat, oil on canvas and Ripolin 130 x 195 cm, was painted on February 17, 1964 and from 7 to 9 March of the same year. The black cat supersedes the absent man on the left side of the picture. It is standing on its four legs, looking at a toy or a sweet hanging to a string, brought to it by the woman. She is reclining on a divan in full nudity. Her crossed leg does not hide the sex.
This painting was sold for $ 21.2M by Sotheby's on May 16, 2023, lot 125.
2
May, Femme au Chat assise dans un Fauteuil
2010 SOLD for $ 18M by Christie's
Femme au chat assise dans un fauteuil, painted in May through several days by Picasso, features the same cat leaping to the lap of Jacqueline seated in the nude in an armchair. The animal is hiding the sex.
This oil in canvas 130 x 81 cm was sold for $ 18M from a lower estimate of $ 10M by Christie's on May 4, 2010, lot 39.
This oil in canvas 130 x 81 cm was sold for $ 18M from a lower estimate of $ 10M by Christie's on May 4, 2010, lot 39.
1989-1994 Le Chat au Miroir by Balthus
2021 SOLD for RMB 167M by Yongle
In 1977 Balthus moved permanently with his Japanese wife to a chalet in the canton de Vaud. His paintings then represent a synthesis of his signature themes, fancies and enigmas. He works in parallel on many compositions but completes few of them, sometimes after several years, progressing slowly in an anti-modernist mood.
Le Chat au miroir is a series of three completed works from that period of semi retirement.
The main character is a girl seated on a sofa. On the other side a cat is watching. The girl turns her eyes to look at the pet through a translucent hand mirror held by her stretched arm.
The peeping cat is featuring the artist himself since the 1935 roi des chats. The awkward pre-adolescent girl is reminiscent of the series started in 1936 with an 11 year old Thérèse. The mirror between them is both a helper and a liar, reminding Alice's Wonderland.
In Le Chat au miroir I, painted in 1980, the smiling girl is nude excepted an underwear on an arm. The cat is ready for an attack with its raised ears and mewing mouth. In the opus II, painted in 1986, the barefoot girl is clothed in a tight shirt revealing the torso with the growing breast.
The opus III is the culmination of the series and even of the career of the artist. Started in 1989, it is considered as his latest finished large work, completed five years later in 1994 when he was 86 years old.
The still barefoot girl is now fully clothed in saturated colors. The dark cat with piercing eyes is more threatening than ever. The Japanese words reading cat and mirror constitute a title in nearly imperceptible blue lines.
Le Chat au miroir III was sold for RMB 167M by Yongle on December 3, 2021, lot 2035. Please watch the video shared in 2018 by VernissageTV during its exhibition by Fondation Beyeler at Martigny.
Le Chat au miroir is a series of three completed works from that period of semi retirement.
The main character is a girl seated on a sofa. On the other side a cat is watching. The girl turns her eyes to look at the pet through a translucent hand mirror held by her stretched arm.
The peeping cat is featuring the artist himself since the 1935 roi des chats. The awkward pre-adolescent girl is reminiscent of the series started in 1936 with an 11 year old Thérèse. The mirror between them is both a helper and a liar, reminding Alice's Wonderland.
In Le Chat au miroir I, painted in 1980, the smiling girl is nude excepted an underwear on an arm. The cat is ready for an attack with its raised ears and mewing mouth. In the opus II, painted in 1986, the barefoot girl is clothed in a tight shirt revealing the torso with the growing breast.
The opus III is the culmination of the series and even of the career of the artist. Started in 1989, it is considered as his latest finished large work, completed five years later in 1994 when he was 86 years old.
The still barefoot girl is now fully clothed in saturated colors. The dark cat with piercing eyes is more threatening than ever. The Japanese words reading cat and mirror constitute a title in nearly imperceptible blue lines.
Le Chat au miroir III was sold for RMB 167M by Yongle on December 3, 2021, lot 2035. Please watch the video shared in 2018 by VernissageTV during its exhibition by Fondation Beyeler at Martigny.
