Posted on 01/09/2024 4:03:08 PM PST by nickcarraway
A Diego Velázquez portrait of Spanish Queen Isabel de Borbón, which was expected to break the artist’s previous records, was quietly withdrawn from auction by Sotheby’s in New York.
The court painting, which has been owned by a private family trust in the US since 1978, was pulled due to “ongoing discussions” on behalf of the sellers. The painting did not appear in the auction house’s digital sales catalogue released on December 21.
There is speculation that a US museum may have put in an offer, however, Sotheby’s declined to comment, the Art Newspaper reported Friday. The 1620s painting was guaranteed by the auction house at $35 million in its upcoming Old Master sale on February 1.
As Sales Contract, Christie's and Sotheby's Report 13 Percent Drop in 2023 Figures Hermés Heir's Auctions Start with a White Glove Sale at Sotheby's Paris for $25 M. The Isabel de Borbon portrait could be related to a famed Velázquez painting of her husband Philip IV held by the Prado in Madrid. It was taken from the Spanish royal collection in Madrid during Napoleon’s 1808 invasion and later appeared in a French noble collection in 1838. It eventually came into the hands of British banker and book collector Henry Huth. His relatives held it until 1950, when the piece was last at auction.
High-quality works by Velázquez are typically found in royal or museum collections and are rarely sold in public auctions. The price tag and good condition reflect this singularity. If sold, the work would more than double the 17th-century Spanish painter’s current $16.9 million auction record.
The consignors, the auction house said in a statement, “have reluctantly decided on a temporary pause in the sale process, due to ongoing discussions on their side”. Despite this, however, and “given the excitement with which the Velázquez has been received thus far”, Sotheby’s said both sides “look forward to offering this exceptional painting for sale in the near future”.
or, perhaps, not so quietly.
Hey ladies...can you just imagine how good it must have felt to take off that torturous outfit?
That painting was stolen by Napoleon. It should be returned to the Spanish peoples. </jk>
Wait a minute, I think that’s my sister!
They pulled it from auction? Curses! I thought it would look great in my man cave.
There was a big to-do about when the Nazis looted art.
There was far more art looted by the French Napoleonic armies, all over Europe. Much of it by senior officers, generals and marshals. Many, like Soult and Massena, were notorious for it.
The case of Spain was even worse than most, as the French armies looted Madrid (and Duponts men much of Andalucia), while France and Spain were nominally allied.
There was no justice after those wars, as the great powers were more concerned with pacifying France. And Louis XVIII needed those marshals to stay on the throne. So most of them kept their loot.
This painting belongs in the Prado, side by side with its mate (that portrait of Philip IV, mentioned in the article).
Ttiuwp
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