19th Century European Art Auction | Orientalist painting
William-Adolphe Bouguereau (French, 1825-1905)
Student of Francois-Edouard Picot (François-Edouard Picot) (1786-1868)
'Marchande de grenades'
45½ x 35 in. (115.6 x 88.9 cm.)
Estimate (Set Currency)
$2,500,000 - $3,500,000
www.christies.com/salelanding/index.aspx?intSaleID=2357works of which the present lot is arguably the most sophisticated example. Having already made a name for himself with his poignant portraits of the
French peasantry, Bouguereau began experimenting with Eastern subjects in 1870 with Jeune fille orientale. Bouguereau's careful attention to the
young woman's gleaming jewelry, intricate vest, delicately tied sash and draped fabrics, shows the artist reveling in the possibilities offered by this
new foreign subject. He wasn't just the best ever at painting fine details, more importantly, he captured the tender and subtlest nuances of personality
and mood. Yet, it would be another five years before Bouguereau returned to painting the East with L'Orientale à la grenade. In this later work,
Bouguereau eliminated all contextual details and instead focused just on the figure of what is most likely an Egyptian girl. The girl's intended
ethnicity is suggested only by her elaborate silver jewel.
'L'ORIENTALE À LA GRENADE' (GIRL WITH A POMEGRANATE)
23 1/2 by 18 in. 59.6 by 45.7 cm
SOLD. 2,322,500 USD (Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium)
Earlier this year, L'Orientale à la Grenade (1875), a portrait of a turbaned young woman with a pomegranate— an Orientalist subject
likely inspired by artifacts and second-hand reports, since the artist never traveled to the Middle East—sold for $2.3 million, considerably
more than its $700,000 pre-sale high estimate. The picture was once in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago (from 1900 to 1907)
and most recently exhibited at Portland, OR Art Museum.
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