DALLAS, TX.- The Virgin Nursing the Christ Child by Master of the Parrot (est. $10,000-$15,000) is among the many exceptional works of art to celebrate women in their many guises from antiquity to the modern day in
Heritage Auctions' European Art Auction. Included in the December 9 sale are depictions of women in a spectrum of roles ranging from the archetypical mother tenderly caressing her infant to the larger-than-life heroism of the warrior depicted in Clorinda Rescuing Olindo and Sophronia, by Jacopo Amigoni which captures Clorinda astride her magnificent steed from Torquato Tasso's epic poem of the Crusades (est. $80,000-$120,000).
"Homage to feminine beauty reached a pinnacle of popularity among painters during the 19th century," said Ariana Hartsock, Consignment Director of Fine & Decorative Arts at Heritage.
Splendid works such as Nude Draped in Pink by Theodor Matthei (est. $25,000-$35,000) and By the Skating Pond by Frederik Hendrik Kaemmerer (est.$20,000-$30,000) provide prime examples of the technical refinement these artists strove to achieve. Soon after the turn of the century more realistic portrayals of women became prominent, and in Baignade dans la Cure, Maximilien Luce's women casually lounging on a grassy riverbank is a delightful example of this more natural presentation (est. $50,000-$70,000).
The 20th-Century Woman is represented in more liberated poses, leading with Kees van Dongen's brazen seductress Femme au buste nu, (est. $300,000-$500,000) while nudes by Charles Kvapil, Nu debout (est. $7,000-$10,000), and Nu au collier rouge by Vera Rockline (est. $10,000-$15,000) present women in more contemplative poses, emphasizing the modern focus on interiority rather than outward trappings of status and station.
Additional highlights include, but are not limited to:
• Le Fauteuil de Rotin, 1977 by Jean-Pierre Cassigneul (est. $60,000-$80,000).
• A Street in Wanchai, Hong Kong by Edward Brian Seago (est. $50,000-$60,000).
• Danseuse au voile, 1918, an original plaster by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (est. $40,000-$60,000).
• Flower Market at La Madeleine, circa 1950-60, one of seven French street scenes and landscapes by Edouard-Léon Cortès (est. $30,000-$50,000).
