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| John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) Fair Rosamund oil on canvas 38 X 28 ½ in. |
I do not have a "bucket list," at least not an official one. Sure, there are some places I want to visit, some things I want to do, and some paintings I wish to paint during what remains of my time here on earth, but I have never made a conscientious list of such things.
The closest I come to having a "bucket" goal is this vague desire in the back of my mind to someday see every painting by John William Waterhouse in person. It is not a realistic goal; for example, I do not expect that Rod Stewart will ever invite me up to his bedroom to see his Waterhouse – and if he were to do so, I would probably have some serious reservations – but it would be nice to fit as many of those paintings in as possible. Thanks to the Waterhouse show that ran from the end of 2008 to the beginning of 2010, I was able to see a good portion of his body of work when the exhibit visited Montreal. I have also been able to see a few others in museums, but not many.
To my surprise, I have probably seen just as many Waterhouse paintings in person at the auction houses as I have seen in museum collections, so I like to keep my eyes open just in case one of his paintings goes up for sale. Well, I have the chance to add to my visual collection of Waterhouses when Sotheby's New York offers Fair Rosamund at their spring auction of 19th Century European Art next month, and I am very much looking forward to it. I have previously seen the painted study for Fair Rosamund, and was not sure I would ever have the chance to see the original of this particular major work, so I think of this sale as a rather rare opportunity.
Of course, amongst the 103 lots in this sale, Fair Rosamund is in my opinion the highlight of the auction, but it is not the only work worth seeing. Also up for bid are a Bouguereau, a well-known Gérôme, an Alma Tadema, a couple of Godwards, a couple of Dawsons, a couple of Blair Leightons, a Breton, a Dagnan, a Vibert, and several Munnings.
Sotheby's sale of 19th Century European Art will take place at 10:00 AM EDT on May 9, 2014. Previews will be held at the Sotheby's New York location at 1334 York Avenue beginning Friday, May 2nd. For those unable to attend, the full sales catalog is also available for online viewing at Sotheby's website.
Preview Times
Friday, May 2 • 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
Saturday, May 3 • 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
Sunday, May 4 • 1:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Monday, May 5 • 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
Tuesday, May 6 • 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
Wednesday, May 7 • 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
Thursday, May 8 • 10:00am - 1:00pm EDT
(I will be curious to see how much the Waterhouse painting fetches. It is estimated to sell for between $600,000 and $800,000, and I would have guessed the upper range would have been a bit higher.)
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| William Bouguereau (1825-1905) Le bouquet de violettes oil on canvas 25 ⅝ X 21 ⅝ in. |
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| Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904) Cléopâtre et César oil on canvas 73 X 50 ⅝ in. |
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| Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912) The Collector of Pictures at the Time of Augustus oil on panel 28 X 18 ¼ in. |
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| John William Godward (1861-1922) The Tambourine Girl oil on canvas 24 ¼ X 12 in. |
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| John William Godward (1861-1922) When the Heart is Young oil on canvas 20 ¼ X 40 in. |
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| Jean Denis Antoine Caucannier (c. 1860-1905) Eve et la pomme oil on canvas 39 ½ X 78 ¾ in. |
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| Edmund Blair Leighton (1852-1922) A Picnic Party oil on canvas 21 ⅓ X 32 ⅓ in. |
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| Edmund Blair Leighton (1852-1922) Yes or No? oil on canvas 37 X 20 ⅛ in. |
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| Jules Breton (1827-1906) La petite couturière oil on canvas 22 X 16 ⅞ in. |
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| Pascal Adolphe Jean Dagnan-Bouveret (1852-1929) Young Woman in a Garden of Oranges oil on canvas 40 X 29 ⅛ in. |
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| Gottlieb Theodor von Kempf-Hartenkampf (1871-1964) Lilies oil on canvas 44 ⅝ X 23 in. |
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| Émile Meyer A Painting Cardinal oil on panel 16 X 12 ¾ in. |
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| 54 Jehan-Georges Vibert (1840-1902) The Three Patiences oil on panel 36 ½ X 28 ¾ in. |
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| Adrien Moreau (1843-1906) Les noces d'argent oil on canvas 37 X 52 in. |
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| Arturo Ricci (1854-1919) In the Studio oil on canvas 26 ½ X 36 ⅝ in. |
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| Marie-François Firmin-Girard (1838-1921) Le quai aux fleurs oil on canvas 39 ½ X 57 in. |
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| Edwin Lord Weeks (1849-1903) Horses at the Ford - Persia oil on canvas 35 ⅜ X 61 ⅞ in. |
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| Sir Alfred James Munnings (1878-1959) Morning Exercise oil on panel 16 ¼ X 37 ½ in. |
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| Sir Alfred James Munnings (1878-1959) The Morning Ride oil on canvas 20 X 24 in. |
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| Sir Alfred James Munnings (1878-1959) The Leaders watercolor on paper laid down on board 15 ¾ X 21 ¾ in. |
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| Sir Alfred James Munnings (1878-1959) Studies from the picture "The Vagabonds" watercolor and graphite on paper 10 ¾ X 13 ½ in. |
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| Alexander Max Koester (1864-1932) Enten in Teich (Wild Jagd) oil on canvas 28 ½ X 48 in. |
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| Montague Dawson (1895-1973) Wind in the Rigging oil on canvas 42 X 28 in. |
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| Montague Dawson (1895-1973) The Southern Cross oil on canvas 24 X 36 in. |