In the same series of the auction Sotheby's "Masters Week" was to break the record for the graphics of Rubens — $8.2 million

Sotheby's decided to combine the Old Masters and artists of the XIX century (relatively speaking, to the Impressionists) in a series of trades "masters Week" — "Masters Week". And not lost. The results of the two auctions over 170 lots could fetch $67.8 million Set two important records.

Skip forward lady, the famous secular portraitists, a favorite artist of Queen Marie-Антуанетты Elizabeth Vigee-Лебрен (1755-1842). At the evening auction "Paintings of the masters" January 30, put her "Portrait of Mohammed dervish Khan". The story of entertaining. In 1788, arrived in Paris Indian Embassy from the Indian city of Mysore. Unusual for Paris, exotic ambassadors caused a furore on the streets of the French capital, the press followed them everywhere. Saw them at the Opera, Cabinda-Лебрен wanted in whatever was to write their portraits, but ambassadors, Muslim by religion, refused flatly. And only request of the king Louis XVI forced them to pose Cabinda-Лебрен in the rooms of their hotel. The first was to paint a portrait of Mohammed dervish Khan. The artist has depicted him in traditional clothes, with a sword on the landscape. But to take a portrait was not immediately. The Ambassador refused to give it. Had to say that the portrait wants to obtain king Louis. This was not true, however, allowed the artist to keep the portrait. The mission of ambassadors of Mysore had failed: they never enlisted the help of the military weakening of the French monarch against the British. Next year in France, the revolution broke out, and after a Mysore when he returned to India, was beheaded. But "Portrait of Mohammed dervish Khan"-прежнему suggests a rare moment in the history of the XVIII century, when the woman managed to write a portrait of a man-мусульманина. The hammer price of the portrait was $7,185 million, while the estimate of $4-6 million Is a record not only for the art of Elizabeth Vigee-Лебрен, but for the entire art women-художниц to the era of modernism.

Another significant record was set at the auction "Old master Drawings" on January 30. Drawing by Peter-Пауля Rubens "Sketch of a naked young man with raised hands" was sold for a record for a graphics artist $8.2 million (estimate $2.5–3.5 million). This sketch was created by Rubens in Antwerp during the work on the altar of the "exaltation of the cross". The figure comes from the collection of the Royal family of the Netherlands. The Dutch public were protesting against the sale of the picture, asked to leave such important work of Rubens in the country, but the Royal family decided otherwise and still sold it at auction in new-Йорке. The name of the new owner was not disclosed.

the Material was prepared by Maria Onuchina, AI

Sources: sothebys.com, artdaily.com, artinvestment.ru