Now

19th Century European Art

RESULTS

Our 9 May sale brought $16.5 million. Leading the auction was Marie-François Firmin-Girard's Le Quai aux Fleurs, whose price was driven to $3 million by multiple determined bidders, reaching over six times its estimate. This expansive, panoramic work propelled the artist to international fame upon its submission to the Salon of 1876. The cover lot of the catalogue, Bonhomme venant de peindre sa barrière (Man Having Just Painted His Fence) by Raffaëlli, surpassed expectations, bringing $1.5 million, over its estimate of $1 million. This extraordinary image is one of the masterpieces of Raffaëlli's career and comes from an Important Private American Collection. All results are now available online. 

OVERVIEW

Our 19^th Century European Art sale features both iconic, well-known works and new discoveries which, together, point to the diversity of the category. Highlights include masterpieces from an Important American Collection, including  Jean-François Raffaëlli’s Bonhomme venant de peindre sa barrière (Man Having Just Painted His Fence) and Gustave Courbet’s Deux bateaux sur la plage. This impressive canvas by Courbet is one of an extraordinary group by the artist consigned by various owners, including Mademoiselle Jacquet, La Laitière de Saintonge, and Falaises d’Étretat.  The sale also features Jean-Léon Gérôme’s dramatic Cléopâtre et César.

This season’s sale reveals a number of masterworks that have not been seen or exhibited in many decades. Marie-François Firmin-Girard’s Le Quai aux Fleurs and John William Godward’s When the Heart is Young are but a few examples of many.