Polly Sartori, Senior Vice President and Director of the 19th Century Paintings Department, commented, “Sotheby’s ongoing commitment to this important collecting category was validated in today’s auction. Nearly a quarter of the paintings in the sale achieved prices of $100,000 or greater, with William Bouguereau’s ravishing depiction of Cupid and Psyché bringing $2.2 million and a desert scene in Mount Sinai by John Frederick Lewis selling for $1.8 million. What we saw from our buyers was an enthusiastic demand for the very best examples of works by our artists; the strength of our offerings was confirmed by the impressive results. We look forward to our next sale in October 2010.”