Decade 1850-1859
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Orientalism 1830-1900 Russia 1700-1900 Germany II US painting < 1940 lllustration art Silver dollar Coins 1850-69 Stamps Central and South Americas
See also : Orientalism 1830-1900 Russia 1700-1900 Germany II US painting < 1940 lllustration art Silver dollar Coins 1850-69 Stamps Central and South Americas
masterpiece
Seated Scribe (4th or 5th dynasty), discovered in 1850
Louvre
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Grok thought :
Quote
Musée du Louvre @MuseeLouvre Sep 1
#UnJourUneOeuvre/#WorkOfTheDay C’est la rentrée ! Comme le célèbre Scribe accroupi, nous voilà prêts à écrire une nouvelle page Emblème du département des Antiquités égyptiennes, le Scribe représente un lettré ayant vécu il y a plus de 4 500 ans, écrivant sur un papyrus
Grok thought :
Quote
Musée du Louvre @MuseeLouvre Sep 1
#UnJourUneOeuvre/#WorkOfTheDay C’est la rentrée ! Comme le célèbre Scribe accroupi, nous voilà prêts à écrire une nouvelle page Emblème du département des Antiquités égyptiennes, le Scribe représente un lettré ayant vécu il y a plus de 4 500 ans, écrivant sur un papyrus
- The Louvre's post highlights the Seated Scribe statue as a back-to-school symbol, tying its poised writing pose to new beginnings; this 4th Dynasty artifact (c. 2620–2500 BCE) exemplifies Old Kingdom realism, contrasting typical stylized Egyptian figures.
- Discovered in 1850 at Saqqara by Auguste Mariette, the statue's eyes—crafted from rock crystal, magnesite (for whites), and copper-arsenic inlay—create a startling lifelike gaze that reflects light, evoking vitality absent in many contemporaries.
- Visitor reactions emphasize the in-person impact, with one reply calling the stare a "shock" no photo captures, underscoring the piece's role in the Egyptian Antiquities department as a must-see for its blend of naturalism and ancient innovation.
LANE
1
1850 Mount Desert
2023 SOLD for $ 6.1M by Sotheby's
Born in Gloucester MA and son of a sailmaker, FH Lane became fascinated with the landscapes of the Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Maine. A former apprentice in Boston in a lithography firm, he mingled his graphics skills with the local tradition of marine painting.
Paralyzed in his legs since childhood, his career took place outside the artistic circles but he was not isolated. He became the best painter of marine scenery in New England and influenced William Bradford. His realistic topographic style with great care to detail was forgotten during the decades of Impressionism.
A view of Bar Island and Mount Desert Mountains from Somes Settlement, oil on canvas 51 x 76 cm painted in 1850, is one of his earliest paintings of Maine which he had just visited and sketched in a summer cruise. The disposition of boats at various distances creates a sense of depth.
It was sold for $ 6.1M from a lower estimate of $ 1M by Sotheby's on April 19, 2023, lot 49.
Paralyzed in his legs since childhood, his career took place outside the artistic circles but he was not isolated. He became the best painter of marine scenery in New England and influenced William Bradford. His realistic topographic style with great care to detail was forgotten during the decades of Impressionism.
A view of Bar Island and Mount Desert Mountains from Somes Settlement, oil on canvas 51 x 76 cm painted in 1850, is one of his earliest paintings of Maine which he had just visited and sketched in a summer cruise. The disposition of boats at various distances creates a sense of depth.
It was sold for $ 6.1M from a lower estimate of $ 1M by Sotheby's on April 19, 2023, lot 49.
2
1853 Manchester Harbor
2004 SOLD for $ 5.5M by Skinner
On November 19, 2004, Skinner sold for $ 5.5M from a lower estimate of $ 650K a panoramic view of the Manchester cod fish harbor in a Luminist sunrise by FH Lane, lot 370.
This oil on canvas 61 x 91 cm painted in 1853 has some qualities of a Vernet with its animated foreground and its wide dynamic sky.
This oil on canvas 61 x 91 cm painted in 1853 has some qualities of a Vernet with its animated foreground and its wide dynamic sky.
1850-1851 Yao Damei Poems Album by Ren Xiong
2024 SOLD for RMB 69M by Poly
The skilled artist Ren Xiong and the poet Yao Xie also known by the courtesy name Mei Bo were considering that their respective arts were matching "like a perfect blend of water and milk".
The Yao family lived near the Damou mountain. Yao Xie kept in his pavilion an extensive collection of paintings from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. In the first year of Xianfeng matching 1850-1851 CE, Ren made a three month visit to Yao for preparing a set of drawings inspired altogether by the styles of the old masters, by the poems of his friend and by the modern colors and compositions of international art.
The set known as Yao Damei Poems album is made of 120 ink and color on silk 27 x 31.5 cm. The illustration is of great diversity including mountains, rivers, people, flowers, feathers, mythical beasts, insects, fish, immortals, Buddhas, ghosts and gods.
It was sold for RMB 69M by Poly on December 8, 2024, lot 933.
The Yao family lived near the Damou mountain. Yao Xie kept in his pavilion an extensive collection of paintings from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. In the first year of Xianfeng matching 1850-1851 CE, Ren made a three month visit to Yao for preparing a set of drawings inspired altogether by the styles of the old masters, by the poems of his friend and by the modern colors and compositions of international art.
The set known as Yao Damei Poems album is made of 120 ink and color on silk 27 x 31.5 cm. The illustration is of great diversity including mountains, rivers, people, flowers, feathers, mythical beasts, insects, fish, immortals, Buddhas, ghosts and gods.
It was sold for RMB 69M by Poly on December 8, 2024, lot 933.
masterpiece
1851 Ophelia by Millais
Tate
From ‘Frankenstein’ author Mary Shelley’s macabre momento to the love triangle behind one of the most romantic paintings of the 19th-century, read three tortured Victorian tales of love: https://t.co/iLpArr3L6b pic.twitter.com/gLWaTDtqWp
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) February 15, 2024
1851 Washington crossing the Delaware by Leutze
2022 SOLD for $ 45M by Christie's
On Christmas night, 1776 the surprise crossing of the half frozen Delaware river by General Washington changed the course of the Revolutionary War hampered by a previous series of defeats.
That epic moment was painted in Düsseldorf by the German-born Emanuel Leutze as a symbol for freedom in the wake of the 1848 European upheavals.
The tall General is straight standing at the bow with a foot on the edge, looking ahead with a stiff determination. The US flag in its 1777 Stars and Stripes version is floating in the wind behind the hero. The boat is populated by various officers and troops including a rowing Black man, a Scot and a rowing woman, highlighting the proud Washington as the father of the US nation as a whole.
Three paintings were executed by Leutze with his assistant Eastman Johnson. Made in 1850, the original version was destroyed in a World War II bombing. The second full scale 3.80 x 6.50 m canvas is housed by the Met Museum.
Prepared in 1851 in parallel with the Met example, the third piece on a reduced scale was commissioned by the Paris art editors Goupil and Vibert for an engraving. It was on loan at the White House from 1979 to 2014. This oil on canvas 102 x 173 cm was sold for $ 45M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Christie's on May 12, 2022, lot 30C.
A pastiche painted by Robert Colescott in 1975 replacing the general by an African American scientist and the troops by a gang of joyful Negroes was sold for $ 15.3M by Sotheby's in 2021. Another pastiche painted in 2018 by Jon McNaughton features President Trump leading his team by night with an oil lamp.
Christie's @ChristiesInc May 13, 2022
#AuctionUpdate Emmanuel Leutze’s ‘Washington Crossing the Delaware’ sets an auction record for the artist; price realized $45 million
Thought for 1m 16s
Emanuel Leutze painted three primary versions of Washington Crossing the Delaware, each depicting George Washington's iconic crossing of the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War. The version sold at Christie's in 2022 for $45 million is a smaller-scale replica from 1851. Below is a comparison with the other two: the original large version from 1850 (destroyed during World War II) and the large 1851 replica at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) in New York City. All three share nearly identical compositions, with artistic liberties like an anachronistic flag, dramatic lighting, and a diverse group of figures representing American unity. However, they differ mainly in scale, purpose, and historical fate. Minor adjustments, such as added red accents to Washington's cloak and repositioned oars for a more perilous scene, appear consistently across the surviving versions based on infrared analysis.
Original 1850 Version (Destroyed)
Large 1851 Version (at the Met)
Smaller 1851 Version (Sold at Christie's)
Year Painted
Original : 1849–1850
Large : 1850–1851
Smaller : 1851
Size
Original : Approximately 149 x 255 inches (378.5 x 647.7 cm; 12.4 x 21.25 feet), based on the scale of the Met replica it inspired
Large : 149 x 255 inches (378.5 x 647.7 cm; 12.4 x 21.25 feet)
Smaller : 40 x 68 inches (101.6 x 172.7 cm; 3.3 x 5.7 feet)
Current Status/Location
Original : Destroyed in a World War II Allied air raid on September 5, 1942, while in storage at the Kunsthalle Bremen in Germany
Large : On permanent display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City (donated in 1897); restored with a custom carved frame in 2007
Smaller : Privately owned (buyer undisclosed) following the 2022 auction; previously on long-term loan to the Minnesota Marine Art Museum (2015–2022)
Key History
Original : Created in Düsseldorf, Germany, to inspire European revolutionaries; damaged by studio fire shortly after completion, repaired, exhibited, and sold to Kunsthalle Bremen in 1851
Large : Commissioned as a full-sized replica after the original's fire damage; exhibited in New York (viewed by over 50,000 people), purchased for $10,000, changed hands multiple times, and briefly defaced in 2002 (no lasting damage)
Smaller : Commissioned by Goupil, Vibert & Company as a model for an engraving by Paul Girardet, which popularized the image; exhibited in New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago in the 1850s; owned privately with periods on loan to the White House (1979–2014) and Minnesota Marine Art Museum
Notable Differences/Similarities
Original : Served as the prototype; composition mirrored in later versions, but no surviving images allow for detailed visual comparison (black-and-white photos exist, showing overall similarity)
Large : Monumental scale for public display; includes dramatic elements like foreshortening and a bright sky highlighting Washington; assisted by artists like Worthington Whittredge for the sky
Smaller : Reduced scale for engraving purposes; almost identical in details (e.g., flag alterations, ice floes), with similar studio assistance from Eastman Johnson; lacks the grandeur but retains the romanticized heroism
That epic moment was painted in Düsseldorf by the German-born Emanuel Leutze as a symbol for freedom in the wake of the 1848 European upheavals.
The tall General is straight standing at the bow with a foot on the edge, looking ahead with a stiff determination. The US flag in its 1777 Stars and Stripes version is floating in the wind behind the hero. The boat is populated by various officers and troops including a rowing Black man, a Scot and a rowing woman, highlighting the proud Washington as the father of the US nation as a whole.
Three paintings were executed by Leutze with his assistant Eastman Johnson. Made in 1850, the original version was destroyed in a World War II bombing. The second full scale 3.80 x 6.50 m canvas is housed by the Met Museum.
Prepared in 1851 in parallel with the Met example, the third piece on a reduced scale was commissioned by the Paris art editors Goupil and Vibert for an engraving. It was on loan at the White House from 1979 to 2014. This oil on canvas 102 x 173 cm was sold for $ 45M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Christie's on May 12, 2022, lot 30C.
A pastiche painted by Robert Colescott in 1975 replacing the general by an African American scientist and the troops by a gang of joyful Negroes was sold for $ 15.3M by Sotheby's in 2021. Another pastiche painted in 2018 by Jon McNaughton features President Trump leading his team by night with an oil lamp.
Christie's @ChristiesInc May 13, 2022
#AuctionUpdate Emmanuel Leutze’s ‘Washington Crossing the Delaware’ sets an auction record for the artist; price realized $45 million
- Christie's post announces the $45 million sale of Emmanuel Leutze's 1851 smaller version of "Washington Crossing the Delaware," shattering the artist's prior record and doubling the $15-20 million pre-sale estimate at the May 2022 auction.
- The painting, a romanticized depiction of George Washington's Revolutionary War crossing on December 25, 1776, had been on long-term loan to the Minnesota Marine Art Museum since 2000, symbolizing enduring American patriotism.
- Buyer identity remains private, but replies express excitement over the record alongside worries about cultural preservation amid reports of targeted destruction of historical artifacts.
Thought for 1m 16s
Emanuel Leutze painted three primary versions of Washington Crossing the Delaware, each depicting George Washington's iconic crossing of the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War. The version sold at Christie's in 2022 for $45 million is a smaller-scale replica from 1851. Below is a comparison with the other two: the original large version from 1850 (destroyed during World War II) and the large 1851 replica at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) in New York City. All three share nearly identical compositions, with artistic liberties like an anachronistic flag, dramatic lighting, and a diverse group of figures representing American unity. However, they differ mainly in scale, purpose, and historical fate. Minor adjustments, such as added red accents to Washington's cloak and repositioned oars for a more perilous scene, appear consistently across the surviving versions based on infrared analysis.
Original 1850 Version (Destroyed)
Large 1851 Version (at the Met)
Smaller 1851 Version (Sold at Christie's)
Year Painted
Original : 1849–1850
Large : 1850–1851
Smaller : 1851
Size
Original : Approximately 149 x 255 inches (378.5 x 647.7 cm; 12.4 x 21.25 feet), based on the scale of the Met replica it inspired
Large : 149 x 255 inches (378.5 x 647.7 cm; 12.4 x 21.25 feet)
Smaller : 40 x 68 inches (101.6 x 172.7 cm; 3.3 x 5.7 feet)
Current Status/Location
Original : Destroyed in a World War II Allied air raid on September 5, 1942, while in storage at the Kunsthalle Bremen in Germany
Large : On permanent display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City (donated in 1897); restored with a custom carved frame in 2007
Smaller : Privately owned (buyer undisclosed) following the 2022 auction; previously on long-term loan to the Minnesota Marine Art Museum (2015–2022)
Key History
Original : Created in Düsseldorf, Germany, to inspire European revolutionaries; damaged by studio fire shortly after completion, repaired, exhibited, and sold to Kunsthalle Bremen in 1851
Large : Commissioned as a full-sized replica after the original's fire damage; exhibited in New York (viewed by over 50,000 people), purchased for $10,000, changed hands multiple times, and briefly defaced in 2002 (no lasting damage)
Smaller : Commissioned by Goupil, Vibert & Company as a model for an engraving by Paul Girardet, which popularized the image; exhibited in New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago in the 1850s; owned privately with periods on loan to the White House (1979–2014) and Minnesota Marine Art Museum
Notable Differences/Similarities
Original : Served as the prototype; composition mirrored in later versions, but no surviving images allow for detailed visual comparison (black-and-white photos exist, showing overall similarity)
Large : Monumental scale for public display; includes dramatic elements like foreshortening and a bright sky highlighting Washington; assisted by artists like Worthington Whittredge for the sky
Smaller : Reduced scale for engraving purposes; almost identical in details (e.g., flag alterations, ice floes), with similar studio assistance from Eastman Johnson; lacks the grandeur but retains the romanticized heroism
#AuctionUpdate Emmanuel Leutze’s ‘Washington Crossing the Delaware’ sets an auction record for the artist; price realized $45 million pic.twitter.com/waEDUwjlaT
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 13, 2022
1855 La Chasse au Taureau by Saleh
2018 SOLD for € 9M by Ruellan
Nephew of a local prefect on the island of Java which was then part of the Dutch East Indies, Raden Saleh had early skills for the graphic arts. He left in 1829 to study art in Holland. His first Western paintings are portraits. After meeting a lion tamer, he executes hunting scenes whose exoticism is well suited to the curiosity of the period.
The action of a great violence involves ferocious beasts, together or confronted with hunters on horseback. His bestiary is too varied to be relying from personal Javanese memories : lions, tigers, deer, buffalo, boar.
The composition seems directly inspired by the hunting scenes painted by Rubens around 1620, with a swirling and vividly colored center in which the protagonists are intertwined up to the limit of readability. Men and animals express exacerbated feelings of panic and horror.
When he is in France, Raden Saleh is in touch with Horace Vernet but his more flexible lines are inspired by the Dutch landscape learned from Schelfhout. The similarity of his ardor with Delacroix's romantic orientalism is obvious, but the hunts by Raden Saleh were conceived long before the 1854 commission to Delacroix by the Beaux-Arts for a lion hunt.
Raden Saleh returned to Java in 1852, bringing with him the notoriety he acquired in Europe. Like Rubens, he is using very large formats. Like what tradition said of Rubens, he also likes to include his self-portrait in full activity among the hunters.
An oil on canvas 110 x 180 cm dated 1855 titled La Chasse au taureau sauvage Banteng (Banteng wild bull hunting) has just surfaced in Brittany, in a basement where the owners had hidden it for several decades because they were uncomfortable with its violence. Minor misses are reported. It was sold for € 9M from a lower estimate of € 150K by Ruellan on January 27, 2018, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by Interencheres.
The action of a great violence involves ferocious beasts, together or confronted with hunters on horseback. His bestiary is too varied to be relying from personal Javanese memories : lions, tigers, deer, buffalo, boar.
The composition seems directly inspired by the hunting scenes painted by Rubens around 1620, with a swirling and vividly colored center in which the protagonists are intertwined up to the limit of readability. Men and animals express exacerbated feelings of panic and horror.
When he is in France, Raden Saleh is in touch with Horace Vernet but his more flexible lines are inspired by the Dutch landscape learned from Schelfhout. The similarity of his ardor with Delacroix's romantic orientalism is obvious, but the hunts by Raden Saleh were conceived long before the 1854 commission to Delacroix by the Beaux-Arts for a lion hunt.
Raden Saleh returned to Java in 1852, bringing with him the notoriety he acquired in Europe. Like Rubens, he is using very large formats. Like what tradition said of Rubens, he also likes to include his self-portrait in full activity among the hunters.
An oil on canvas 110 x 180 cm dated 1855 titled La Chasse au taureau sauvage Banteng (Banteng wild bull hunting) has just surfaced in Brittany, in a basement where the owners had hidden it for several decades because they were uncomfortable with its violence. Minor misses are reported. It was sold for € 9M from a lower estimate of € 150K by Ruellan on January 27, 2018, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by Interencheres.
Retrouvez nous le 27 janvier 2018 pour la vente à Vannes de « La Chasse au taureau sauvage » de Raden Saleh datée et signée de 1855. #artist #Inde #chasse #Tigre #Taureau #auction #SaveTheDate https://t.co/4OqgLXxsMi pic.twitter.com/Eabe5zvVRO
— RUELLAN (@jpruellan) December 13, 2017
1856 British Guiana One Cent Magenta Stamp
2014 SOLD for $ 9.5M by Sotheby's
The invention of the postage stamp in England in 1840 is a revolution in communications. Hitherto limited to shipment operations, the Post Office of British Guiana is one of the first in South America to use stamps and to develop a local delivery, through the diligence of Edward Dalton, a colonial postmaster unwilling to wait for official authorizations.
The first stamps issued by the British Guiana in 1850 are made in black ink by woodcut printing on papers of various colors depending on the face value. The work is done by the printer of the local newspaper. They are so rudimentary that each sold stamp is authenticated by the handwritten initials of the postmaster or of one of his clerks.
These first stamps of 4, 8 and 12 cents are not rare because they have attracted the interest of collectors from the 1870s. These circular or roughly octagonal stamps are nicknamed the cottonreels. An additional cottonreel of 2 cents was issued in 1851. This low value only applied for the local mail inside Georgetown and this variety is extremely rare.
In 1852 the government takes control of operations. Stamps for British Guiana are now lithographed in England. In September 1855, it is a disaster. British agents had misunderstood the order and printed a quantity of stamps ten times lower than needed. Faced with the shortage, Dalton released in 1856 a new series of locally printed British Guiana stamps, with the same rudimentary process as in 1850.
The 4 cents stamp of 1856 to be used for mail is printed on colored paper in four variants, magenta, carmine, blue and double sided blue.
The 1 cent for the postage of newspapers is a lower denomination that had no reason to be kept by users. Only one survived. In poor condition, almost indecipherable, it is magenta in the same shade as one of the 4 cent variants. Collected in 1873 by a schoolboy in the archives of his uncle, it was formally authenticated by an expert in 1891.
This 1 cent magenta 29 x 26 mm British Guiana stamp is the only British variety that escapes the royal collection. Its reverse bears eight marks of prominent owners. Sold for $ 935K by Siegel in 1980, it was already at that time the most expensive stamp in the world.
It was sold by Sotheby's for $ 9.5M on June 17, 2014 and for $ 8.3M on June 8, 2021, lot 3. The image is shared by Wikimedia. Please watch a video shared in 2008 by psychediva.
In June 2014 the other lots from the DuPont collection of British Guiana stamps were sold by David Feldman. The top results before fees were € 160K for a 4 cents from 1850-1851 on a cover, € 190K for a 2 cents from 1851 and € 240K for a blue 4 cents on a cover from 1856.
The first stamps issued by the British Guiana in 1850 are made in black ink by woodcut printing on papers of various colors depending on the face value. The work is done by the printer of the local newspaper. They are so rudimentary that each sold stamp is authenticated by the handwritten initials of the postmaster or of one of his clerks.
These first stamps of 4, 8 and 12 cents are not rare because they have attracted the interest of collectors from the 1870s. These circular or roughly octagonal stamps are nicknamed the cottonreels. An additional cottonreel of 2 cents was issued in 1851. This low value only applied for the local mail inside Georgetown and this variety is extremely rare.
In 1852 the government takes control of operations. Stamps for British Guiana are now lithographed in England. In September 1855, it is a disaster. British agents had misunderstood the order and printed a quantity of stamps ten times lower than needed. Faced with the shortage, Dalton released in 1856 a new series of locally printed British Guiana stamps, with the same rudimentary process as in 1850.
The 4 cents stamp of 1856 to be used for mail is printed on colored paper in four variants, magenta, carmine, blue and double sided blue.
The 1 cent for the postage of newspapers is a lower denomination that had no reason to be kept by users. Only one survived. In poor condition, almost indecipherable, it is magenta in the same shade as one of the 4 cent variants. Collected in 1873 by a schoolboy in the archives of his uncle, it was formally authenticated by an expert in 1891.
This 1 cent magenta 29 x 26 mm British Guiana stamp is the only British variety that escapes the royal collection. Its reverse bears eight marks of prominent owners. Sold for $ 935K by Siegel in 1980, it was already at that time the most expensive stamp in the world.
It was sold by Sotheby's for $ 9.5M on June 17, 2014 and for $ 8.3M on June 8, 2021, lot 3. The image is shared by Wikimedia. Please watch a video shared in 2008 by psychediva.
In June 2014 the other lots from the DuPont collection of British Guiana stamps were sold by David Feldman. The top results before fees were € 160K for a 4 cents from 1850-1851 on a cover, € 190K for a 2 cents from 1851 and € 240K for a blue 4 cents on a cover from 1856.
✉️The British Guiana One-Cent Magenta is thought to be the sole survivor of its kind, created during a stamp shortage in the 1850s and now expected to fetch up to $15 million when it’s auctioned by @Sothebys pic.twitter.com/I57OQ34zkr
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) April 29, 2021
1856 view of Constantinople by Aivazovsky
2012 SOLD for £ 3.23M by Sotheby's
Born in the Armenian community of the busy port town of Theodosia on the north shore of the Black Sea, Ivan Aivazovsky was a great traveler. After doing trips throughout Europe, he obtained in 1845 a job that allowed him to combine his passions : he became a painter for the staff of the Russian Admiralty.
His art shows the ever changing sea in the exceptional light of the extreme hours of the day. His naval battles add fire to the sun or the moon, often seen full face. Few painters have given such an emotional density to landscapes. Turner had admired the work of his very young colleague when they met in Rome in 1842. Precursor of the Impressionists, Aivazovsky nevertheless worked in the studio from pencil sketches and composed his colors from memory.
He became a specialist of the Grand Tour images on which his deeply glowing romantic skies illuminated easily recognizable landscapes, mostly but not only by the sea. He maintained throughout his career this Mediterranean imaging which opened to him the access to lucrative exhibitions in Europe.
An oil on canvas 100 x 122 cm painted in 1851 is a serene view of Venice with San Giorgio Maggiore in the distance. A gondola comes to the fore, but the real subject is the warm color in its gradient that leads from the bright blue of the sea up to the pink cloudy sky. It was sold for £ 1M by Macdougall's on November 25, 2012.
He loved Constantinople which he first visited in 1845 and extensively sketched. He stated : 'There is probably nowhere in the world as majestic as that town, when you're there you forget about Naples and Venice.'
A view in moonlight of Constantinople and the Golden Horn painted in 1846 is kept at the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. A serene sunset view executed in 1856 from the same original sketch, oil on canvas 125 x 195 cm, was sold for £ 3.23M from a lower estimate of £ 1.2M by Sotheby's on April 24, 2012, lot 6. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
His art shows the ever changing sea in the exceptional light of the extreme hours of the day. His naval battles add fire to the sun or the moon, often seen full face. Few painters have given such an emotional density to landscapes. Turner had admired the work of his very young colleague when they met in Rome in 1842. Precursor of the Impressionists, Aivazovsky nevertheless worked in the studio from pencil sketches and composed his colors from memory.
He became a specialist of the Grand Tour images on which his deeply glowing romantic skies illuminated easily recognizable landscapes, mostly but not only by the sea. He maintained throughout his career this Mediterranean imaging which opened to him the access to lucrative exhibitions in Europe.
An oil on canvas 100 x 122 cm painted in 1851 is a serene view of Venice with San Giorgio Maggiore in the distance. A gondola comes to the fore, but the real subject is the warm color in its gradient that leads from the bright blue of the sea up to the pink cloudy sky. It was sold for £ 1M by Macdougall's on November 25, 2012.
He loved Constantinople which he first visited in 1845 and extensively sketched. He stated : 'There is probably nowhere in the world as majestic as that town, when you're there you forget about Naples and Venice.'
A view in moonlight of Constantinople and the Golden Horn painted in 1846 is kept at the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. A serene sunset view executed in 1856 from the same original sketch, oil on canvas 125 x 195 cm, was sold for £ 3.23M from a lower estimate of £ 1.2M by Sotheby's on April 24, 2012, lot 6. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1857 The 3-Skilling Yellow
1996 SOLD for CHF 2.9M by David Feldman
Children love stamps, as it is well known. In 1885, a German boy gets his grandmother's permission to take off stamps from old covers to make money. The dealer to whom he presented his booty is amazed: a 3 Skilling Swedish stamp has a wrong color!
No other copy will never be found, making this stamp the rarest and most desired piece on the philately market. Its story is told on the Treskilling Yellow page of Wikipedia, where it is illustrated. It was canceled in 1857.
It is a mistake and not a fake. This sample has all the characteristics of an 8 Skilling stamp, yellow, unless it bears the engraving of the 3 Skilling, which is green for all other known copies. The hypothesis to keep is that one of 100 clichés of a printing block of 8 Skilling was damaged, and the operator has inadvertently changed it by a 3 Skilling cliché. Nobody went aware of the error, and there is no way of knowing how many wrong copies were produced.
It was sold in 1996 for CHF 2.9M by David Feldman. The image is shared by Wikimedia. The auction house did a quick calculation. Reduced to its weight, this small artifact of 26.75 milligrams is valued $ 70 billion per kilogram !
No other copy will never be found, making this stamp the rarest and most desired piece on the philately market. Its story is told on the Treskilling Yellow page of Wikipedia, where it is illustrated. It was canceled in 1857.
It is a mistake and not a fake. This sample has all the characteristics of an 8 Skilling stamp, yellow, unless it bears the engraving of the 3 Skilling, which is green for all other known copies. The hypothesis to keep is that one of 100 clichés of a printing block of 8 Skilling was damaged, and the operator has inadvertently changed it by a 3 Skilling cliché. Nobody went aware of the error, and there is no way of knowing how many wrong copies were produced.
It was sold in 1996 for CHF 2.9M by David Feldman. The image is shared by Wikimedia. The auction house did a quick calculation. Reduced to its weight, this small artifact of 26.75 milligrams is valued $ 70 billion per kilogram !
masterpiece
1857-1859 L'Angélus by Millet
Musée d'Orsay
From 1933 Dali, researching how virtue hides vice and shame, tries Freudian interpretations of the Angélus.
Dali remained obsessed with the Angélus, to which he devoted in 1963 an entire book titled Le Mythe tragique de l'Angélus de Millet. Le Louvre took an x-ray of the painting. The woman's gaze is directed towards a basket which peacefully symbolizes the harvest. In this place the original painting, masked by a repaint made by Millet, showed a child's coffin. Dali's intuition was confirmed, demonstrating the correctness of his paranoiac-critical hypersensitivity in this specific case.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Dali remained obsessed with the Angélus, to which he devoted in 1963 an entire book titled Le Mythe tragique de l'Angélus de Millet. Le Louvre took an x-ray of the painting. The woman's gaze is directed towards a basket which peacefully symbolizes the harvest. In this place the original painting, masked by a repaint made by Millet, showed a child's coffin. Dali's intuition was confirmed, demonstrating the correctness of his paranoiac-critical hypersensitivity in this specific case.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
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1858 Kibab Shop by Lewis
2009 SOLD for $ 3.4M by Sotheby's
Before the invention of photography, the artists recorded their impressions of travel in watercolor. John Frederick Lewis was initially one of them, then he became a pioneer of Orientalist art which he released from the heroic aspect to better interpret the picturesque.
He made long stays in the Middle East. During his returns to London, he exhibited at the Royal Academy the paintings he had created from his travel sketches. This was the case of "the Kibab (Kebab) Shop, Scutari," an oil on panel 53 x 79 cm, which was admired by John Ruskin when he displayed it in 1858.
This scene of life in the Middle East is remarkable in its details that recreate an intense life. The characters are seen in close-ups, quietly engaged in their business. The shop is very realistic, and Chinese import plates add a surprising touch of truth. It opens up entirely on the street animated by pigeons, two goats, a dog.
It was sold for $ 3.4M from a lower estimate of $ 1.5M by Sotheby's on April 24, 2009.
On June 15, 2005, Christie's went close to £ 2.5M for a midday meal in Cairo. This oil on canvas, bigger, with more characters, was the last work by Lewis (1875).
He made long stays in the Middle East. During his returns to London, he exhibited at the Royal Academy the paintings he had created from his travel sketches. This was the case of "the Kibab (Kebab) Shop, Scutari," an oil on panel 53 x 79 cm, which was admired by John Ruskin when he displayed it in 1858.
This scene of life in the Middle East is remarkable in its details that recreate an intense life. The characters are seen in close-ups, quietly engaged in their business. The shop is very realistic, and Chinese import plates add a surprising touch of truth. It opens up entirely on the street animated by pigeons, two goats, a dog.
It was sold for $ 3.4M from a lower estimate of $ 1.5M by Sotheby's on April 24, 2009.
On June 15, 2005, Christie's went close to £ 2.5M for a midday meal in Cairo. This oil on canvas, bigger, with more characters, was the last work by Lewis (1875).
1858-1859 Class III Restrike of the 1804 Silver Dollar
2025 SOLD for $ 6M by Stack's Bowers
Overview by Grok of the 1804 Draped Bust Dollar Class III Restrike
The 1804 Draped Bust Silver Dollar, often called the "King of American Numismatics," is one of the rarest and most iconic U.S. coins. No true circulation strikes were made in 1804; the known examples include eight "Class I" originals (struck ~1834 for diplomatic presentation sets) and a handful of later "restrikes" classified as Class II (one known, plain edge) and Class III (second reverse, lettered edge, struck ~1858–1860s by Mint insiders like Theodore Eckfeldt). Only about six Class III examples are known, with three in museums and three in private hands—making each a multi-million-dollar treasure. These coins feature a wider spacing between "STATES" and "OF" on the reverse compared to Class I.
Intro by ArtHitParade :
The Class III Restrike is the designation used in 1962 by Newman and Bressett to describe a 1804 one dollar novodel, produced secretly at the Philadelphia Mint, distinct from the Class II by its lettered edge. One Class II and six Class III pieces survive.
The 1804 dollar is the last model made before the suspension of production of the silver dollar which will last until 1836. The 19,570 coins declared in the annual report for 1804 have always remained untraceable, creating fabulous myths like the disappearance of the entire production in a shipwreck. The tools existed nevertheless at the factory and had been kept.
The production of silver dollars had already been low in 1803, allowing an extension of the use of the dies. The one dollar coins announced in 1804 in the annual report were certainly struck with dies from previous years, perhaps due to a too late availability of the dies on the date of 1804 which will remain unused until the Class I.
In 1834 the government requests two specimens of each of the denominations of US coinage in the current year or the last year of production as applicable, to constitute inexpensive diplomatic gifts for the king of Siam and the sultan of Muscat. The factory does not have an 1804 dollar in stock. It is easy to recreate a few copies : this is the Class I, of which eight units are known, probably representing the entire production.
One of these copies is used in 1842 to illustrate a manual published by two employees of the Mint, Eckfeldt and DuBois. Collectors are going crazy. The factory accepts an exchange with one of them in 1843, recovering the unique example from a bygone gold coin project of 1785 with the inscription Immune Columbia.
The Class II restrike is created at the factory in 1858. It was a poor quality unauthorized operation intended to make profit from the greed of collectors. The Mint requests to recover them. Three are destroyed and one is kept as a specimen at the factory. No other Class II is known. The only surviving piece was struck on a Swiss thaler from 1857, with a plain edge.
The idea of producing restrikes goes up to the highest level of the hierarchy. In 1859 the Mint director JR Snowden tries in vain to obtain an authorization from the Treasury for such operations.
The production of Class III at the Philadelphia factory is indisputable, probably from 1858 or 1859. The blundering lettering will be done late on the previously struck pieces, which could have been earlier Class II made on blank planchets and remaining at the factory. The first Class III surfaced in 1876, tending to prove that the illicit uses of this variant had been successfully blocked until that date.
Four Class III have been artificially worn by rubbing in a pocket to make it look like authentic coins made in 1804. The batch was however made with a proof finish which did not exist before 1817.
A newly surfaced Class III graded PR65 by PCGS was sold for $ 6M by Stack's Bowers on December 9, 2025, lot 20006. The video is shared by the auction house.
Details summarized by Grok :
James A. Stack, Sr. Collection
PR65 (PCGS, CAC-approved)
Provenance : James A. Stack, Sr. (acquired pre-1951; unpublished until 2025 discovery); finest known Class III in private hands; 16th overall 1804 Dollar to surface publicly.
Note : Recently discovered in Stack family holdings; on display at ANA World's Fair of Money (Aug. 2025). Highest grade; expected to shatter records for Class III.
A Class III graded PR58 by PCGS was sold for $ 2.3M by Heritage on April 30, 2009, lot 2567.
A Class III graded PR55 by PCGS was sold by Stack's Bowers for $ 1.88M on August 6, 2014, lot 13146 and for $ 1.44M on March 20, 2020, lot 7304.
The 1876 dealer exhibited four proof dollars respectively marked 1801, 1802, 1803 and 1804, in mint condition. The 1804 specimen was from the Class III as told above. The other three were also the first appearance of the variety, similar but not fully correlated with the original coinage. Recent research is proposing a terminus post quem in 1873 by a comparison with the 420-grain standard of the Trade dollar planchets in use from that date.
The 1804 Draped Bust Silver Dollar, often called the "King of American Numismatics," is one of the rarest and most iconic U.S. coins. No true circulation strikes were made in 1804; the known examples include eight "Class I" originals (struck ~1834 for diplomatic presentation sets) and a handful of later "restrikes" classified as Class II (one known, plain edge) and Class III (second reverse, lettered edge, struck ~1858–1860s by Mint insiders like Theodore Eckfeldt). Only about six Class III examples are known, with three in museums and three in private hands—making each a multi-million-dollar treasure. These coins feature a wider spacing between "STATES" and "OF" on the reverse compared to Class I.
Intro by ArtHitParade :
The Class III Restrike is the designation used in 1962 by Newman and Bressett to describe a 1804 one dollar novodel, produced secretly at the Philadelphia Mint, distinct from the Class II by its lettered edge. One Class II and six Class III pieces survive.
The 1804 dollar is the last model made before the suspension of production of the silver dollar which will last until 1836. The 19,570 coins declared in the annual report for 1804 have always remained untraceable, creating fabulous myths like the disappearance of the entire production in a shipwreck. The tools existed nevertheless at the factory and had been kept.
The production of silver dollars had already been low in 1803, allowing an extension of the use of the dies. The one dollar coins announced in 1804 in the annual report were certainly struck with dies from previous years, perhaps due to a too late availability of the dies on the date of 1804 which will remain unused until the Class I.
In 1834 the government requests two specimens of each of the denominations of US coinage in the current year or the last year of production as applicable, to constitute inexpensive diplomatic gifts for the king of Siam and the sultan of Muscat. The factory does not have an 1804 dollar in stock. It is easy to recreate a few copies : this is the Class I, of which eight units are known, probably representing the entire production.
One of these copies is used in 1842 to illustrate a manual published by two employees of the Mint, Eckfeldt and DuBois. Collectors are going crazy. The factory accepts an exchange with one of them in 1843, recovering the unique example from a bygone gold coin project of 1785 with the inscription Immune Columbia.
The Class II restrike is created at the factory in 1858. It was a poor quality unauthorized operation intended to make profit from the greed of collectors. The Mint requests to recover them. Three are destroyed and one is kept as a specimen at the factory. No other Class II is known. The only surviving piece was struck on a Swiss thaler from 1857, with a plain edge.
The idea of producing restrikes goes up to the highest level of the hierarchy. In 1859 the Mint director JR Snowden tries in vain to obtain an authorization from the Treasury for such operations.
The production of Class III at the Philadelphia factory is indisputable, probably from 1858 or 1859. The blundering lettering will be done late on the previously struck pieces, which could have been earlier Class II made on blank planchets and remaining at the factory. The first Class III surfaced in 1876, tending to prove that the illicit uses of this variant had been successfully blocked until that date.
Four Class III have been artificially worn by rubbing in a pocket to make it look like authentic coins made in 1804. The batch was however made with a proof finish which did not exist before 1817.
A newly surfaced Class III graded PR65 by PCGS was sold for $ 6M by Stack's Bowers on December 9, 2025, lot 20006. The video is shared by the auction house.
Details summarized by Grok :
James A. Stack, Sr. Collection
PR65 (PCGS, CAC-approved)
Provenance : James A. Stack, Sr. (acquired pre-1951; unpublished until 2025 discovery); finest known Class III in private hands; 16th overall 1804 Dollar to surface publicly.
Note : Recently discovered in Stack family holdings; on display at ANA World's Fair of Money (Aug. 2025). Highest grade; expected to shatter records for Class III.
A Class III graded PR58 by PCGS was sold for $ 2.3M by Heritage on April 30, 2009, lot 2567.
A Class III graded PR55 by PCGS was sold by Stack's Bowers for $ 1.88M on August 6, 2014, lot 13146 and for $ 1.44M on March 20, 2020, lot 7304.
The 1876 dealer exhibited four proof dollars respectively marked 1801, 1802, 1803 and 1804, in mint condition. The 1804 specimen was from the Class III as told above. The other three were also the first appearance of the variety, similar but not fully correlated with the original coinage. Recent research is proposing a terminus post quem in 1873 by a comparison with the 420-grain standard of the Trade dollar planchets in use from that date.
