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Monday, October 29, 2012

Sotheby's Auction of 19th Century European Art Features Important Discoveries That Have Not Been Seen in Decades

Sotheby’s bi-annual 19th Century European Art auction in New York will be held on 8 November 2012, featuring 105 exceptional works of art, including masterpieces by William Bouguereau, Giovanni Boldini, Jules Breton and others which have not been available on the market in more than 50 years. The preview exhibition will open in Sotheby’s New York headquarters beginning on 2 November.



The sale offers an exceptional group of paintings by William Bouguereau reflecting every period of his career, with works spanning from 1869 to 1901, all fresh to the market and having been in Private Collections for decades. Highlights include Prêtresse de Bacchus (est. $700/1 million), which features a single model and belongs to a series the artist referred to as ‘fantasy paintings.’ He isolates his subject within a vast landscape and, without any contextual framework beyond her costume - she becomes representative of a lost, ancient ideal. Jeunes filles de fouesnant revenant du marché (est. $500/700,000) is an early work from 1869 by the artist and a rare Breton subject; one of an even more select series of paintings depicting the daily life of the region’s people inspired by one of Bouguereau’s summer trips to Brittany.



Sir John Lavery’s The Green Sofa (est. $700/1 million) is a sophisticated composition that was held in the distinguished collection of the late Katherine W. Mellon. The sitter, Mary Auras, was a well-known German model working in Paris at the time and who sat for many of Lavery’s paintings, as well as for other artists. Through its subtle color harmonies, broad paint handling and bold compositional lines, this painting reveals the influence that James McNeill Whistler, Lavery’s close friend, had on his work.



Also included in the sale is the impressive collection formerly in the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Obed J. Wilson, highlighted by Bouguereau’s La branche de cerisier (The Cherry Branch) (est. $1.5/2 million). Specialist Polly Sartori discusses the collection in this video.










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