LONDON.- Today’s sale of 19th Century European Paintings at
Sotheby’s London brought a total of 6,988,575 / $10,501,033 / €8,172,455.
Together with the results of The Orientalist Sale in London in April (6,339,500 / $9,967,149), this brings the total for Sotheby’s London sales of 19th Century European Paintings thus far this year to 13.3 / $20.2 million.
Commenting on the sale, Adrian Biddell, Head of Sotheby’s 19th Century European Paintings Department, said: “The sale illustrated how the strength of the market lies in top quality works across all fields. It was particularly strong in prime Spanish and Scandinavian works, Sorolla topping the bill. There was also spirited demand for the works of Turkish interest, the robust results following our recent Orientalist sale.”
The auction was led by Joaqun Sorolla’s Nios en la playa, which sold to a Private Collector for 2,770,500 / $4,162,953 / €3,239,829. Two further works by the artist found buyers: En la Playa (By the Seaside) fetched 386,500 / $580,755 / €451,974, and En el Rio (At the Riverside) sold for 62,500 / 93,912 / €73,038.
A signature interior by Danish artist Vilhelm Hammershi, Ida in an Interior with Piano sold for 1,142,500 / $1,716,720 / €1,336,042, establishing the second highest price for the artist at auction.
Finnish artist Albert Edelfelt’s The Boys’ Workhouse, Helsinki, painted in 1885, at auction for the first time in almost thirty years, sold to a Private Foundation for 458,500 / $688,942 / €536,171.
Works by Turkish artists saw strong prices: Diyarbakirli Tahsin’s Marine sold for 134,500 / $202,100 / €157,285, more than twice over the pre-sale high estimate (40,000-60,000), and establishing a record for the artist at auction; Sevket Dag’s Repose sold for 140,500 / $211,115 / €164,301, against an estimate of 30,000-50,000.
Two Majorcan landscapes by Spanish artist Joaquim Mir –Paisaje mallorqun con naranjos (Orange Trees in Mallorca) and Soller – achieved prices above their pre-sale estimates, selling respectively for 128,500 / $193,084 / €150,268 and 93,700 / $140,794 / €109,498.
A trio of paintings by Norwegian artists performed well:
• Adolph Tidemand’s A Hardanger Interior, Young Girl knitting, which had remained in an English Private Collection since it was commissioned from the artist in 1872, sold for 74,500 / $111,944 / €87,120, against an estimate of 50,000-70,000.
• View over the Elbe and the Barracks by the father of Norwegian landscape painting Johan Christian Dahl fetched 50,000 / $75,130 / €58,470, against an estimate of 15,000-20,000.
• Winter Day by the Fjord by Frithjof Smith-Hald sold for 11,250 / $16,904 / €13,156, against an estimate of 8,000-12,000.
Among the works by French artists, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot’s Jeune femme jouant de la mandoline exceeded its pre-sale estimate to bring 158,500 ($238,162) (€185,350), and Henri Geoffroy’s L’Heure de gouter fetched 42,500 / $63,860 / €49,700 against an estimate of 18,000-25,000.
