By Carter B. Horsley
The morning sale of Impressionist & Modern Art at Sotheby's November 8, 2006 is highlighted by an impressive and large work by Edouard Vuillard, two lovely floral still lifes by Odilon Redon and Henri Fantin-Latour, a superb pointilist portrait by Théo van Rysselberghe and excellent paintings by Henri Martin and Henri Le Sidaner.
Lot 182, "Madame Vuillard à l'Hotel des Ducs de Normandie," is a lovely large glue-based distemper on canvas by Edouard Vuillard (1868-1940). It measures 78 1/2 by 34 1/16 inches and was executed in 1913. It has a modest estimate of $700,000 to $900,000. It failed to sell.
The morning sale sold about 73 percent of the 206 offered lots and the afternoon sale sold almost two-thirds of the 227 offered lots. The sales total for the morning and afternoon sales was $58,218,400.
Lot 129 is a very beautiful floral still life by Odilon Redon (1840-1916), one of many works in this auction from the collection of Arthur G. Altschul. An oil on canvas, it measures 28 3/4 by 23 5/8 inches and was painted in 1914-5. It has an estimate of $600,000 to $800,000. It sold for $1,584,000 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article.
Another great floral still life is Lot 143, an oil on canvas by Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904) that measures 23 5/8 by 18 1/2 inches. Executed in 1877, it has a modest estimate of $300,000 to $400,000. It sold for $363,200.
Théo van Rysselberghe (1862-1926) was a pointilist painter who excelled at portraits and Lot 202, "Marie-Anne Webber au Violon Alto," an oil on canvas that measures 39 1/2 by 29 inches, is one of his best. It was executed in 1903 and has a modest estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. It sold for $251,200.
Lot 222, "Le Bassin Principal du Parc de Marquayrol, à Labastide-du-Vert," is a very fine and colorful work by Henri Martin (1860-1943). An oil on canvas, it measures 21 by 51 1/2 inches and was painted circa 1905. It has an estimate of $600,000 to $800,000. It sold for $940,000.
Lot 203, "La Table aux Lanternes, Gerberoy," is a superb painting by Henri Le Sidaner (1862-1939). An oil on canvas that measures 49 3/4 by 58 1/2 inches, it was painted in 1924. It has an estimate of $800,000 to $1,200,000. It sold for $1,360,000. It was the cover illustration of this auction's catalogue and had been the cover illustration of theartist's catalogue raisonné and of the artist's restropective exhibition in 1989 at the Musée Marmottan.
Lot 184 is a large and impressive painting by Paul Sérusier (1863-1927). Entitled "Les Cueilleurs de Pommes," it is an oil on canvas that measures 44 1/2 by 88 1/2 inches and was painted circa 1898. The artist presents a peasant scene of apple-gatherers in a work of religious symbolism. It has a modest estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. It failed to sell.
Sir Sean Connery consigned two works to this auction, Lots 236 and 237, by Emilie Mediz-Pelikan (1861-1908), and Karl Mediz (1868-1944), respectively, wife and husband who were influenced by Gustave Klimt's landscapes. Both lots had estimates of $200,000 to $300,000 and each sold for $180,000.