Children and Teenagers
not including Angels
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Groups Ancient painting Rubens Christianity Sculpture by painters French sculpture France Art on paper Rockwell Nude Degas Gauguin Picasso Picasso < 1907 Modigliani Flowers Music and dance China Chinese porcelain Antique to Yuan porcelain Chinese dragon
Chronology : 1-1000 17th century 1610-1619 19th century 1870-1879 1879 1890-1899 1890 1899-1900 1899 1900-1909 1905 1918 1919 1920-1929 1927 1951
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Groups Ancient painting Rubens Christianity Sculpture by painters French sculpture France Art on paper Rockwell Nude Degas Gauguin Picasso Picasso < 1907 Modigliani Flowers Music and dance China Chinese porcelain Antique to Yuan porcelain Chinese dragon
Chronology : 1-1000 17th century 1610-1619 19th century 1870-1879 1879 1890-1899 1890 1899-1900 1899 1900-1909 1905 1918 1919 1920-1929 1927 1951
Later Zhou Chai Kiln child pillow
2025 SOLD for HK$ 410M before fees by CITIC
This refers to a Five Dynasties Chai Kiln (Later Zhou) Blue-Glazed Dragon Boat Fortune Child Pillow, sold for HKD 410 million at the Hong Kong CITIC International Autumn Auction on October 12, 2025.
Key Features of This Lot
Key Features of This Lot
- Form: Ceramic pillow (zhen) in a sculpted, complex shape combining a dragon boat with fortune child (auspicious child figure) motifs. Size approximately 13 × 17 cm. These pillows served practical (headrest) and symbolic/tomb purposes; this example features intricate openwork or carved elements, rare for the period.
- Glaze and Color: Signature Chai Kiln turquoise/celadon ("Qing glaze" or blue-glazed) — luminous, glassy, translucent, sky-blue to greenish tones with high gloss and jewel-like quality. Described as "blue as the sky, bright as a mirror."
- Body and Craftsmanship: Fine, thin-walled high-fired stoneware/porcelain body. Exquisite carved dragon boat and fortune child patterns under the glaze. Base mark: "Great Zhou" (大周), directly linking it to the Later Zhou imperial court under Emperor Chai Rong.
- Rarity: Extremely scarce; Chai wares have near-extinct survival rates with few authenticated examples. This was highlighted as the first complete vessel with clear royal marks to appear publicly, setting a benchmark for the category.
1610 The Massacre of the Innocents by Rubens
2002 SOLD for £ 50M by Sotheby's
Two paintings made by Rubens for private use at the beginning of his new Flemish phase entered together in 1702 in the collection of the princes of Liechtenstein. After a loss of traceability in the inventories of the Liechtenstein collection, the two artworks were later attributed to an assistant from the end of career of Rubens named Jan van den Hoecke.
The Massacre of the Innocents (De kindermoord te Bethlehem) was known by a copy kept in Brussels. The version attributed to van den Hoecke is brought for sale to Sotheby's. Comparing this 142 x 182 cm oil on wood with the Samson and Delilah, the expert of the auction house recognizes that he has in his hands the real original by Rubens.
This reattribution is convincing. The Massacre of the Innocents is sold for £ 50M by Sotheby's on July 10, 2002 from a lower estimate of £ 4M, lot 6. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1610 is considered as the most likely year for the creation of this artwork. The background of the image does not show Bethlehem but the temple of Castor and Pollux, proving that Rubens was still dazzled by the beauties of Rome. It has been also considered as a reminiscence from the atrocities of the religious wars. It is undoubtedly a masterpiece by Rubens, in a near perfect condition.
The Massacre of the Innocents (De kindermoord te Bethlehem) was known by a copy kept in Brussels. The version attributed to van den Hoecke is brought for sale to Sotheby's. Comparing this 142 x 182 cm oil on wood with the Samson and Delilah, the expert of the auction house recognizes that he has in his hands the real original by Rubens.
This reattribution is convincing. The Massacre of the Innocents is sold for £ 50M by Sotheby's on July 10, 2002 from a lower estimate of £ 4M, lot 6. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1610 is considered as the most likely year for the creation of this artwork. The background of the image does not show Bethlehem but the temple of Castor and Pollux, proving that Rubens was still dazzled by the beauties of Rome. It has been also considered as a reminiscence from the atrocities of the religious wars. It is undoubtedly a masterpiece by Rubens, in a near perfect condition.
Compare Salome by Rubens, (ca 1609, sold by Sotheby's on January 26, 2023, lot 5) with The Massacre of the Innocents (ca 1610, sold by Sotheby's on July 10, 2002, lot 6).
Overview
Both paintings by Peter Paul Rubens date from the pivotal period immediately after his return to Antwerp from Italy in 1608, when he synthesized Italian Renaissance and Baroque influences (e.g., Michelangelo's muscular anatomy, Titian's rich color, Caravaggio's dramatic lighting) with Flemish traditions. This phase (ca. 1609–1612) marks Rubens's explosive emergence as a master of dynamic, emotionally charged history painting.
Salome Presented with the Head of Saint John the Baptist (ca. 1609–1610). A focused, intimate scene with dramatic chiaroscuro highlighting the gore and Salome's detached gaze.
The Massacre of the Innocents (ca. 1610–1612). A chaotic, large-scale frenzy of intertwined bodies, conveying overwhelming horror.
Key Comparisons
Subject & Theme
Salome : Intimate biblical violence: Salome receives John's head as reward for her dance; explores sexual intrigue, revenge, and moral detachment.
Massacre : Mass violence: Soldiers slaughter infants; anti-war commentary echoing recent Dutch-Spanish conflicts (e.g., Eighty Years' War).
Composition
Salome : Compact group of 5–6 figures; focused on central platter with spurting blood; strong diagonals and chiaroscuro create tension.
Massacre : Swirling chaos with 20+ interlocked figures; dynamic diagonals form a vortex of motion; draws from ancient sculptures like Laocoön.
Emotional Tone
Salome : Psychological intensity: Salome's cool gaze contrasts gore; "pre-cinematic" horror with erotic undertones.
Massacre : Visceral despair and fury: Mothers' grief, soldiers' brutality; raw range of desperation, maternal love, mercilessness.
Style & Influences
Salome : Dramatic lighting (Caravaggesque), fleshy nudes, rich colors; intimate scale heightens shock.
Massacre : Explosive energy, muscular forms (Michelangelo), vivid color (Titian); larger scale amplifies turmoil.
Size & Medium
Salome : Smaller (94 × 101.8 cm), oil on oak panel → personal, overwhelming impact.
Massacre : Larger (142 × 183 cm), oil on panel → monumental, immersive horror.
Provenance & Auction
Salome : Rediscovered 1987; sold 1998 ($5.5m), then 2023 Sotheby's lot 5 ($26.9m) from Fisch-Davidson collection.
Massacre : Rediscovered 2001; sold 2002 Sotheby's lot 6 (£49.5m / ~$76.7m, record for Old Master at time) to Kenneth Thomson.
Current Location
Salome : Private collection (post-2023 sale).
Massacre : Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (Thomson Collection).
Similarities
Overview
Both paintings by Peter Paul Rubens date from the pivotal period immediately after his return to Antwerp from Italy in 1608, when he synthesized Italian Renaissance and Baroque influences (e.g., Michelangelo's muscular anatomy, Titian's rich color, Caravaggio's dramatic lighting) with Flemish traditions. This phase (ca. 1609–1612) marks Rubens's explosive emergence as a master of dynamic, emotionally charged history painting.
- Salome Presented with the Head of Saint John the Baptist (ca. 1609–1610): Oil on oak panel, 94 × 101.8 cm. Biblical scene from Mark 6:17–29, depicting Salome receiving the severed head on a platter.
- The Massacre of the Innocents (ca. 1610–1612): Oil on panel, 142 × 183 cm. Biblical scene from Matthew 2:16–18, showing soldiers slaughtering infants on Herod's orders.
Salome Presented with the Head of Saint John the Baptist (ca. 1609–1610). A focused, intimate scene with dramatic chiaroscuro highlighting the gore and Salome's detached gaze.
The Massacre of the Innocents (ca. 1610–1612). A chaotic, large-scale frenzy of intertwined bodies, conveying overwhelming horror.
Key Comparisons
Subject & Theme
Salome : Intimate biblical violence: Salome receives John's head as reward for her dance; explores sexual intrigue, revenge, and moral detachment.
Massacre : Mass violence: Soldiers slaughter infants; anti-war commentary echoing recent Dutch-Spanish conflicts (e.g., Eighty Years' War).
Composition
Salome : Compact group of 5–6 figures; focused on central platter with spurting blood; strong diagonals and chiaroscuro create tension.
Massacre : Swirling chaos with 20+ interlocked figures; dynamic diagonals form a vortex of motion; draws from ancient sculptures like Laocoön.
Emotional Tone
Salome : Psychological intensity: Salome's cool gaze contrasts gore; "pre-cinematic" horror with erotic undertones.
Massacre : Visceral despair and fury: Mothers' grief, soldiers' brutality; raw range of desperation, maternal love, mercilessness.
Style & Influences
Salome : Dramatic lighting (Caravaggesque), fleshy nudes, rich colors; intimate scale heightens shock.
Massacre : Explosive energy, muscular forms (Michelangelo), vivid color (Titian); larger scale amplifies turmoil.
Size & Medium
Salome : Smaller (94 × 101.8 cm), oil on oak panel → personal, overwhelming impact.
Massacre : Larger (142 × 183 cm), oil on panel → monumental, immersive horror.
Provenance & Auction
Salome : Rediscovered 1987; sold 1998 ($5.5m), then 2023 Sotheby's lot 5 ($26.9m) from Fisch-Davidson collection.
Massacre : Rediscovered 2001; sold 2002 Sotheby's lot 6 (£49.5m / ~$76.7m, record for Old Master at time) to Kenneth Thomson.
Current Location
Salome : Private collection (post-2023 sale).
Massacre : Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (Thomson Collection).
Similarities
- Both created shortly after Rubens's Italian sojourn, showcasing his "explosive creative energy" in violent biblical narratives.
- Shared Baroque traits: Theatrical drama, fleshy realism, bold contrasts of light/shadow, emotional extremes.
- Themes of innocent victims and tyrannical orders (Herod/Herodias).
- Rediscovered masterpieces that shattered auction records, highlighting Rubens's market dominance.
- Scale and Scope — Salome is intimate and psychological (few figures, erotic undertones); Massacre is epic and chaotic (crowded, anti-war scale).
- Focus — Salome emphasizes detachment amid gore; Massacre overwhelms with collective suffering and motion.
- Impact — Salome described as "intensely powerful" and shocking in closeness; Massacre as a swirling vortex of unrelenting brutality.
_De_kindermoord_te_Bethlehem_-_Rubenshuis_Antwerpen_27-09-2018.jpg)
masterpiece
1665 Girl with a Pearl Earring by Vermeer
Mauritshuis
Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665), housed in the Mauritshuis in The Hague, is one of Johannes Vermeer's most celebrated works and an icon of the Dutch Golden Age. This small oil on canvas (about 44.5 × 39 cm) depicts a young woman turning her head to gaze directly at the viewer, wearing an exotic blue-and-gold turban, a gleaming oversized pearl earring, and a luxurious jacket. Often called the "Mona Lisa of the North," its power lies in the enigmatic expression, masterful handling of light, and intimate connection it creates.
Artist's Motivation and the Nature of the Work
Vermeer did not create this as a conventional portrait of a specific individual. It is a tronie—a 17th-century Dutch genre of character study or "head" depicting an idealized type, expression, or exotic figure rather than a likeness for identification. The motivation appears tied to Vermeer's fascination with capturing fleeting human emotion, light effects, and subtle psychological intimacy. The girl's parted lips and wide-eyed glance (as if caught mid-moment, perhaps about to speak) evoke a sense of immediacy and connection, drawing the viewer into a private, almost voyeuristic relationship. Some scholars see it as exploring themes of beauty, transience, or even superficiality (the "pearl" as an illusion of luxury). Vermeer likely used a live model—possibly a daughter, a patron's relative, or simply a studio sitter—but the focus is artistic experimentation rather than biography or commission.
The famous earring itself is not a literal large pearl but a masterful illusion created with just two brushstrokes (a bright highlight and a soft reflection), showcasing Vermeer's obsession with how light interacts with surfaces. Recent research (including the Mauritshuis's "Girl in the Spotlight" project) reveals he built the composition in understated browns and blacks before layering delicate colors, with changes to details like the ear position for greater harmony.
Influences
Vermeer worked in Delft during the Dutch Golden Age, a time of prosperity, trade, and artistic innovation emphasizing realism, domestic life, and light. Key influences include:
Vermeer was modestly successful in his lifetime but largely forgotten after his death in 1675, known mainly locally in Delft. The painting itself was obscure for centuries—sold cheaply in 1696 and again in 1881 for just a few guilders as "Girl with Turban." Its breakthrough came in 1881 when critics like Victor de Stuers recognized it as a Vermeer (possibly after cleaning revealed the signature). Art historian Abraham Bredius praised its modeling and light in 1885. Vermeer's wider rediscovery is credited to 19th-century French critic Théophile Thoré (pseudonym William Bürger), who championed him. But Girl with a Pearl Earring truly exploded in fame around the late 20th/early 21st century: a major 1995–1996 exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., helped, followed by Tracy Chevalier's 1999 bestselling novel (imagining the girl as a housemaid and muse) and its 2003 Oscar-nominated film adaptation starring Scarlett Johansson.
Legacy
Today, it is Vermeer's most famous work, drawing massive crowds to the Mauritshuis and inspiring endless cultural references—from books and films to parodies (e.g., Banksy's Girl with a Pierced Eardrum), modern appropriations addressing identity and race, and even activist protests. It symbolizes timeless beauty, mystery, and the power of subtle expression, often studied for Vermeer's light mastery and psychological depth. Its enigmatic quality—universal yet personal—continues to captivate, making it one of the most recognizable and beloved paintings in art history.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Artist's Motivation and the Nature of the Work
Vermeer did not create this as a conventional portrait of a specific individual. It is a tronie—a 17th-century Dutch genre of character study or "head" depicting an idealized type, expression, or exotic figure rather than a likeness for identification. The motivation appears tied to Vermeer's fascination with capturing fleeting human emotion, light effects, and subtle psychological intimacy. The girl's parted lips and wide-eyed glance (as if caught mid-moment, perhaps about to speak) evoke a sense of immediacy and connection, drawing the viewer into a private, almost voyeuristic relationship. Some scholars see it as exploring themes of beauty, transience, or even superficiality (the "pearl" as an illusion of luxury). Vermeer likely used a live model—possibly a daughter, a patron's relative, or simply a studio sitter—but the focus is artistic experimentation rather than biography or commission.
The famous earring itself is not a literal large pearl but a masterful illusion created with just two brushstrokes (a bright highlight and a soft reflection), showcasing Vermeer's obsession with how light interacts with surfaces. Recent research (including the Mauritshuis's "Girl in the Spotlight" project) reveals he built the composition in understated browns and blacks before layering delicate colors, with changes to details like the ear position for greater harmony.
Influences
Vermeer worked in Delft during the Dutch Golden Age, a time of prosperity, trade, and artistic innovation emphasizing realism, domestic life, and light. Key influences include:
- Pieter de Hooch and other Delft genre painters, whose intimate interiors and light-filled spaces shaped Vermeer's style.
- Rembrandt and the broader Dutch tronie tradition (Rembrandt produced many expressive heads in exotic attire or headwear around the 1630s).
- Fashion and exoticism: The turban reflects 17th-century European fascination with Ottoman/Turkish motifs (via trade and conflicts), while pearls were hugely popular luxury items (real or imitation) in Dutch art of the 1650s–1680s, appearing in works by artists like Frans van Mieris, Gabriel Metsu, and Gerard ter Borch.
- Vermeer's use of expensive ultramarine (from lapis lazuli) for the turban and his near-photographic light rendering suggest possible optical aids (debated among scholars), though his core influence was the era's emphasis on everyday beauty elevated through technical mastery.
Vermeer was modestly successful in his lifetime but largely forgotten after his death in 1675, known mainly locally in Delft. The painting itself was obscure for centuries—sold cheaply in 1696 and again in 1881 for just a few guilders as "Girl with Turban." Its breakthrough came in 1881 when critics like Victor de Stuers recognized it as a Vermeer (possibly after cleaning revealed the signature). Art historian Abraham Bredius praised its modeling and light in 1885. Vermeer's wider rediscovery is credited to 19th-century French critic Théophile Thoré (pseudonym William Bürger), who championed him. But Girl with a Pearl Earring truly exploded in fame around the late 20th/early 21st century: a major 1995–1996 exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., helped, followed by Tracy Chevalier's 1999 bestselling novel (imagining the girl as a housemaid and muse) and its 2003 Oscar-nominated film adaptation starring Scarlett Johansson.
Legacy
Today, it is Vermeer's most famous work, drawing massive crowds to the Mauritshuis and inspiring endless cultural references—from books and films to parodies (e.g., Banksy's Girl with a Pierced Eardrum), modern appropriations addressing identity and race, and even activist protests. It symbolizes timeless beauty, mystery, and the power of subtle expression, often studied for Vermeer's light mastery and psychological depth. Its enigmatic quality—universal yet personal—continues to captivate, making it one of the most recognizable and beloved paintings in art history.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
masterpiece
1872 Le Berceau by Morisot
Musée d'Orsay
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Berthe Morisot's Le Berceau (The Cradle), 1872, housed in the Musée d'Orsay, is one of her most iconic and famous works. Painted in oil on canvas, it depicts the artist's sister Edma Pontillon gazing tenderly at her sleeping daughter Blanche in a cradle, with a delicate net curtain partially drawn across the scene.
Artist's Motivation
Morisot painted Le Berceau in 1872 as her first exploration of motherhood, a theme that would become central to her oeuvre. The work captures an intimate, private moment of maternal love and protection—Edma's gentle gaze, the mirroring of arms between mother and child, and the protective gesture of drawing the curtain create a profound sense of tenderness and emotional closeness. This was motivated by Morisot's focus on domestic life and the everyday experiences of women in bourgeois society, subjects often overlooked in grand historical or public art. The painting reflects her interest in modern femininity, psychological nuance (including subtle weariness and inner complexity in motherhood), and the quiet beauty of family bonds. Unlike anecdotal or picturesque treatments of childhood in Salon art, Morisot aimed for simplicity and direct emotional resonance, allowing viewers to connect personally.
Influences
Morisot's style in Le Berceau shows clear ties to Édouard Manet, whom she met in 1868 and whose brother Eugène she later married in 1874. Manet's influence encouraged her to focus more on portraits, faces, and brighter palettes, while their mutual exchanges helped lighten his own work toward plein-air approaches. She also drew from earlier mentors like Camille Corot (who advised her on painting from nature) and copied works at the Louvre early on. Broader Impressionist ideas—loose, fluid brushwork, emphasis on light, and rejection of strict academic finish—are evident in the painting's delicate, hazy veils of color and sketch-like quality. It parallels contemporary works like Monet's depictions of his son in a cradle, signaling a new, modern representation of childhood and family intimacy.
Breakthrough
Le Berceau marked a significant moment when Morisot exhibited it at the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874—the inaugural show of the Société Anonyme des Artistes Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs. As the only woman in the group (and one of its key organizers), her inclusion was groundbreaking. The painting received some positive critical notice for its grace, elegance, and delicate execution—one of the few works at the show to garner praise amid widespread ridicule of the movement. Though it didn't sell and remained in her collection, it helped establish her as a serious Impressionist voice, challenging gender barriers and Salon dominance.
Legacy
Le Berceau remains Morisot's most celebrated painting and a cornerstone of Impressionism, often seen as a key to understanding the movement's revolutionary temperament—its shift toward psychological depth, intimate subjects, and innovative techniques over academic polish. It highlights Morisot's pioneering role as a female artist depicting women's private worlds (motherhood, domesticity, fashion) from an insider's perspective, inaccessible to most male painters. Her nuanced portrayal of maternal experience—tender yet edged with realism—feels strikingly modern, influencing later explorations of gender and everyday life in art. Today, it exemplifies how Impressionism expanded art's boundaries, and Morisot's contributions as a leading figure (not just a "token" woman) continue to be reevaluated for their lasting impact on feminist art history and the movement's legacy.
Berthe Morisot's Le Berceau (The Cradle), 1872, housed in the Musée d'Orsay, is one of her most iconic and famous works. Painted in oil on canvas, it depicts the artist's sister Edma Pontillon gazing tenderly at her sleeping daughter Blanche in a cradle, with a delicate net curtain partially drawn across the scene.
Artist's Motivation
Morisot painted Le Berceau in 1872 as her first exploration of motherhood, a theme that would become central to her oeuvre. The work captures an intimate, private moment of maternal love and protection—Edma's gentle gaze, the mirroring of arms between mother and child, and the protective gesture of drawing the curtain create a profound sense of tenderness and emotional closeness. This was motivated by Morisot's focus on domestic life and the everyday experiences of women in bourgeois society, subjects often overlooked in grand historical or public art. The painting reflects her interest in modern femininity, psychological nuance (including subtle weariness and inner complexity in motherhood), and the quiet beauty of family bonds. Unlike anecdotal or picturesque treatments of childhood in Salon art, Morisot aimed for simplicity and direct emotional resonance, allowing viewers to connect personally.
Influences
Morisot's style in Le Berceau shows clear ties to Édouard Manet, whom she met in 1868 and whose brother Eugène she later married in 1874. Manet's influence encouraged her to focus more on portraits, faces, and brighter palettes, while their mutual exchanges helped lighten his own work toward plein-air approaches. She also drew from earlier mentors like Camille Corot (who advised her on painting from nature) and copied works at the Louvre early on. Broader Impressionist ideas—loose, fluid brushwork, emphasis on light, and rejection of strict academic finish—are evident in the painting's delicate, hazy veils of color and sketch-like quality. It parallels contemporary works like Monet's depictions of his son in a cradle, signaling a new, modern representation of childhood and family intimacy.
Breakthrough
Le Berceau marked a significant moment when Morisot exhibited it at the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874—the inaugural show of the Société Anonyme des Artistes Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs. As the only woman in the group (and one of its key organizers), her inclusion was groundbreaking. The painting received some positive critical notice for its grace, elegance, and delicate execution—one of the few works at the show to garner praise amid widespread ridicule of the movement. Though it didn't sell and remained in her collection, it helped establish her as a serious Impressionist voice, challenging gender barriers and Salon dominance.
Legacy
Le Berceau remains Morisot's most celebrated painting and a cornerstone of Impressionism, often seen as a key to understanding the movement's revolutionary temperament—its shift toward psychological depth, intimate subjects, and innovative techniques over academic polish. It highlights Morisot's pioneering role as a female artist depicting women's private worlds (motherhood, domesticity, fashion) from an insider's perspective, inaccessible to most male painters. Her nuanced portrayal of maternal experience—tender yet edged with realism—feels strikingly modern, influencing later explorations of gender and everyday life in art. Today, it exemplifies how Impressionism expanded art's boundaries, and Morisot's contributions as a leading figure (not just a "token" woman) continue to be reevaluated for their lasting impact on feminist art history and the movement's legacy.
1879 Danseuse au Repos by Degas
2008 SOLD for $ 37M by Sotheby's
Degas became interested in the world of dance at the instigation of his friend Ludovic Halévy. In 1875 the inauguration of the Paris Opera at the Palais Garnier opened a new phase in his life and in his art. He attends the performances that take place three times a week, and his subscription allows an unlimited access behind the scenes.
The "petits rats" are of great interest to him. These very young women do not have that need for sexual activity which masks the psychological authenticity of the prostitutes. Their lives are exhausting, in training and on stage, but the glory may reward their efforts.
Degas did not rule out any technique. In 1875 he was seduced by the use of pastel enhanced with gouache on paper. Unlike oil and watercolor, this opaque material very easily allows the many reworks desired by the artist throughout the execution of an artwork.
In 1880 at the 5th impressionist exhibition, Degas displays a pastel and gouache 46 x 67 cm titled Deux danseuses, probably made in 1879. After an exhausting exercise, two ballerinas in tutu are seated side by side on a bench. They ignore each other, only trying to catch their breath, the body leaning forward.
The artist painted in the same technique another work, 59 x 64 cm, titled Danseuse au repos. It was sold by Sotheby's for £ 17.6M on June 28, 1999, lot 4 and for $ 37M on November 3, 2008, lot 14. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The girl on the right side in Deux Danseuses is in exactly the same attitude as before, with the left hand massaging the painful ankle and the other hand resting on the other knee. With her frail limbs and her upturned nose, this young woman has a resemblance to Marie, the model of the sculpture titled Petite danseuse de quatorze ans made by Degas around the same time. In a bold composition as Degas liked, her partner is almost entirely out of field.
Grok thought :
Quote
Artologism @artologism Aug 19, 2023
#گینس_هنری: گرانترین نقاشی از ادگار دگا یک نقاشی پاستل از ادگار دگا با عنوان Danseuse au repos مربوط به حدود سال ۱۸۷۹، در سال ۱۹۹۹ در حراجی ساتبیز در نیویورک به قیمت 17,601,500 پوند به فروش رسید و به گرانترین اثر نقاشی از این هنرمند مشهور فرانسوی تبدیل شد.
The "petits rats" are of great interest to him. These very young women do not have that need for sexual activity which masks the psychological authenticity of the prostitutes. Their lives are exhausting, in training and on stage, but the glory may reward their efforts.
Degas did not rule out any technique. In 1875 he was seduced by the use of pastel enhanced with gouache on paper. Unlike oil and watercolor, this opaque material very easily allows the many reworks desired by the artist throughout the execution of an artwork.
In 1880 at the 5th impressionist exhibition, Degas displays a pastel and gouache 46 x 67 cm titled Deux danseuses, probably made in 1879. After an exhausting exercise, two ballerinas in tutu are seated side by side on a bench. They ignore each other, only trying to catch their breath, the body leaning forward.
The artist painted in the same technique another work, 59 x 64 cm, titled Danseuse au repos. It was sold by Sotheby's for £ 17.6M on June 28, 1999, lot 4 and for $ 37M on November 3, 2008, lot 14. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The girl on the right side in Deux Danseuses is in exactly the same attitude as before, with the left hand massaging the painful ankle and the other hand resting on the other knee. With her frail limbs and her upturned nose, this young woman has a resemblance to Marie, the model of the sculpture titled Petite danseuse de quatorze ans made by Degas around the same time. In a bold composition as Degas liked, her partner is almost entirely out of field.
Grok thought :
Quote
Artologism @artologism Aug 19, 2023
#گینس_هنری: گرانترین نقاشی از ادگار دگا یک نقاشی پاستل از ادگار دگا با عنوان Danseuse au repos مربوط به حدود سال ۱۸۷۹، در سال ۱۹۹۹ در حراجی ساتبیز در نیویورک به قیمت 17,601,500 پوند به فروش رسید و به گرانترین اثر نقاشی از این هنرمند مشهور فرانسوی تبدیل شد.
- The post details Edgar Degas's 1879 pastel "Danseuse au Repos," depicting a resting ballerina, which sold for £17.6 million ($28 million) at Sotheby's in 1999, establishing a record for his paintings that persists into 2025 per Guinness World Records.
- Minor inaccuracy: The auction occurred in London, not New York; Degas, a key Impressionist, produced over 1,500 ballerina works, reflecting his backstage access to Paris's Opéra ballet.
- The sale highlights surging demand for Degas's pastels, which capture movement and light innovatively; adjusted for inflation, it equates to about $32 million today, outpacing recent estimates like a 2025 "Trois Danseuses" at $5 million max.
1890 Jeune Homme au Bleuet by van Gogh
2021 SOLD for $ 47M by Christie's
From his early expectations, Vincent van Gogh could have been a preacher in the countryside. Beside his highly experimental landscapes and his investigative self portraits, his preferred themes for expressing the authentic life were the peasants, the babies, the children and the flowers. He often took models from his neighbors, including the Roulin family in Arles and the Ravoux daughter in Auvers.
Le Jeune homme au bleuet is an unidentified young peasant boy of whom Vincent painted the portrait in June 1890 in Auvers.
The portrait is uncompromising. The lower class boy has a sun bathed dark skin, a shaggy blond hair, a sad gaze and a forced smile. He holds a cornflower between his lips. The line is much expressive in the style of Vincent's later works.
This oil on canvas 40 x 32 cm was sold for $ 47M from a lower estimate of $ 5M by Christie's on November 11, 2021, lot 21C.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc Nov 12, 2021
#AuctionUpdate: 'Jeune homme au bleuet' by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) fetched $46,732,500 at auction — over 6X its high estimate. This work was painted in in June 1890, the penultimate month of the artist's life, during his period of prolific portraiture.
Le Jeune homme au bleuet is an unidentified young peasant boy of whom Vincent painted the portrait in June 1890 in Auvers.
The portrait is uncompromising. The lower class boy has a sun bathed dark skin, a shaggy blond hair, a sad gaze and a forced smile. He holds a cornflower between his lips. The line is much expressive in the style of Vincent's later works.
This oil on canvas 40 x 32 cm was sold for $ 47M from a lower estimate of $ 5M by Christie's on November 11, 2021, lot 21C.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc Nov 12, 2021
#AuctionUpdate: 'Jeune homme au bleuet' by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) fetched $46,732,500 at auction — over 6X its high estimate. This work was painted in in June 1890, the penultimate month of the artist's life, during his period of prolific portraiture.
- Christie's post celebrates the November 2021 sale of Vincent van Gogh's "Jeune homme au bleuet," a late portrait fetching $46.7 million—over six times its $7 million high estimate—from the collection of American oil tycoon Edgar L. Cox.
- Painted in Auvers-sur-Oise in June 1890, the work captures an unidentified young man holding a cornflower against swirling yellows and greens, exemplifying Van Gogh's final month's intense productivity before his July suicide.
- The auction's success, amid a $752 million total for Impressionist works, highlights Van Gogh's market dominance, with this piece's emotional vibrancy and rarity driving bids from two phone competitors to 14 times the low estimate.
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.
1905 PICASSO
1
Fillette à la Corbeille Fleurie
2018 SOLD for $ 115M by Christie's
Pablo Picasso is back in Paris in April 1904. Barcelona had not dissipated his morbid obsessions and he needs a restart. He installs his workshop at the Bateau-Lavoir and finally manages to create a couple, with Fernande.
The miserability of his Période Bleue, based on the difficult life of circus acrobats, was socially a dead end. In 1905 he reacts with new themes where the characters imagine their future without losing a stuck or surly attitude. His painting loses its blue predominant to include warm colors like pink or orange. It is his Période Rose. These works include the Femme à l'éventail and two children, the Fillette à la corbeille de fleurs and the Garçon à la pipe.
The theme of poverty is now superseded by the optimistic and promising theme of children ready to enter adulthood. Pablo mixes the innocence of the nude with the acquisition of a first job. Although the formats are very different, the Fillette à la corbeille fleurie, 155 x 66 cm painted in 1905, and the Garçon menant un cheval, 220 x 131 cm finished in 1906, appear as pendants.
The girl is standing in profile. The body is healthy, straight. The expression is rebellious without any excuse for immodesty, in a striking psychological effect : this young person has obviously been disturbed in her occupation.
During the very short Période Rose the line is delimited and effective. The figurative realism of this Fillette makes forget that nudity may not have been necessary. This artwork successively delighted Gertrude Stein and David Rockefeller. It was sold for $ 115M by Christie's on May 8, 2018, lot 15.
Grok response :
Quote
Sol G. Moreno @solgmoreno May 10, 2018
SUBASTA HISTÓRICA #Picasso, amo y señor de la jornada del pasado martes en @ChristiesInc #NewYork con esta "Filllette à la corbeille fleurie" [102 millones dólares]. #WorldAuctionRecord
The miserability of his Période Bleue, based on the difficult life of circus acrobats, was socially a dead end. In 1905 he reacts with new themes where the characters imagine their future without losing a stuck or surly attitude. His painting loses its blue predominant to include warm colors like pink or orange. It is his Période Rose. These works include the Femme à l'éventail and two children, the Fillette à la corbeille de fleurs and the Garçon à la pipe.
The theme of poverty is now superseded by the optimistic and promising theme of children ready to enter adulthood. Pablo mixes the innocence of the nude with the acquisition of a first job. Although the formats are very different, the Fillette à la corbeille fleurie, 155 x 66 cm painted in 1905, and the Garçon menant un cheval, 220 x 131 cm finished in 1906, appear as pendants.
The girl is standing in profile. The body is healthy, straight. The expression is rebellious without any excuse for immodesty, in a striking psychological effect : this young person has obviously been disturbed in her occupation.
During the very short Période Rose the line is delimited and effective. The figurative realism of this Fillette makes forget that nudity may not have been necessary. This artwork successively delighted Gertrude Stein and David Rockefeller. It was sold for $ 115M by Christie's on May 8, 2018, lot 15.
Grok response :
Quote
Sol G. Moreno @solgmoreno May 10, 2018
SUBASTA HISTÓRICA #Picasso, amo y señor de la jornada del pasado martes en @ChristiesInc #NewYork con esta "Filllette à la corbeille fleurie" [102 millones dólares]. #WorldAuctionRecord
- The painting "Fillette à la corbeille fleurie" by Pablo Picasso, sold for $102 million at Christie’s in 2018, was created in 1905 during his Rose Period, marking a shift from his earlier Blue Period and reflecting a more optimistic tone influenced by his relationship with Fernande Olivier, as noted in J. Richardson’s 1991 biography.
- This auction set a world record for Picasso at the time, part of the Rockefeller Collection sale, which also included Monet’s "Nymphéas en fleur" for $75 million, highlighting a surprising surge in value for early 20th-century art amid a 2018 global art market boom, with Christie’s reporting $5 billion in sales that year.
- Art historians debate the painting’s subject, possibly a young model named "Linda," with studies like those in the 1971 National Gallery of Canada exhibition suggesting it critiques societal innocence, challenging the mainstream view of it as merely decorative.
2
Le Garçon à la Pipe
2004 SOLD for $ 104M by Sotheby's
Le Garçon à la Pipe is a subtle blend of realism and dreamlike and, as such, will remain the archetype of the Période Rose. Dressed in blue overalls, the gloomy teenager is drawn in a fine line. The pipe marks his expectation of maturity. Picasso did not reveal his identity, because it is an allegory. He is however P'tit Louis, a boy from Montmartre who spent long hours watching the artists working at the Bateau-Lavoir.
The inspiration suddenly came to Picasso after a month of interruption of the work. In the blur of a dream, the character is positioned in front of a wallpaper with patterns of roses and wears a garland of flowers in his hair. A simultaneous use of a sharp image in a floral blur had also been attempted by Odilon Redon.
The little worker thus becomes a supernatural being. A relevant comparison was made with Verlaine's poem titled Crimen Amoris. In the dream of a delicious Orient where the seven sins supersede the five senses amidst the roses, the most handsome of the evil angels, indifferent to temptations and caresses, is a boy of sixteen who wears a crown of flowers. His ambition, annihilated at the end of the poem, was to be "the one who will create God".
Le Garçon, oil on canvas 100 x 81 cm, was sold for $ 104M by Sotheby's on May 5, 2004, lot 7.
Asked to Grok 4 : define its position in Picasso's career.
Grok thought :
"Le Garçon à la Pipe" (Boy with a Pipe), painted by Pablo Picasso in 1905, holds a significant position in his early career as a hallmark of his Rose Period. This period, spanning from 1904 to 1906, followed his melancholic Blue Period (1901-1904) and marked a shift toward warmer colors, such as pinks and oranges, and more optimistic themes influenced by his relationship with Fernande Olivier and his fascination with circus performers and harlequins.At the age of 24, Picasso created this oil on canvas portrait in his Montmartre studio, depicting a young Parisian boy known as "P'tit Louis," who frequented the area. The painting features the boy seated, holding a pipe, and adorned with a wreath of roses, set against a floral background. It exemplifies the transitional nature of Picasso's work at this time, blending realistic portraiture with symbolic elements and a dreamlike quality.
This piece not only represents Picasso's evolving style but also his growing establishment in the Parisian art scene. Following the Rose Period, Picasso would move into his African-influenced period and eventually co-found Cubism, revolutionizing modern art. "Le Garçon à la Pipe" thus stands as a pivotal work in his pre-Cubist phase, showcasing his mastery of color and form before his more radical innovations.
The painting gained further notoriety when it was sold at Sotheby's in 2004 for $104.2 million, setting a record at the time for the most expensive painting ever auctioned.
The inspiration suddenly came to Picasso after a month of interruption of the work. In the blur of a dream, the character is positioned in front of a wallpaper with patterns of roses and wears a garland of flowers in his hair. A simultaneous use of a sharp image in a floral blur had also been attempted by Odilon Redon.
The little worker thus becomes a supernatural being. A relevant comparison was made with Verlaine's poem titled Crimen Amoris. In the dream of a delicious Orient where the seven sins supersede the five senses amidst the roses, the most handsome of the evil angels, indifferent to temptations and caresses, is a boy of sixteen who wears a crown of flowers. His ambition, annihilated at the end of the poem, was to be "the one who will create God".
Le Garçon, oil on canvas 100 x 81 cm, was sold for $ 104M by Sotheby's on May 5, 2004, lot 7.
Asked to Grok 4 : define its position in Picasso's career.
Grok thought :
"Le Garçon à la Pipe" (Boy with a Pipe), painted by Pablo Picasso in 1905, holds a significant position in his early career as a hallmark of his Rose Period. This period, spanning from 1904 to 1906, followed his melancholic Blue Period (1901-1904) and marked a shift toward warmer colors, such as pinks and oranges, and more optimistic themes influenced by his relationship with Fernande Olivier and his fascination with circus performers and harlequins.At the age of 24, Picasso created this oil on canvas portrait in his Montmartre studio, depicting a young Parisian boy known as "P'tit Louis," who frequented the area. The painting features the boy seated, holding a pipe, and adorned with a wreath of roses, set against a floral background. It exemplifies the transitional nature of Picasso's work at this time, blending realistic portraiture with symbolic elements and a dreamlike quality.
This piece not only represents Picasso's evolving style but also his growing establishment in the Parisian art scene. Following the Rose Period, Picasso would move into his African-influenced period and eventually co-found Cubism, revolutionizing modern art. "Le Garçon à la Pipe" thus stands as a pivotal work in his pre-Cubist phase, showcasing his mastery of color and form before his more radical innovations.
The painting gained further notoriety when it was sold at Sotheby's in 2004 for $104.2 million, setting a record at the time for the most expensive painting ever auctioned.
1919 Paulette by Modigliani
2015 SOLD for $ 43M by Sotheby's
Amedeo Modigliani came back from Nice to Paris in May 1919 with Jeanne and their baby Giovanna. Helped by Zborowski, he set up his studio rue de la Grande Chaumière. Peace had returned and a period of great creativity begins for the artist.
Since he had to give up sculpture because of his failing health, Amedeo is primarily a portrait painter. His models are the people around him in the art world of Montparnasse and humble fellows who cannot be his customers. His paintings are difficult to sell.
The portraits of seated models at the Grande Chaumière are set up similarly with small variations in the position of the hands and the orientation of the head. The format of the canvas increases, close to life size. Amedeo also works on the harmony of rare colors.
When Paulette Jourdain arrives at Montparnasse, she is a still a child at only 15 year old. She obtains to work as a housemaid for Zborowski. She is the last model of Amedeo in 1919, for a unique painting, just before he died in January 1920.
The three-quarter-length format with the hands clasped gently by her lap are direct references for Leonardo's Mona Lisa that Amedeo used to admire in Le Louvre while the impenetrable expression on her face also expresses a shyness of the girl.
The search for expression is dominant over realism with two signature innovations in Amedeo's art : a tall neck creating a neat distance between head and body and the eyes completely filled in blue that announce surrealism and are certainly a proof of kindness of the artist for his model in the stiff attitude of a teenager.
This portrait, oil on canvas 100 x 65 cm, was sold by Sotheby's for $ 43M on November 4, 2015, lot 12T in the sale of the Taubman collection, and for HK $ 273M on October 5, 2023, lot 8512. Please watch the video shared in 2015 by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Paulette Jourdain had a lifelong involvement in art. She opened a gallery after Zbo's death in 1932.
Grok thought :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys Oct 5, 2023
Among the last and largest paintings created by Modigliani before his death in 1920, this portrait of Paulette Jourdain, brings HK$272.9m / US$34.8m at #SothebysHongKong - setting the artist record in Asia.
Since he had to give up sculpture because of his failing health, Amedeo is primarily a portrait painter. His models are the people around him in the art world of Montparnasse and humble fellows who cannot be his customers. His paintings are difficult to sell.
The portraits of seated models at the Grande Chaumière are set up similarly with small variations in the position of the hands and the orientation of the head. The format of the canvas increases, close to life size. Amedeo also works on the harmony of rare colors.
When Paulette Jourdain arrives at Montparnasse, she is a still a child at only 15 year old. She obtains to work as a housemaid for Zborowski. She is the last model of Amedeo in 1919, for a unique painting, just before he died in January 1920.
The three-quarter-length format with the hands clasped gently by her lap are direct references for Leonardo's Mona Lisa that Amedeo used to admire in Le Louvre while the impenetrable expression on her face also expresses a shyness of the girl.
The search for expression is dominant over realism with two signature innovations in Amedeo's art : a tall neck creating a neat distance between head and body and the eyes completely filled in blue that announce surrealism and are certainly a proof of kindness of the artist for his model in the stiff attitude of a teenager.
This portrait, oil on canvas 100 x 65 cm, was sold by Sotheby's for $ 43M on November 4, 2015, lot 12T in the sale of the Taubman collection, and for HK $ 273M on October 5, 2023, lot 8512. Please watch the video shared in 2015 by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Paulette Jourdain had a lifelong involvement in art. She opened a gallery after Zbo's death in 1932.
Grok thought :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys Oct 5, 2023
Among the last and largest paintings created by Modigliani before his death in 1920, this portrait of Paulette Jourdain, brings HK$272.9m / US$34.8m at #SothebysHongKong - setting the artist record in Asia.
- Sotheby's post celebrates the October 2023 sale of Amedeo Modigliani's "Portrait of Paulette Jourdain" for HK$272.9 million at its Hong Kong auction, establishing an Asia record for Western modern art from the Long Museum collection.
- Created circa 1919, the painting captures 15-year-old Paulette Jourdain—housemaid turned lover of Modigliani's dealer Léopold Zborowski—in the artist's iconic style of elongated necks and stylized features, on one of his largest canvases.
- As likely Modigliani's final portrait before his 1920 death at age 35 from tuberculosis, it underscores his brief, influential career blending Italian roots with Parisian modernism, amid poverty and absinthe-fueled bohemia.
1927 Petite Danseuse de 14 ans by Degas (posthumous)
2022 SOLD for $ 42M by Christie's
An original artist with an uneasy temper, Edgar Degas was one of the most innovative graphic artists of the nineteenth century. He knew that he was close to the Impressionists and appreciated their rejection of classicism. His own creative process was very complex, as shown in the example below.
In 1879, Marie draws the attention of the artist. Aged 14, this "petit rat d'Opéra" is an ungrateful teenager, far from physiological maturity, with awkward gestures, but already attracted to her future career as a dancer (which ended before it was to start when she was fired from the dance school for repeated absences).
Degas was a painter, draftsman, sculptor, photographer, printer, but his great art was oil and pastel. He used drawing and sculpture like sketches.
On his first sculpture of Marie, 74 cm high, the girl is naked. This makes sense since the artist wants to study the movements of her body. This is not enough for him. He realized another larger statue in painted wax, a little over 1 m, in the same position, with the unconventional idea to equip it with a dancing dress in cloth and real hair. By its realism that does not reject some ugliness, this portrait of an adolescent girl is indeed a key work of modern sculpture.
As in his many pastels of ballerinas, Degas captures a moment of life which is neither from the performance nor relaxed, which may be a reverie or an exhaustion.
After much hesitation, he shows his Petite danseuse de quatorze ans at the Impressionist exhibition of 1881. After this unique event and until his death in 1917, no sculpture of the master will be exhibited.
Degas had considered that his waxes were too fragile for preparing bronze casts. In 1918 his heirs contracted Adrien Hébrard to produce limited bronze editions of all seventy-four wax sculptures found during the posthumous inventory.
Hébrard worked often on request from collectors. The first complete set of bronzes was finished in 1921. This activity made the founder busy up to 1938 including a total 29 casts of the Petite Danseuse.
Petite danseuse de quatorze ans was edited by Hébrard in bronze with muslin skirt and satin hair ribbon.
A bronze 103 cm high not including the wooden base was sold for $ 42M from a lower estimate of $ 20M for sale by Christie's on May 12, 2022, lot 2C.
This copy with brown patina was cast in 1927 by Hébrard in commission from a US collector. It is fitted with the usual muslin skirt and satin hair ribbon of that model.
A copy with a provenance history beginning in the 1930s was sold for £ 13.3M by Sotheby's on February 3, 2009, lot 8.
Another example with no reference on the possible date was sold by Sotheby's for £ 15.8M on June 24, 2015, lot 14. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc May 13, 2022
#AuctionUpdate From the Anne H. Bass Collection, Edgar Degas’s ‘Petite danseuse de quatorze ans’ broke the auction record of the artist tonight; price realized $41.6 million
In 1879, Marie draws the attention of the artist. Aged 14, this "petit rat d'Opéra" is an ungrateful teenager, far from physiological maturity, with awkward gestures, but already attracted to her future career as a dancer (which ended before it was to start when she was fired from the dance school for repeated absences).
Degas was a painter, draftsman, sculptor, photographer, printer, but his great art was oil and pastel. He used drawing and sculpture like sketches.
On his first sculpture of Marie, 74 cm high, the girl is naked. This makes sense since the artist wants to study the movements of her body. This is not enough for him. He realized another larger statue in painted wax, a little over 1 m, in the same position, with the unconventional idea to equip it with a dancing dress in cloth and real hair. By its realism that does not reject some ugliness, this portrait of an adolescent girl is indeed a key work of modern sculpture.
As in his many pastels of ballerinas, Degas captures a moment of life which is neither from the performance nor relaxed, which may be a reverie or an exhaustion.
After much hesitation, he shows his Petite danseuse de quatorze ans at the Impressionist exhibition of 1881. After this unique event and until his death in 1917, no sculpture of the master will be exhibited.
Degas had considered that his waxes were too fragile for preparing bronze casts. In 1918 his heirs contracted Adrien Hébrard to produce limited bronze editions of all seventy-four wax sculptures found during the posthumous inventory.
Hébrard worked often on request from collectors. The first complete set of bronzes was finished in 1921. This activity made the founder busy up to 1938 including a total 29 casts of the Petite Danseuse.
Petite danseuse de quatorze ans was edited by Hébrard in bronze with muslin skirt and satin hair ribbon.
A bronze 103 cm high not including the wooden base was sold for $ 42M from a lower estimate of $ 20M for sale by Christie's on May 12, 2022, lot 2C.
This copy with brown patina was cast in 1927 by Hébrard in commission from a US collector. It is fitted with the usual muslin skirt and satin hair ribbon of that model.
A copy with a provenance history beginning in the 1930s was sold for £ 13.3M by Sotheby's on February 3, 2009, lot 8.
Another example with no reference on the possible date was sold by Sotheby's for £ 15.8M on June 24, 2015, lot 14. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc May 13, 2022
#AuctionUpdate From the Anne H. Bass Collection, Edgar Degas’s ‘Petite danseuse de quatorze ans’ broke the auction record of the artist tonight; price realized $41.6 million
- Edgar Degas's "Petite danseuse de quatorze ans," a bronze sculpture from 1878-1881 depicting a young ballerina in real clothing, shattered the artist's auction record at $41.6 million during Christie's May 2022 sale from the Anne H. Bass Collection, exceeding its $20-30 million estimate.
- The original wax version, exhibited in 1881, sparked controversy for its unflinching realism, portraying 14-year-old Marie van Goethem with a tulle skirt, linen bodice, and hair ribbon, challenging 19th-century ideals of beauty.
- This cast, one of 28 bronzes produced posthumously from Degas's waxes, highlights the sculpture's enduring appeal, with prior sales like a 2015 Sotheby's example at $30.8 million underscoring rising demand for Impressionist works.
#AuctionUpdate From the Anne H. Bass Collection, Edgar Degas’s ‘Petite danseuse de quatorze ans’ broke the auction record of the artist tonight; price realized $41.6 million pic.twitter.com/Dn4JLCbWTB
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 12, 2022
1951 Saying Grace by Rockwell
2013 SOLD for $ 46M by Sotheby's
The Second World War is over but it will not be the last war. American people wish to be comforted. Their favorite artist is not an intellectual of the big city but Norman Rockwell who since 1916 draws with humor the varied themes of everyday life for the covers of the Saturday Evening Post.
Rockwell's images are the result of a lengthy preparation in consultation with the editor. He imagines the action, finds photos that he cut and assembles, and performs sketches before the final oil on canvas.
On November 24, 1951, Thanksgiving Day, when the magazine publishes Saying Grace, its publishers are aware that it is the masterpiece of the artist. The accompanying text clearly indicates that this grandmother who prays with her five year old grandson expresses the best that life can bring to the Americans.
Rockwell has placed the group in a restaurant with tight tables, from a low point of view inviting the observer to feel that he is sitting at the next table. Two young men complete this family, watching with sympathy the two main characters.
Four years later, the Saturday Evening Post asked its readers to identify what was the best cover by Rockwell. They praised Saying Grace.
In 1953, the oil on canvas 109 x 104 cm was given by Rockwell to the art editor of the magazine, Kenneth Stuart. The artwork remained in the Stuart family. It was sold for $ 46M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Sotheby's on December 4, 2013, lot 10.
Grok thought :
Quote
Jeffry Dunn @DunnJeffry Feb 3, 2024
“Saying Grace” by Norman Rockwell (1951) The painting depicts a woman and a young boy saying grace in a crowded restaurant, as they are observed by other people at their table. Rockwell's inspiration for Saying Grace came from a Saturday Evening Post.
Rockwell's images are the result of a lengthy preparation in consultation with the editor. He imagines the action, finds photos that he cut and assembles, and performs sketches before the final oil on canvas.
On November 24, 1951, Thanksgiving Day, when the magazine publishes Saying Grace, its publishers are aware that it is the masterpiece of the artist. The accompanying text clearly indicates that this grandmother who prays with her five year old grandson expresses the best that life can bring to the Americans.
Rockwell has placed the group in a restaurant with tight tables, from a low point of view inviting the observer to feel that he is sitting at the next table. Two young men complete this family, watching with sympathy the two main characters.
Four years later, the Saturday Evening Post asked its readers to identify what was the best cover by Rockwell. They praised Saying Grace.
In 1953, the oil on canvas 109 x 104 cm was given by Rockwell to the art editor of the magazine, Kenneth Stuart. The artwork remained in the Stuart family. It was sold for $ 46M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Sotheby's on December 4, 2013, lot 10.
Grok thought :
Quote
Jeffry Dunn @DunnJeffry Feb 3, 2024
“Saying Grace” by Norman Rockwell (1951) The painting depicts a woman and a young boy saying grace in a crowded restaurant, as they are observed by other people at their table. Rockwell's inspiration for Saying Grace came from a Saturday Evening Post.
- The post shares Norman Rockwell's 1951 painting "Saying Grace," depicting a grandmother and grandson praying at a diner table amid watchful patrons, inspired by a reader's letter to The Saturday Evening Post about witnessing a Mennonite family in prayer.
- Rockwell crafted the scene to highlight quiet faith in a secular setting, using subtle details like scattered newspapers and half-eaten meals to evoke post-WWII American everyday life, making it one of his most enduring and voted-favorite covers.
- Posted by Nebraska native @DunnJeffry in February 2024, the image resonates with themes of tradition and humility, reflecting the author's rural roots and garnering niche appreciation with limited but thoughtful engagement.
