Decade 1840-1849
See also : Ancient drawing US painting < 1940 Russia 1700-1900 Ancient French painting European ceramics Stamps Arms Colt UK II British Royals George IV to Victoria Turner Louis XVIII to 2nd Empire Cities Venice Music
1841 View of Venice by Turner
2006 SOLD for $ 36M including premium by Christie's
1841 Heidelberg after the Rain
2013 SOLD 4.6 M$ including premium
Turner is the best illustrator of the European landscapes. In 1840, the engraver Thomas Prior commissions him for a view of Heidelberg. The small town on the Neckar is one of the most enchanting sites, with its bridge, its church, and the ruins of its palace on the hillside.
At 65, Turner is at the top of his art. He retains in his watercolors the exceptional light and iridescence from bad weather conditions. The landscape is always recognizable, and improved with small figures engaged in their daily tasks.
To respond to the order, he sketches Heidelberg when the rain has stopped and the rainbow is just beginning to rise. This large watercolor, 35 x 53 cm, was probably made in 1841. It will be published in 1846 by Prior.
The artwork presents a curiosity that is not a fantasy. Several characters are in medieval costume. Turner remains a witness of his time: the Heidelberg students used to dress in that way.
This is one of the most successful watercolors by Turner. It was rewarded by a price of £ 2M including premium at Sotheby's on 14 June 2001. It is now estimated $ 4M, for sale by Sotheby's in New York on January 31. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
This very interesting example of a view made to order was sold $ 4.6 million including premium.
At 65, Turner is at the top of his art. He retains in his watercolors the exceptional light and iridescence from bad weather conditions. The landscape is always recognizable, and improved with small figures engaged in their daily tasks.
To respond to the order, he sketches Heidelberg when the rain has stopped and the rainbow is just beginning to rise. This large watercolor, 35 x 53 cm, was probably made in 1841. It will be published in 1846 by Prior.
The artwork presents a curiosity that is not a fantasy. Several characters are in medieval costume. Turner remains a witness of his time: the Heidelberg students used to dress in that way.
This is one of the most successful watercolors by Turner. It was rewarded by a price of £ 2M including premium at Sotheby's on 14 June 2001. It is now estimated $ 4M, for sale by Sotheby's in New York on January 31. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
This very interesting example of a view made to order was sold $ 4.6 million including premium.
1841 Flight to the Celestial City
2015 SOLD for £ 2.7M including premium
The Bible, either directly or through Milton's Paradise Lost, offers a fabulous theme for artists at the time of Romanticism. John Martin is a specialist in the landscapes of paradise and hell in large size paintings.
In 1841, a pair of oils on canvas deals with these two extreme aspects of supernatural life in the exhibition at the Royal Gallery. It also demonstrates the artist's ability to illustrate opposite effects: happiness and horror.
The very dark and sinister Pandemonium displays Satan's capital. This oil on canvas 123 x 184 cm in its original artist's frame was sold for £ 1.65M including premium by Christie's on February 19, 2003 and entered the Louvre in 2006.
Its pendant, The Celestial city and the River of bliss, 123 x 194 cm, is estimated £ 2M for sale by Sotheby's in London on July 8,lot 57.
The city of perpetual happiness floats above the bend of a river in paradise. Object of desire to the dead of the Last Judgment, it is barely visible, like a halo in the clouds. The angel knows the way: it goes straight, carrying a character in its flight.
The art of John Martin was lucrative but his dreamlike themes do appear as a distant precursor of surrealism. Glenn Brown did not miss it. Diverting an Apocalyptic scenery by Martin, he entitled his own artwork The Tragic Conversion of Salvador Dali. The market likes contemporary art. This oil on canvas 222 x 323 cm painted in 1998 was sold for £ 5.2 million including premium by Sotheby's on June 26, 2012.
In 1841, a pair of oils on canvas deals with these two extreme aspects of supernatural life in the exhibition at the Royal Gallery. It also demonstrates the artist's ability to illustrate opposite effects: happiness and horror.
The very dark and sinister Pandemonium displays Satan's capital. This oil on canvas 123 x 184 cm in its original artist's frame was sold for £ 1.65M including premium by Christie's on February 19, 2003 and entered the Louvre in 2006.
Its pendant, The Celestial city and the River of bliss, 123 x 194 cm, is estimated £ 2M for sale by Sotheby's in London on July 8,lot 57.
The city of perpetual happiness floats above the bend of a river in paradise. Object of desire to the dead of the Last Judgment, it is barely visible, like a halo in the clouds. The angel knows the way: it goes straight, carrying a character in its flight.
The art of John Martin was lucrative but his dreamlike themes do appear as a distant precursor of surrealism. Glenn Brown did not miss it. Diverting an Apocalyptic scenery by Martin, he entitled his own artwork The Tragic Conversion of Salvador Dali. The market likes contemporary art. This oil on canvas 222 x 323 cm painted in 1998 was sold for £ 5.2 million including premium by Sotheby's on June 26, 2012.
£2.7m for John Martin's Paradise-Lost–inspired masterpiece, one of final oil paintings by artist in private hands pic.twitter.com/W6O7C4z9HJ
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) July 8, 20151841 Turner in the Colors of Switzerland
2012 SOLD 1.05 M£ including premium
For a long time, watercolors of Switzerland by Turner are considered as masterpieces, among the most perfect precursors of modern art. Take as an example the auction made by Christie's one hundred years ago, on 5 July 1912.
On that day, the Blue Rigi, 30 x 45 cm, was sold for 2700 guineas. Warm and varied colors supersede the drawing, in the admirable blur of a sunrise. Yet in the foreground, sharp tiny characters observe the landscape from the shores of the Lake of Lucerne.
More recently, the Blue Rigi came back to auction. Sold £ 5.8 million including premium by Christie's on 5 June 2006, this stunning drawing is now owned by Tate Britain.
In the sale of 1912, a smaller watercolor, 23 x 33 cm, was sold at nearly the same price: 2500 guineas. Based on a sketch made in 1841, it shows Lausanne. Colors explode within this remarkable landscape. Small farmers are busy with their daily work.
The watercolor of Lausanne is estimated £ 600K, for sale by Sotheby's in London on July 4.
POST SALE COMMENT
Very good results for three watercolors by Turner.
Lausanne, the main subject of this article, was sold £ 1.05 M. Domleschg reached £ 600K, and a sunset over a lake that had been estimated £ 80K has been sold £ 530K.
The great surprise of the sale was awarded to a beautiful drawing by Canaletto, sold £ 1.95 million on an estimate of £ 300K.
These prices include premium.
On that day, the Blue Rigi, 30 x 45 cm, was sold for 2700 guineas. Warm and varied colors supersede the drawing, in the admirable blur of a sunrise. Yet in the foreground, sharp tiny characters observe the landscape from the shores of the Lake of Lucerne.
More recently, the Blue Rigi came back to auction. Sold £ 5.8 million including premium by Christie's on 5 June 2006, this stunning drawing is now owned by Tate Britain.
In the sale of 1912, a smaller watercolor, 23 x 33 cm, was sold at nearly the same price: 2500 guineas. Based on a sketch made in 1841, it shows Lausanne. Colors explode within this remarkable landscape. Small farmers are busy with their daily work.
The watercolor of Lausanne is estimated £ 600K, for sale by Sotheby's in London on July 4.
POST SALE COMMENT
Very good results for three watercolors by Turner.
Lausanne, the main subject of this article, was sold £ 1.05 M. Domleschg reached £ 600K, and a sunset over a lake that had been estimated £ 80K has been sold £ 530K.
The great surprise of the sale was awarded to a beautiful drawing by Canaletto, sold £ 1.95 million on an estimate of £ 300K.
These prices include premium.
1842 The Blue Rigi, watercolor by Turner
2006 SOLD 5.8 M£ including premium by Christie's
Link to the catalogue.
1842 Sharing the Watercolors
2018 SOLD for £ 2.05M including premium
Back from his tourism trip in Switzerland in 1841, Turner decided to offer large watercolors that would be unique works as an alternative to oils on canvas. In four years he will realize 25 "finished" landscapes.
In the spring of 1842 his commercial agent Thomas Griffith organized in London the sale of ten artworks of which only four were completed at that time. The artist has made sketches for a total of fifteen views that will allow customers to appreciate in advance the effect of the final work.
Griffith selects four clients for this operation. Three of them are great collectors of modern art. The very young John Ruskin whose reputation as an art critic is already established is the fourth. He will later rightly recognize that this series of watercolors is the best of Turner in his entire career in that technique.
The most ancient collector does not accept the invitation. The most motivated is Munro of Novar who in 1836 had the rare honor of being accepted as Turner's traveling companion. He leaves with three finished watercolors and buys two of the future works. Ruskin also chooses two future works.
The other customer is the shipowner Bicknell who had bought in 1841 the view of the Giudecca. This oil on canvas 61 x 92 cm is a masterpiece from the pictures of Venice by Turner. It was sold for $ 36M including premium by Christie's on April 6, 2006.
In the sharing of the Swiss views, Bicknell takes the Blue Rigi, one of the four immediately available watercolors 30 x 45 cm. This picture of the mountain against the light at dawn is a masterpiece of pre-impressionist art with the clarity and luminosity of a watercolor on paper. It was sold for £ 5.8M including premium by Christie's on June 5, 2006.
To have a pendant view to his Rigi from the watercolors still to be achieved, Bicknell chooses a view of the Lake of Lucerne from Brunnen. It is estimated £ 1.2M for sale by Sotheby's in London on July 4, lot 209.
After supplying the view of the lake to Bicknell, Turner gives its preparatory watercolor to Griffith. The sketches were not intended for trade. Turner will retain all the others that will be part of his legacy to Tate Britain. This smaller watercolor from Lake Lucerne 25 x 31 cm was sold for $ 1.1M including premium by Christie's on January 30, 2018.
In the spring of 1842 his commercial agent Thomas Griffith organized in London the sale of ten artworks of which only four were completed at that time. The artist has made sketches for a total of fifteen views that will allow customers to appreciate in advance the effect of the final work.
Griffith selects four clients for this operation. Three of them are great collectors of modern art. The very young John Ruskin whose reputation as an art critic is already established is the fourth. He will later rightly recognize that this series of watercolors is the best of Turner in his entire career in that technique.
The most ancient collector does not accept the invitation. The most motivated is Munro of Novar who in 1836 had the rare honor of being accepted as Turner's traveling companion. He leaves with three finished watercolors and buys two of the future works. Ruskin also chooses two future works.
The other customer is the shipowner Bicknell who had bought in 1841 the view of the Giudecca. This oil on canvas 61 x 92 cm is a masterpiece from the pictures of Venice by Turner. It was sold for $ 36M including premium by Christie's on April 6, 2006.
In the sharing of the Swiss views, Bicknell takes the Blue Rigi, one of the four immediately available watercolors 30 x 45 cm. This picture of the mountain against the light at dawn is a masterpiece of pre-impressionist art with the clarity and luminosity of a watercolor on paper. It was sold for £ 5.8M including premium by Christie's on June 5, 2006.
To have a pendant view to his Rigi from the watercolors still to be achieved, Bicknell chooses a view of the Lake of Lucerne from Brunnen. It is estimated £ 1.2M for sale by Sotheby's in London on July 4, lot 209.
After supplying the view of the lake to Bicknell, Turner gives its preparatory watercolor to Griffith. The sketches were not intended for trade. Turner will retain all the others that will be part of his legacy to Tate Britain. This smaller watercolor from Lake Lucerne 25 x 31 cm was sold for $ 1.1M including premium by Christie's on January 30, 2018.
#Rubens, #Turner, #VanDyck - our flagship #OldMaster sale on 4 July will offer masterpieces by some of the biggest names in art history. https://t.co/dQdCHbFIkb pic.twitter.com/Rv7rYxdYnX
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) June 14, 2018
1844 The Late Prince Royal
2016 SOLD for $ 1.72M including premium
Louis-Philippe I is the Roi des Français since 1830. Attempting a middle way between revolutionaries and conservatives, he is not politically convincing. All hopes are heading to his eldest son Ferdinand-Philippe duc d'Orléans. The Prince Royal has many qualities that miss to the old king. His military career was already brilliant. Young and active, friendly and charming, he is also a patron of the arts.
The duc requires Ingres to paint his portrait. After some hesitation, the artist accepts. Seven sitting sessions are made in 1841. The portrait in three quarter length of the prince standing in military uniform is supplied by the artist on 8 May 1842. This oil on canvas 158 x 122 cm entered in 2005 in the collections of the Musée du Louvre.
The fatal accident of the duc on 13 July 1842 at the age of 32 is a disaster for the Orléans dynasty. His friends desire to maintain his image. The widow returns to Ingres and commissions a portrait in bust length.
On August 2, 1844 Ingres delivers to the duchesse d'Orléans a portrait of the deceased duc in oval format 75 x 61 cm. His beautiful face testifies well to the friendship and admiration that he had inspired to the artist. Preserved up to now in the descendance of the duchesse, this oil on canvas is estimated $ 400K for sale by Christie's in New York on April 13, lot 43.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Christie's.
The duc requires Ingres to paint his portrait. After some hesitation, the artist accepts. Seven sitting sessions are made in 1841. The portrait in three quarter length of the prince standing in military uniform is supplied by the artist on 8 May 1842. This oil on canvas 158 x 122 cm entered in 2005 in the collections of the Musée du Louvre.
The fatal accident of the duc on 13 July 1842 at the age of 32 is a disaster for the Orléans dynasty. His friends desire to maintain his image. The widow returns to Ingres and commissions a portrait in bust length.
On August 2, 1844 Ingres delivers to the duchesse d'Orléans a portrait of the deceased duc in oval format 75 x 61 cm. His beautiful face testifies well to the friendship and admiration that he had inspired to the artist. Preserved up to now in the descendance of the duchesse, this oil on canvas is estimated $ 400K for sale by Christie's in New York on April 13, lot 43.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Christie's.
1845 Corot above the Fireplace
2018 SOLD for $ 9M including premium
The trend in France is in the historical landscape. Corot is not someone complicated. He enjoys walking around, simply. Like the English tourists, he draws many sketches. Following the example of Michallon, he also paints outdoors in oil on canvas. These small size paintings are not intended for his trade but to provide inspiration for the background of his genre scenes.
Nobody is really convinced by the art of Corot until the young Baudelaire, in 1845, observes that the simplicity of his landscapes is not naive but is instead a supreme harmony. As a result Corot's art is forever unclassifiable, between classicism and modernism. Despite his pleasure in open-air painting, he cannot be considered as a forerunner of the Impressionnistes, in the opposite of Boudin and Courbet slightly later.
Throughout his life Corot has a lot of friends. He supplies paintings to a magistrate of Mantes whom he met from 1840 and decorates in his own hand the walls of the bathroom with Italian views.
Corot had visited Venice in 1828 and 1834. For the same friend he painted in 1845 an enlarged version in the format 48 x 82 cm of a view of the quay of the Schiavoni towards Santa Maria della Salute.
In 1957 this painting caught the attention of David Rockefeller. It is not a Canaletto : the animation is poor. It is not a Guardi : the sky is too blue. It is neither a Turner nor a Monet : the line is too sharp to offer an atmosphere. Despite the confusing perspective on the Piazzetta, it is not a wide-angle photo. The erroneous shadows of earlier versions of this image have fortunately been rectified.
This bright painting has two other qualities : it exudes a great serenity and its width is in harmony with the fireplace of the library in the country house at Hudson Pines. It superseded at this place a Jas de Bouffan by Cézanne of which Rockefeller was tired and was to remain there until his death. It is estimated $ 5M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 8, lot 4.
Nobody is really convinced by the art of Corot until the young Baudelaire, in 1845, observes that the simplicity of his landscapes is not naive but is instead a supreme harmony. As a result Corot's art is forever unclassifiable, between classicism and modernism. Despite his pleasure in open-air painting, he cannot be considered as a forerunner of the Impressionnistes, in the opposite of Boudin and Courbet slightly later.
Throughout his life Corot has a lot of friends. He supplies paintings to a magistrate of Mantes whom he met from 1840 and decorates in his own hand the walls of the bathroom with Italian views.
Corot had visited Venice in 1828 and 1834. For the same friend he painted in 1845 an enlarged version in the format 48 x 82 cm of a view of the quay of the Schiavoni towards Santa Maria della Salute.
In 1957 this painting caught the attention of David Rockefeller. It is not a Canaletto : the animation is poor. It is not a Guardi : the sky is too blue. It is neither a Turner nor a Monet : the line is too sharp to offer an atmosphere. Despite the confusing perspective on the Piazzetta, it is not a wide-angle photo. The erroneous shadows of earlier versions of this image have fortunately been rectified.
This bright painting has two other qualities : it exudes a great serenity and its width is in harmony with the fireplace of the library in the country house at Hudson Pines. It superseded at this place a Jas de Bouffan by Cézanne of which Rockefeller was tired and was to remain there until his death. It is estimated $ 5M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 8, lot 4.
Nous serons ouverts ce soir jusqu'à 19h30 pour vous permettre d'admirer les oeuvres de la collection #Rockefeller avant leur départ. Voici également une découverte en vidéo de l'exposition : https://t.co/AWyhGw672E pic.twitter.com/xHGDkuLfl0
— Christie's Paris (@christiesparis) March 21, 2018
1846-1848 The Peaceable Kingdom with the Leopard of Serenity by Edward Hicks
2008 SOLD for $ 9.7M including premium by Sotheby's (UNPAID 4 months later)
Link to pre sale press release.
1847 Bordeaux cover with Mauritius stamps
1993 SOLD 6.2 MCHF including premium by David Feldman
Shared by Wikimedia :
1847 Colt Walker for Trade
2018 SOLD for $ 1.84M including premium
Samuel Colt's meeting with President Polk in December 1846 is decisive for the restart of his business. The government orders to the inventor 1,000 Single Action Revolvers for the use of the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen, two per man with no attrition.
Colt no longer has a production line and the revolvers are manufactured in 1847 by Eli Blake in Whitneyville CT. Once the government order is honored, the same team builds 100 additional pieces numbered from 1001 to 1100, to use attrition components manufactured by Blake and also to anticipate the transfer of the machinery and tools from Whitneyville to the new Colt plant in Hartford CT.
The first non-governmental units are presented to contributors. The pair 1001-1002 is offered in June 1847 to Jack Hays, the Texas Ranger officer who had understood the operational advantage of using Colt's patented inventions. The pair 1009-1010 is attributed to Samuel Walker, the young captain who had been delegated by Hays to discuss with Colt their ideas for technical improvements. Walker died in action in October 1847 and the model, military and civilian, was nicknamed Colt Walker in his honor.
Civilian revolvers are available through the trade. The serial number 1022 is purchased by a Danish sea captain to a retailer in New York City. It is the only one of the first commercial series to still be housed in its original case and it is accompanied by a guarantee of authenticity handwritten by Samuel Colt himself. It retains 50 to 60% of its bright blue finish.
This piece often described in the specialized literature is estimated $ 800K for sale by Rock Island Auction Company in Rock Island IL on April 13, lot 60.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Colt no longer has a production line and the revolvers are manufactured in 1847 by Eli Blake in Whitneyville CT. Once the government order is honored, the same team builds 100 additional pieces numbered from 1001 to 1100, to use attrition components manufactured by Blake and also to anticipate the transfer of the machinery and tools from Whitneyville to the new Colt plant in Hartford CT.
The first non-governmental units are presented to contributors. The pair 1001-1002 is offered in June 1847 to Jack Hays, the Texas Ranger officer who had understood the operational advantage of using Colt's patented inventions. The pair 1009-1010 is attributed to Samuel Walker, the young captain who had been delegated by Hays to discuss with Colt their ideas for technical improvements. Walker died in action in October 1847 and the model, military and civilian, was nicknamed Colt Walker in his honor.
Civilian revolvers are available through the trade. The serial number 1022 is purchased by a Danish sea captain to a retailer in New York City. It is the only one of the first commercial series to still be housed in its original case and it is accompanied by a guarantee of authenticity handwritten by Samuel Colt himself. It retains 50 to 60% of its bright blue finish.
This piece often described in the specialized literature is estimated $ 800K for sale by Rock Island Auction Company in Rock Island IL on April 13, lot 60.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
We are proud to announce that the catalog for our April Premiere Firearms Auction is now online, ready for viewing and bidding. This promises to be a most exciting sale. https://t.co/Fcy6hjousK pic.twitter.com/wpQNyyvrOT
— Rock Island Auction (@RIAuction) March 3, 2018
1847 The Post Office in Mauritius
2016 SOLD for € 1.23M including premium
The stamp, circulated by the British administration in 1840, was gradually adopted by other countries. In 1847 Mauritius was the first British colony to release this method of payment for the conveyance of the postage.
Two denominations are issued : 1 penny and 2 pence. The printing plate is made in intaglio by a local engraver in imitation of the stamps then applicable in Great Britain with the profile of Queen Victoria.
They are extremely rare : the printing was stopped in the following year when the administration decided to put the wording Post Paid instead of Post Office on the left edge. 500 'Post Office' stamps of each value had been edited. A cover that circulated with each of the two stamps was sold for CHF 6.2M including premium by David Feldman in 1993.
The printing plate surfaced in 1912. It is unique in its kind. A single example of each denomination appears on this small piece of copper 81 x 61 mm. Because of this rudimentary configuration, the stamps had to be printed individually.
Considered as an outstanding philatelic treasure, the plate enters around 1930 in the collection of Maurice Burrus but will not appear in his succession. The mystery is lifted in 2013 when the family finds it by chance in the inventory of a further deceased estate : a niece of the collector had kept it in his memory inside a small cover without ever imagining its inestimable value as a witness of the pioneering era of the postage stamp.
The plate is estimated in excess of € 2M for sale on December 1 in Geneva by David Feldman, lot 1. Here is the link to the website of the auction house. The image below is taken from the press kit. Please watch the video shared by David Feldman explaining in details this rediscovery.
Two denominations are issued : 1 penny and 2 pence. The printing plate is made in intaglio by a local engraver in imitation of the stamps then applicable in Great Britain with the profile of Queen Victoria.
They are extremely rare : the printing was stopped in the following year when the administration decided to put the wording Post Paid instead of Post Office on the left edge. 500 'Post Office' stamps of each value had been edited. A cover that circulated with each of the two stamps was sold for CHF 6.2M including premium by David Feldman in 1993.
The printing plate surfaced in 1912. It is unique in its kind. A single example of each denomination appears on this small piece of copper 81 x 61 mm. Because of this rudimentary configuration, the stamps had to be printed individually.
Considered as an outstanding philatelic treasure, the plate enters around 1930 in the collection of Maurice Burrus but will not appear in his succession. The mystery is lifted in 2013 when the family finds it by chance in the inventory of a further deceased estate : a niece of the collector had kept it in his memory inside a small cover without ever imagining its inestimable value as a witness of the pioneering era of the postage stamp.
The plate is estimated in excess of € 2M for sale on December 1 in Geneva by David Feldman, lot 1. Here is the link to the website of the auction house. The image below is taken from the press kit. Please watch the video shared by David Feldman explaining in details this rediscovery.
1847-1853 Manuscript of the 2nd Symphony by Robert Schumann
1994 SOLD for £ 1.5M by Sotheby's
1848 The Presentation of the Porcelains to the Tsar
2009 SOLD 2.6 M£ including premium
Twice a year, at Easter and Christmas, the Imperial manufactories of porcelain and glassware offered to the Tsar the most prestigious pieces created in their workshops. Thus the Emperor Nicholas I furnished the private apartments of the Imperial Palace.
Financially, these gifts were offset by increasing orders from the Emperor for offering similar pieces to his allies in the ruling royal and ducal families of other countries. I have already had occasion to note in this group the role that gifting had for aristocratic cohesion at the Imperial court of Russia.
The pair of porcelain vases from St. Petersburg that Sotheby's is selling in London on June 10 is a technical feat. Dated 1848, 1.5 meters high, it is the largest format that has been done at that time by this factory.
These enormous vases are adorned with ring shaped reproductions of paintings from the collection of Catherine the Great, in this case two stables scenes of Philips Wouwerman.
Russians love the memories of the palace. The estimate also is imperial: £ 1.2 million.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate was literally exploded, which is rare at such a price level. This confirms the exceptional nature of this pair of vases, sold £ 2.6 million including premium.
Financially, these gifts were offset by increasing orders from the Emperor for offering similar pieces to his allies in the ruling royal and ducal families of other countries. I have already had occasion to note in this group the role that gifting had for aristocratic cohesion at the Imperial court of Russia.
The pair of porcelain vases from St. Petersburg that Sotheby's is selling in London on June 10 is a technical feat. Dated 1848, 1.5 meters high, it is the largest format that has been done at that time by this factory.
These enormous vases are adorned with ring shaped reproductions of paintings from the collection of Catherine the Great, in this case two stables scenes of Philips Wouwerman.
Russians love the memories of the palace. The estimate also is imperial: £ 1.2 million.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate was literally exploded, which is rare at such a price level. This confirms the exceptional nature of this pair of vases, sold £ 2.6 million including premium.
1849 Ingres in the Salon of Madame la Comtesse
2013 SOLD 1.93 M$ including premium
The comtesse Marie d'Agoult holds a Salon in the best tradition of the previous century, and her friends belong to the cultural elite: Balzac, George Sand. She bears three children to Liszt without her husband feeling too much offended. She writes under the pseudonym Daniel Stern.
The 1848 revolution can not keep her indifferent. Later, she will support the Republicans in opposition to the Second Empire. But the evolution of society will soon make these literary salons outdated and unnecessary.
In 1849, another revolution, this one in technology, is progressing : photography favors the portraits. Only an exceptional master may still claim to do better. For Marie, he will be Ingres.
Aged 69 and busy with other projects, Ingres accepts the commission from Marie and makes a large drawing, 48 x 40 cm, in pencil embellished with watercolor. His line is always realistic and his composition well proportioned. Marie and her daughter Claire aged 19 are posing in the living room.
The line of Ingres is perfect without being spontaneous. By a careful observation, the artist has found the attitudes that best express the complicity between mother and daughter.
The comtesse did not fail to comment with sympathy in her notebooks the intrusion of this exceptional man in her apartment. Ingres is fat and short, passionate, with an especially sharp gaze.
This nice drawing is estimated $ 1.5 million, for sale by Christie's in New York on January 31. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
The catalog was convincing about the exceptional qualities of this drawing, sold $ 1.93 million including premium.
The 1848 revolution can not keep her indifferent. Later, she will support the Republicans in opposition to the Second Empire. But the evolution of society will soon make these literary salons outdated and unnecessary.
In 1849, another revolution, this one in technology, is progressing : photography favors the portraits. Only an exceptional master may still claim to do better. For Marie, he will be Ingres.
Aged 69 and busy with other projects, Ingres accepts the commission from Marie and makes a large drawing, 48 x 40 cm, in pencil embellished with watercolor. His line is always realistic and his composition well proportioned. Marie and her daughter Claire aged 19 are posing in the living room.
The line of Ingres is perfect without being spontaneous. By a careful observation, the artist has found the attitudes that best express the complicity between mother and daughter.
The comtesse did not fail to comment with sympathy in her notebooks the intrusion of this exceptional man in her apartment. Ingres is fat and short, passionate, with an especially sharp gaze.
This nice drawing is estimated $ 1.5 million, for sale by Christie's in New York on January 31. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
The catalog was convincing about the exceptional qualities of this drawing, sold $ 1.93 million including premium.
