Christie's, December 5, 2013
JOHN SINGER SARGENT (1856-1925)
SPANISH CONVALESCENT
Estimate $500,000 - $700,000 Price Realized $605,000
John Singer Sargent’s Spanish Convalescent (estimate: $500,000-700,000). is a watercolor and pencil on paper that is part of a series of seven works likely created during a productive trip the artist made through Portugal and Spain in the summer of 1903. The series depicted recuperating Spanish soldiers in the Hospital Real (Royal Hospital), who may have been veterans that had returned from the Spanish-American War. Their embodiment of both strength and vulnerability is likely what piqued Sargent’s interest in employing them as subjects. One of the most celebrated watercolorists of his generation, Sargent painted with a technique that emphasized his rich color and bravura brushwork. His great gift, as embodied by Spanish Convalescent, was sprezzatura, the ability to imbue his works with the sense effortlessness despite the considerable skill and exertion that was necessary for such advanced compositions.
SOTHEBY'S MAY 2013
JOHN SINGER SARGENT
ELSIE WAGG
Estimate 200,000 — 300,000 USD
LOT SOLD. 413,000
CHRISTIE’S NOVEMBER 30, 2011
JOHN SINGER SARGENT (1856-1925)
The Piazzetta with Gondolas
Estimate: $600,000 – 800,000
John Singer Sargent formed an abiding love for and fascination with Venice’s engaging contradictions, which informed his depictions of the mysterious floating city for over thirty years. The Piazzetta with Gondolas, executed circa 1902-04, is a vibrant and dynamic example of his Venice paintings from his nearly annual visits from 1898 to 1913. Sargent was less interested in transcribing Venice’s fabled vistas and panoramic views, preferring instead more intimate examinations of the canals. In order to view Venice from this new vantage point, Sargent set out in gondolas to approach the city from the water, capturing the vivid imagery in dazzling watercolor tones. These watercolors, such as The Piazzetta with Gondolas, have the effect of a snapshot, echoing contemporary photography with their cropped, close-up views, tilted perspective and fluctuating angles. The watercolor is in pristine condition, having been kept in the Sargent family through a gift to the artist’s sister and by descent to the present owner.
CHRISTIE’S MAY 18, 2011
Ladies in the Shade
Renowned for his portraits, Sargent’s most innovative works were completed outside his studio, during his travels to the European countryside when he felt most inspired and at ease. During his stays in the Alps in the summers of 1900 to 1914, Sargent produced a body of watercolors celebrated for their freedom, intimacy and modernity. Painted during his August 1912 visit to the resort of Abriès in the French Alps, Ladies in the Shade is exemplary of Sargent’s work from this period and demonstrates the artist at the height of his abilities. This work was originally offered for sale in 1925 at Christie’s London as part of the sale of the artist’s estate and studio. It was purchased by the Widener family of Philadelphia and has descended within the family collection since.
Sotheby's October 3, 2013
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Sotheby's October 3, 2013
JOHN SINGER SARGENT
PORTRAIT OF MRS. MABEL HUNT SLATER
Estimate
25,000 — 35,000 LOT SOLD. 25,000