January 2013

I am very happy to announce that one of the most amazing auctions for printmaking will be happening on January 29th at Christie’s New York auction house. This will be the work from Albrecht Durer. The auction house has this to say about the sale:

This private collection of 61 lots represents the one of the finest selection of prints by Albrecht Dürer to appear at auction for many years. Meticulously assembled over the course of almost half a century by a connoisseur with an unparalleled eye for quality, this auction features Dürer’s masterworks, including Adam and Eve and Melencolia I. Estimates start at $3000.

Honestly, this is an understatement.  The collection of work is really just beautiful, showing a master at his craft. As a fellow printmaker, I can only tell how long it takes to make one block to print from, no matter if it is a wood cut or lithograph.  It really is no easy task to accomplish. Then with the beauty that Durer put into his art is really breath-taking.  If a buyer were looking to start or expand his/her collection on medieval art or in print making, this is, without a doubt the must auction of the year.

For Durer’s work, the pricing is prime. What I mean by this is simply that it is right in the average range for prints, especially if they are earlier on the print count.  What you are looking for on these are the early prints.  Since printmaking is designed strictly to make duplicates, even to be printed after the artist’s, the early series or runs you can find of prints by an artist is key. For instance, Most of these prints that I have looked at from the Christie’s website for the sale were made during Durer’s life, which is excellent. Not only does this mean that the buyer will be getting an early print, but also means that chances are that Durer himself could have made the prints.

To see more on this sale, please view the Christie’s Website. I put major emphasis in this auction as could be a once in a long while before the world sees such a collection of Durer’s work of this quality being sold at one time.  The details are perfect on all of the pieces.  It is a must for any collector of prints and medieval art.

On a separate note, I would like to take this time to announce that my own printmaking work will be up for exhibition coming later this year in Portland OR. The pieces will be for sale at the exhibition. From the information that I currently have, the show will be at the Screaming Sky Gallery from May-June and a possibility of another show in Pittsburgh PA in September. More details will be posted as time grows closer.

December 2012

As the year of 2012 comes to an end, one has to look as what is going on with the world of art and what might be hot in the up coming year.
This brings into mind what is being sold right now and what is happening in the auction world. With placies like Christies dumping a lot of their Asian works and smaller auction house like Phillips de Pury being turned a little sideways with Mr. de Pury and his wife leaving the firm after 12 years as coheads and massive figures in the company, what is going to happen in the next year?

I still have a feeling that Street Art, works by graffiti artists, works by David LaChapelle, Justin Bua and others will still be a safe investment for time to come. They are a little bit of a risk as they are still new names in the art world compared to the likes of Monet, Da Vinci and others, so one would be able to purchase their works for rather a lower price than what most works will go at. I can tell you who are in Europe that you can currently see Mr. LaChapelle’s work right now till March 3, 2013 at the Swedish Museum of Photography (www.fotografiska.se).

However, with more and more galleries that show true modern art closing, like the Crewest Gallery in Los Angeles, and galleries like MoMA, the Tate Modern and others being a little cautious at times when it comes to “modern” but still has an amazing eye when it comes to most works, you can still find artist that way, however I would suggest that one take another route when looking for new artist to invest in. I would suggest that a buyer look toward some of the world wide art contest to see what is new and exciting in the art world. I would suggest something like the Future Generation Art Prize. I have never been lucky enough to be chosen as a finalist even though I have submitted my own work to both of their contest, yet the art work that comes out of contest like these are amazing and these artist will be the and most are, the hot artist of the future. Look towards these artist as great investments in 2013, if not to buy but to financially back as well.

Nov. 2012

What makes modern art?  How does it sale?

Modern art can be described as not so much as a hard definition, but yet more of a time frame.  Most art historians will include modern art from 1860s to today, some even earlier the late 1700s, yet it is somewhere around the time that Courbet and his Anti French Salon movement, Manet and his bridge from Realism to Impressionism to Monet and the Impressionists that set up the time frame for Modern art.

Who does one describe Modern Art though? is it just work that is created recently? In the past 100 years? A time frame cannot really put it in perspective as in in Music, songs and bands from the 70s are known as Classic and those from the 50s and 40s are known as Oldies and music from the time that the impressionist time period, yes that music that is hardly listened to outside of a few of us (I am one of them) is known only as Classical. This is seen as old and not “modern”. So why is it that other pieces of art work from that time period are known and called Modern? Literature is also one that falls to this as not “modern” as one can look at the works of Emile Zola and feel a transportation back to a world of the past.

It can be argued that to be Modern, work has to be avant-garde or works that is in the forefront, is innovatory, which introduces and explores new forms. That can truely be said for the work of Courbet as he broke away from the teachings of the 1800s French Salon and can be considered the great-grandfather of Modern Art. However, with the loose brush works of Manet that helped bridge the way for Monet and the Impressionists that really broke away from the what had been done before, making their work Modern.

Yet, why are artist like Jeff Koons, who is still in practice and working today, selling works for the same amount of money as what Monet, Warhol and other great artists from the past are selling their works for while artist like Justin Bua and Brian Ewing, whos work is just as impressive, doesn’t sell for as nearly as well as what Koons does?  Is it the style of art? If that might be the case, then Koons himself should not be as famous as what he is.  he has been doing the same work for the past almost 30 years and his time should be coming close to an end, but his works keep becoming evermore popular.

Sure, there has been some publicity of Modern Art, large galleries like MoMA and the Tate Modern and smaller galleries like Crewest in Los Angeles show extensive collections of what is considered New and Modern.  Yet the question still remains on why is one artist sold for so much more than another?  The question is not about quality of work. The pieces that the three above named artist create are fantastic in their own right (Yes even Koons, even though he doesn’t actually do any of his own work), yet the divide is still there for them.  Is the fact that Koons work is more relatable to the general public than what Bua and Ewing’s work is? Is that the reason why in art history classes, more emphasis is placed on people like Andy Warhol instead of Richard Hamilton, Edward Kienholz or even Chris Burden, Joseph Beuys or Marina Abramović.  

Now sure, Burden, Beuys and Abramović are preformance artist, but there are images that one could purchaces of their works that a partron of the arts could keep and hang just like any other works of art.  In fact I know a couple of people who do. So for this up coming year, I would look for those works, works by artist who are not as big as the Jeff Koons in modern art, but those who are on the verge of making it big, such as Justin Bua (even though OvationTV and Bua have done several projects together), Brian Ewing, David LaChapelle or support preformance art or images from a preformance that have helped make these artist known today.  This is where the term investment comes in because one can purchase these works for cheap and sit on them where I predict that one day they will bring you a nice return.

August 2012

Okay, so it has been a little while since I went thought and posted a new article. It has been the off season for sales and so I went through compiled a list things I wanted to write about and this was the top of my list, especially since it is about to start with a new Art Auction season.

With this upcoming auction season, I know that there will be some things that go up for sale that are going to bring some very high dollar figures and some that won’t. As someone who writes about what happens in the art auction world, I would like to give my list of what to look for and what to avoid this next year as you might be looking to purchase works.

First, I would seriously avoid things that were mass produced. This goes without saying that the things that were mass produced will not be worth as much, now and for the long term. Sure you may find the rare mass produced item that the vast majority of produced objects could have been lost or destroyed over time, like a Dürer print (which I would buy an earlier work of his over a later work, but if I were to buy or recommend to by a later work, then make sure it is an earlier series of that work or print) but I would highly suggest to stay away from things like Picasso’s later works. There are SO many of them out there that were mass produced during his lifetime that there is really no value to the work, the only thing that you would be paying for is his signature…and sometimes that is even nothing more than a rubber stamp. If you were to do a work by him, buy something from his early years of cubism or from his rose or blue periods.

I would also stay away from a lot of modern contemporary works. Unless you know for a fact that the artist just received a life changing award or commission to creat some piece, the returns on the work are way too risky. There is no promise that there is financial return on the work and the chances of the work staying stagnate in value or maybe worse, actually decreasing in value are highly possible. True, you could be the luckiest person in the world on a gamble and buy a piece at dirt sale prices and the artist blows up, but the chances of that are not very high. If you are buying a work just because you like the artistic beauty of it though, that is a completely different story, just make sure that the art work is real and not a copy or a fake and this can be dome by knowing the history of the work.

However, if you, as a buyer, would like to do some smart investing, I would suggest to go with artists that you know or may have heard of before, maybe something from the 1800s or early 1900s, and find something that is rather one of a kind or something that is of a limited edition (especially for prints or photographs). For artists from the 1800s, try and find the sketches they had done of their more famous works, things that show their idea process unfolding. These are becoming more and more rare as time passes as more and more of them are being lost, accidentally destroyed or are falling into collections. Sometimes, with a little research, you can even make a connection between just a sketch that they might have gotten for a low price and then connect it to a master piece.

I would suggest to lean this year towards sketches and lesser known works by famous artists, which sounds like it would either be a no brainer or an insane idea, but it would depend on how you look at it. If one would take the example of the hand written notes by Leonardo Da Vinci. They, today, are priceless. However, Many years ago, they weren’t seen as nearly as valuable as what they are today. Now of course they are not worth as much as let’s say the Mona Lisa, but they are still worth so much more than anyone would or could have ever dreamed. I can see that the sketches and notes by Manet and other impressionists all the way through Dada artist like Max Ernst to pop icons like Richard Hamilton and Andy Warhol someday reaching prices that would make any investor or his/her future family very happy.

July 2012

On July 25th, 2012, at 10am and 2pm, at  Rockefeller Plaza in New York, Christie’s Inc will be auctioning off a collection of Prints & Multiples that I am very excited about. There will be amazing pieces going up for sale, including etchings by none other than Rembrandt (4 pieces that are AMAZING), Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henry Moore, Henri Matisse, and the one I’m most excited about, Albrecht Durer.  The reason why I am excited about the Durer piece is because of the fact his work, like Rembrandt’s work, is BEAUTIFUL. Durer is a very special artist. He IS the print maker of the Northern Renaissance.  Amazing, just everything he has done that I have seen is just BEAUTIFUL.  Yes his work were “mass produced” as prints, even during his time (Heck, he was a print maker, what else is the work supposed to be there for in that time? There was no “commercial market” at that time like there is today), but really, if you as a reader have the chance to buy a piece of his work, I would say yes.  If you have a chance to see his work, do it.  Remember Durer lived from 1471-1528, during the Protestant Reformation which was initiated by Martin Luther, the time that the Protestants broke away from the Catholic church and outlawed art works depicting people in all religious settings as they thought it was worshiping false idols (Please note, art work was still allowed outside of church which is why Durer was still able to do his craft, is they were not Protestant, but it just it was just SO much more different than what there was in the south or Italian Renaissance).  SO with all of this going around him religiously and everything that was going on in the art world around him, his ability to create works like this one and that they are still in good condition today, just wow, look for yourself. And remember, this was all hand done or hand chiseled.

Albrecht Durer’s “Ecce homo from the large Passion”

The craftsmanship that Durer put into this is just beautiful.  The details are perfect and it is everything that basically the 1400s-1500s art work was supposed to be about, the subject manner, the characters, the perspective, everthing just works here, as it does with all of Durer’s work.  The estimated sales price for this work from Christie’s is $2,000-$3,000, which I think is EXTREMELY low, no matter how many works are still available of Durer is still out there or not.  I would at least double if not triple that price, if not just for the artist creativity of the work but also the historical stand point, knowing the time in which it was created, this is a must buy.

To view this and all of the works in this sale, please visit the Christie’s Website.

July 2012

To continue on what was said in my last article, I’m not at all surprised that Koon’s work went for the very low end of his estimated price, but am still a little shocked that it even got that high.  Yes, it is a very beautiful work, but still, way over priced for an artist who doesn’t even do his own work.

However, let us talk about another artist that we have recently talked about.  This artist was born in New York on August 15, 1950. He has spent his time trying to find what some call the most vulgar side of religion and to expose it to the masses. Photographer Andres Serrano will have three of his works go up for sale on July 16th at Rockefeller Center in New York City.  The three pieces that he has going up for sale are nothing like the work Piss Christ that has been mentioned in the article before this, but never the less they are works of artist who has his own taste.  The first work that I will talk about is titled Cabeza de Vaca. The best way to describe this work is a cow’s head on a little stand.  The cow’s head looks back behind him as trying to find out if his body could actually be there or not.  The work can be seen as grotesque being a severed head of an animal that was once living, but really…it isn’t really that much different than anything hanging on a sportsman’s wall.

Andres Serrano’s “Cabeza de Vaca”

The next two pieces I’d like to talk about are pretty much like this on in there really isn’t much with them at all.  The Morgue and Budapest are really nothing special.  The Morgue doesn’t have the shock and aw value that Piss Christ had and Budapest is really nothing more than just a portrait.  Both are valued at $8,000 – $12,000 which I think is way over priced.  I know I have said this before, but this price is strictly for the name and not for the piece.  I know that Mr. Serrano is still alive and if anyone he knows read this, I’m not sorry for what I am saying here.  You know how to take a photograph, but really what are the subject matters of?  What separates your images from mine?  Oh yeah…you were a one hit wonder who’s one image was damaged beyond repair by a museum goer…so now what? It’s been 20+ years…please come through with something else or noteworthy so we can talk about and that will get you back on the map.

Andres Serrano’s “The Morgue”

Andres Serrano’s “Budapest”

Now, outside of Serrano and two pieces by Andy Warhol that are included in this sale, there is one other notable artist, at least notable on my list, which is German born Joseph Beuys. Mr. Beuys was known for his performance really, for his works like How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare and I Like America and America Likes Me.  This piece of work though, Food or Thought, isn’t like any of his other pieces of work.  This is printed work, or as Christie’s has described it “Printed Paper and Butter”.  This is really nothing more than what looks like a food list for the local college football team before the big game.  This piece, like Serrano’s work, isn’t worth anything. Christie’s has it valued at $4,000-$6,000, and I can promise you this price is for nothing more than the name of the artist.  The only reason why Serrano’s work is worth more than Beuys’ work is because, and I am just guessing here I really don’t know why, Serrano is more recent than Beuys, that is it.  Beuys is well more known than Serrano, that is for sure, but really, this is more for public display than worth some private collector spending a couple of thousand of a piece that will not increase in value at all.

If someone wants to buy this work, then by all means do it, it is your own cash, but I would suggest to stay away from these four pieces unless you plan on donating it, because that will be the best thing you can do for it.

Joseph Beuys’ “Food for Thought

And like I said, there are two Warhol’s in this sale…they are no where close to his best work nor close to his most notable.  Buy it for the name of the artist and nothing more as the $6,000-$8,000 price tag would be reasonable for that, based on the fact that it is Andy Warhol’s work.

For more information on these pieces and the others that will be on sale during Christie’s Open House auction that will take place on July 16th at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, please visit the link.

June 2012

In a couple of days, Christie’s auction house is auctioning off a very controversial artist. Now I’m not talking about controversial like Andres Serrano and his work Piss Christ. However, in my mind, in similar and different ways this artist is just as controversial. Though, first I am going to show an image of Piss Christ for those of you who are unaware of what the image actually is.  I am not showing this image offend or to upset, but purely as a reference point since I named the work and I am comparing it to another work an artists.

“Piss Christ” by Andre Serrano c. 1987

Now the artist I am referring to is none other that Jeff Koons. I know some of you are scratching your head or calling me a quack here because how an you compare Koons and Serrano together as controversial? Well in my mind it is rather easy.  Serrano is controversial in this subject manner while Koons is controversial on if he even created the art work himself, and if he didn’t, then how can he put his own name on a piece of work that was created that he didn’t touch?

The work that Christie’s is auctioning off is this seven foot tall sculpture that was executed between the years of 1994-2008 for an estimated auction price between $3.9M to $5.46M, which is outrageous.  Now, don’t get me wrong the work is beautiful, as I will show you here in a second, but it is the way the work is done that makes me the most upset.

“Baroque Egg with Bow (Blue/Turquoise)” by Jeff Koons c. 1994-2008

This piece is one of five versions, each are uniquely coloured and look beautiful.  However, my question is, who really created this work?  Sure, it is known that Mr. Koons had the idea of the work and most likely drew up the design of it. However, after the design stage of this work, how much more physical effort did Mr. Koons put into this piece? Did he actually ever lay a single hand on it during it’s actual physical creation? Did he help out with the sculpture or the painting of it?  Or did he just give a nod if he liked the way it was looking or suggest who it could look different or better in his eyes if he didn’t like it?  Who really knows what happens behind the closed doors of his “studio”?

The reason why people would disagree with me on this topic of Koons is a good argument.  They will ask how does Koons differ than the works of Andy Warhol and his Factory?  Andy mass created works of art while he used the people in his studio to do the work, and like what I consider Koons, most people would also consider Andy Warhol more of an art director than an artist in his later years.  This is true to an extent, however the thing that is Andy Warhol made it known who worked in his Factory and who could have or did contribute to the works of art that came out of there.  Anyone can do a quick internet search or get a book about the Factory from his or her local book store to see the names of those who were involved there, people like Edie Sedgwick, Ingrid Superstar, Nico, The Velvet Underground, Candy Darling, Ultra Violet, Mick Jagger, Jim Morris and many others.  There are names of music gods listed above, and their contribution to works can be questionable or if they even contributed at all to any works, but at least we have a list of names who could have worked on a production, and the movies that Warhol did, we already know who was involved with that.

However, with Koons, who knows who has done what to his work.  I personally do not know of a list of people who has worked on pieces and/or which pieces.  Sure Koons’ “studio” would have a list of employees that they have paid, but more faceless or unknown people are out of there than a Wall Street Bank.  Thinking about it now actually, I don’t know anyone who has been, currently is, or knows anyone who has been involved in Koons’ studio.  Now that doesn’t necessarily mean anything as I don’t know every artist in the world, but it is hard to find any documentation of a single person who has had any involvement in the studio.  I have seen a documentary from I believe was on the network Ovation TV that was in regards to Koons’ studio, and it showed a couple of people working on pieces, but I couldn’t tell you who they were from the average person on the streets in ABC City.

Warhol was protesting the whole mass production of material goods and what was becoming “art”, the consumer need. Koons on the other hand is doing what? I don’t know…maybe going through and having these people create the work so he no longer has to get his hands dirty while collecting most of the profits and all of the fame from the pieces?  That sounds like something a big corporation would do, not an artist, someone who is more interested in filling his/her pockets with the most money available instead of actually working for his supper, putting in a honest days work for an honest days pay.  Sure he can get some credit by designing the piece, but still…does he deserve the title of Artist? There are major factors that separate Warhol and Koons, who both are having work auctioned off by Christie’s on June 27th in London, England.

For more info on these pieces and to see the other beautiful works on sale in this auction, please visit Christie’s Website.

UPDATE:

I have been contacted by Lisa Berg from Ovation TV who informed me that they will actually be showing a documentary on Mr. Koons tonight.  For more information on this documentary, please check out the this link.

June 2012

This month, on the 21st in London, Christie’s Auction has their Impressionist/Modern Day sale.  This sale is awesome.  That is the best way I can put it.  Sure we are talking about Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin, Camille Pissarro, Joan Miro, Max Ernst, Salvador Dali and even the one and only Man Ray.

However, even with these big, billboard names of the art world, I’m excited for a couple of lesser known names.  I’m speaking of artist like Leon de Smet (1881-1966), Eugene Boudin (1824-1898) and (okay screw it, I’m going to throw in one big name here) Alfred Sisley (1839-1899), and their work is BEAUTIFUL.

Saint-Mammes by Alfred Sisley, Lot #345
Est. $463,323 – $772,205

View of the Tames Embankment
by Leon de Smet
Lot $326
Est. $61,776-$108,109

Trouville, le port
by Eugene Boudin
Lot # 327
Est. $77,220-$108,109

These three pieces of work are, in my mind, the most beautiful pieces of work in the entire sale.  The brushwork, color and cropping are just beautiful.  If I were two choose a favorite, a “must have” for my personal collection, it would have to be Trouville, le port.  There is just something about that one painting that is just…wow. Maybe it is the loose brushwork, where the clouds are sometimes just even a single brush stroke or two for the fainter clouds.  The ship is breath taking, and the light, as it reflects off of the water and the ripples that show, the prime techniques and ideals of the impressionist ways of painting. I feel that the buyer of Trouville, le port is going to get a very amazing painting for a steal.  Yes, Mr. Boudin is not that well know, much less than the above named artist, but his work is just as good, the subject matter of leasure is prime of the French lifestyle of the time.  He is known as one of the first French landscape painters to actually paint outdoors. He was a trendsetter. I would say on this work, buy buy buy and hold onto it for a LONG time. It is worth it.

You can see a larger view of these works and much more at Christie’s Website.

June 2012

There are two things that I want to talk about in this article.  One is the action happening at Christie’s on June 12th at 1pm in London of Rock & Roll Memorabilia. Some of the items include Jeff Beck’s guitar and case (Lot #2), a collection of Jimi Hendrix items (Lots 18-25), one of Buddy Holly’s shirts (Lot #26), some of Michael Jackson’s items (Lots 27-31) to a pair of Madonna’s boxer shorts that she wore in the 1985 Orion Pictures file Desperately Seeking Susan (Lot #38) and a signed LP and poster by Nirvana.

One of my favorite pieces is a posted of Bob Dylan (Lot #53) The estimate price is $460-$770.  The poster is one of a kind and beautiful.  Christie’s has the Lot description as follows:

“Psychedelia/Bob Dylan – Two promotional poster, one featuring Bob Dylan Mister Tambourine Man, 1967, and Donovan, Sunshine Superman, 1966, art by Martin Sharp — both 30x20in and framed.

Bob Dylan Mister Tambourine Man, 1967

There are a lot of other really amazing things in this auction that such as a fanzine from the Sex Pistols.  This fanzine is of their classic “Anarchy in the U.K.”.  The fanzine is amazing.  It is of you classic 1980s punk rock girl, included with a bi-hawk, a skull earring in her left ear, the eye make up…the full works. Everything works with this cover, except for it’s condition.  The corners and edges look fine, however, there is a huge cease in the middle of the publication.  On the left side of the fanzine there is some major discoloration around the fold  and on the right side of the post, it looks like there are a couple of holes along the fold.

Now the fanzine (Lot #113 Est. price of $769-$1,075) is beautiful, printed by none other than ZigZag and it features the photos by Ray Stevenson of the Pistol’s trip to Paris in 1976. It is 17x12in.

Now the thing is that there are a lot of signed pieces, from the Beatles (Lennon, Harrison, Star and McCarthy) to the Rolling Stones.  Now I don’t doubt that Christie’s had the signatures verified…but they don’t say this anywhere.  Now I trust the company, yet I have also worked in the music industry.  I know that when you have an autograph book and bring it to a show, the last thing on  your mind is “How am I going to verify that this is so-and-so’s signature???” Yet, I personally would feel better about the sale if Christie’s would just mention that yes, the signatures have been verified as authentic. If they can’t be authenticated or the auction house is going to fail to provide that information for the general public prior to the sale, then how do we know they are real or how are to know we are not going to spend several hundred to thousands of dollars on a piece of paper.

Okay, the next auction I would like to talk about is the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale in London on June. 19th 2012 at Sotheby’s. This sale is going to be amazing.  There will be some beautiful works from Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Edvard Munch, Joan Miro and works from the Private collection of Mr. and Mrs. John D Rockefeller 3rd which includes works by Pierre Bonnard and Paul Signac.

The other collections are from individual artist like the collection of Eight Watercolours by Wassily Kadinsky, while there are single pieces by partist like Picasso, Henry Moore, Otto Dix, Alfred Sisley, Edgar Degas, van Gogh and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. These works are beautiful, simply breath taking.  This collection that Sotheby’s has is  collection that I would like to have in my own personal collection. Now, these pieces are not as noteworthy as what one would see in the MoMA or the Louvre, but these works are still as breath taking as ever and when the artist is still in their prime, or at the end of their prime (not as the other article where we saw artist being sold 40-60 years after their prime), and each one of the works is well worth their asking prices.

Claude Monet – The Seine at Bougival c. 1869

 

For Further information on the Sotheby’s Auction, please click the link.

For Further information on the Christie’s Auction, please click the link.

May 2012

On June 6th, in New York City, at 5pm, Christie’s will be putting up for auction a collection of Old Master paintings. These works are simply beautiful. Even if they are, for the most painted by students or in the style of the actual old masters.

One of the few exceptions is a painting by none other than the master Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640 Flemish Baroque painter). Portrait of Ferdinando Gonzaga as a boy (Lot #84) is simply beautiful piece of art work.

This work is very a great example of a true master of paint and the brush. His brush strokes are seamless, color choice are amazing, the light and shadow play are done to perfection.

Christie’s current has the est. price from $500,000-$700,000, which according to other sources is a low auction price. I checked on two other Internet sites which both agree on the value of the work at $700,000-$1,000,000. To me, this price seems a little more reasonable for this work than what Christie’s has it valued at.

The above listed observations of the work are a clear understatement of this work. The way that Sir Rubens made Ferdinando’s clothing, as well as the tapestry that hangs behind him, look like actual velvet, the time and skill that it took to do this can only come from a true master at his craft.

The face of the child is very stereotypical of a Rubens painting in the way that it is as lifelike that it can be, but there is something that holds the viewer to knowing that it is still nothing more than a painting.

I could honestly see this work going for the high end of what Christie’s has it listed for, however not all the way up to the $1,000,000 that others have its estimated value listed at. This is a magnificent piece and whoever is the lucky new owner of this piece will surely have a treasure on their hands. This is a piece that if I were the lucky buyer, I would hold on to for generations to come.

For more on the sale, please visit the Christie’s website and view sale #2464.

Please view the work below as another, more popular work, a wedding portrait of Rubens and his wife Isabella Brant in the Honeysuckle Bower.