stlukesguild
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Botticelli Fetches $92m at Auction
- Thread starter stlukesguild
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J
JohnEmmett
hm…
J
JohnEmmett
Maybenartist
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Probably the CEOs of Pfizer and AstraZeneca bidding against each other with their new found pocket money 
stlukesguild
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Botticelli, who lived from the 1440s to 1510, is one of the most celebrated painters of the early Renaissance period, but only about a dozen examples of his work survive today.
Botticelli was forgotten for centuries after his death, but his work was rediscovered in the 19th Century, and the artist has since become one of the biggest names in art history.
Yeah, John, I gotta wonder what art history expert they hired.
Just browsing through my image files on Botticelli I found the following:
Primavera
Birth of Venus
Venus & Mars
Madonna of the Magnificat
Madonna with Pomegranate
Madonna & Child with Two Angels
Mystic Nativity
Portrait of Guliano de Medici
Portrait of a Young Woman
Portrait of a Young Man
Portrait of Dante
Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci
Pallas & the Centaur
A Young Woman recieving Gifts from Venus & 3 Graces (fresco)
Virgin & St. Matthew with Angels
Calumny of Apelles
Madonna of the Book
St. Sebatian
Annunciation
Portrait of a Man with a Medal of Cosimo the Elder
Youth of Moses (Sistine Chapel)
Madonna & Child
The Story of Nastagio Degli Onesti (from Boccaccio's Decammeron)
Punishment of the Sons of Korah
The Virgin & Child Enthroned
The Last Communion of St. Jerome
The San Marco Altarpiece
The Divine Comedy (an illuminated manuscript of Dante's epic poem illustrated with 92 paintings by Botticelli)
Madonna & Child with Angel (Spedale degli Innocenti)
Madonna & Child with John the Baptist
The Story of Virginia
The Sant' Ambrogio Altarpiece
Discovery of the Body of Holofernes
Madonna in Glory with Seaphim
Agony in the Garden
Madonna of the Rose Garden
San Barbara Altarpiece
Portrait of a Lady (Smeralda Bandinelli)
Baptism of St. Zenobius
A Young Man Being Introduced to the Seven Liberal Arts
Madonna & Child with 3 Angels
The Las Miracle and the Death of St. Zenobius
Three Miracles of St. Zenobius
Lamentation over the Dead Christ
Portrait of a Young Man (London)
Portrait of a Young Man with a Red Cap
Portrait of Michele Marullo
Portrait of a Young Woman (Simonetta Vespucci?, Tokyo)
La Bella Simonetta
Portrait of Lorenzo Di Ser Lorenzi
Judith Leaving the Tent with the Head of Holofernes
Judith with the Head of Holofernes
Madonna & Child (Cardiff)
Saint Augustine
Adoration of the Magi
And there are undoubtedly more. I didn't bother to count, but it looks like quite a few more than a dozen.
As for Botticelli's reputation, until the 19th century and the development of Art History, the history of art seems to have been a lot like that of pop music today. The majority of the stars of one era were immediately forgotten and replaced by the stars of the next generation. Rembrandt, Velazquez, El Greco, Dürer, Van der Weyden, Giotto, Veronese, Vermeer, Bosch, and a great many other artists saw a decline in reputation for years prior to the development of studies in Art History and the establishment of public Art Museums.
Beyond Vasari, there were few attempts as any real studies of art history. Botticelli certainly wasn't completely forgotten. His paintings could be found in the collections of important figures such as the Medici, the Gonzagas, and the Popes on the walls of the Sistine. Botticelli worked with Pietro Perugino in the Sistine. Perugino was Raphael's teacher and there are certainly elements suggestive of Botticelli's influence in Raphael's paintings... especially his Madonnas. Botticelli became a major influence again upon William Blake, the Pre-Raphaelites and the artists of the Arts & Crafts and Aesthetic movements. He would be written about by Walter Pater and his influence can be seen in Alphonse Mucha and other artists of the Art Nouveau.
Botticelli was forgotten for centuries after his death, but his work was rediscovered in the 19th Century, and the artist has since become one of the biggest names in art history.
Yeah, John, I gotta wonder what art history expert they hired.
Just browsing through my image files on Botticelli I found the following:
Primavera
Birth of Venus
Venus & Mars
Madonna of the Magnificat
Madonna with Pomegranate
Madonna & Child with Two Angels
Mystic Nativity
Portrait of Guliano de Medici
Portrait of a Young Woman
Portrait of a Young Man
Portrait of Dante
Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci
Pallas & the Centaur
A Young Woman recieving Gifts from Venus & 3 Graces (fresco)
Virgin & St. Matthew with Angels
Calumny of Apelles
Madonna of the Book
St. Sebatian
Annunciation
Portrait of a Man with a Medal of Cosimo the Elder
Youth of Moses (Sistine Chapel)
Madonna & Child
The Story of Nastagio Degli Onesti (from Boccaccio's Decammeron)
Punishment of the Sons of Korah
The Virgin & Child Enthroned
The Last Communion of St. Jerome
The San Marco Altarpiece
The Divine Comedy (an illuminated manuscript of Dante's epic poem illustrated with 92 paintings by Botticelli)
Madonna & Child with Angel (Spedale degli Innocenti)
Madonna & Child with John the Baptist
The Story of Virginia
The Sant' Ambrogio Altarpiece
Discovery of the Body of Holofernes
Madonna in Glory with Seaphim
Agony in the Garden
Madonna of the Rose Garden
San Barbara Altarpiece
Portrait of a Lady (Smeralda Bandinelli)
Baptism of St. Zenobius
A Young Man Being Introduced to the Seven Liberal Arts
Madonna & Child with 3 Angels
The Las Miracle and the Death of St. Zenobius
Three Miracles of St. Zenobius
Lamentation over the Dead Christ
Portrait of a Young Man (London)
Portrait of a Young Man with a Red Cap
Portrait of Michele Marullo
Portrait of a Young Woman (Simonetta Vespucci?, Tokyo)
La Bella Simonetta
Portrait of Lorenzo Di Ser Lorenzi
Judith Leaving the Tent with the Head of Holofernes
Judith with the Head of Holofernes
Madonna & Child (Cardiff)
Saint Augustine
Adoration of the Magi
And there are undoubtedly more. I didn't bother to count, but it looks like quite a few more than a dozen.
As for Botticelli's reputation, until the 19th century and the development of Art History, the history of art seems to have been a lot like that of pop music today. The majority of the stars of one era were immediately forgotten and replaced by the stars of the next generation. Rembrandt, Velazquez, El Greco, Dürer, Van der Weyden, Giotto, Veronese, Vermeer, Bosch, and a great many other artists saw a decline in reputation for years prior to the development of studies in Art History and the establishment of public Art Museums.
Beyond Vasari, there were few attempts as any real studies of art history. Botticelli certainly wasn't completely forgotten. His paintings could be found in the collections of important figures such as the Medici, the Gonzagas, and the Popes on the walls of the Sistine. Botticelli worked with Pietro Perugino in the Sistine. Perugino was Raphael's teacher and there are certainly elements suggestive of Botticelli's influence in Raphael's paintings... especially his Madonnas. Botticelli became a major influence again upon William Blake, the Pre-Raphaelites and the artists of the Arts & Crafts and Aesthetic movements. He would be written about by Walter Pater and his influence can be seen in Alphonse Mucha and other artists of the Art Nouveau.
stlukesguild
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hm…
"Significant" in what way? In monetary terms? Certainly. But does the price of a work of art establish significance in any other way than in monetary terms?
It's an elegant painting... definitely well-polished and in fine shape for a work from the Early Renaissance. But the question of "significance" limited to paintings sold at auction? I'm a big fan of Botticelli, but this assertion seems rather difficult to prove or disprove.
J
JohnEmmett
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J
JohnEmmett
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N
Nufocus
If I find out that the buyer is Gabe Plotkin whose hedge fund Melvin Capital got screwed big time while being short GameStop stock and was baled out by his buddies Ken Griffin (Citadel) and Steve Cohen (Point72), I’m gonna do everything I can to make it a huge scandal. It’s also possible that one of the other two billionaires I mentioned was the buyer. Griffin bought Interchange by de Kooning for $300 million a few years ago and Cohen has a collection worth hundreds of millions. Buying a piece for $92 million while screwing “retail investors” left right and center is a crime. These crooked Wall Street tycoons are destroying not only the stock market but the art market as well. For those of you who don’t yet know it, this last week signaled the beginning of a major change for the better in the financial arena and will hopefully have a very positive effect on the high end of the art market too. Amen.
And of course there’s no shortage of billionaire crooks in Russia or China, unfortunately. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the general public will never see this painting again because it will be stored in the buyer’s secret vault at the infamous “free zone” citadel near Geneva!
And of course there’s no shortage of billionaire crooks in Russia or China, unfortunately. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the general public will never see this painting again because it will be stored in the buyer’s secret vault at the infamous “free zone” citadel near Geneva!
N
Nufocus
Oh, and the Arabs.... Sotheby’s made sure to display this piece in Dubai..... As the world is moving slowly but surely away from gas consuming vehicles and onto electric ones, those petrol producing empires in the Gulf will slowly but surely run out of much of their stash, even though they’re already invested in many other assets, including emerging EV companies.
Oh well.... I apologize for talking about money rather than focusing on art, as befits a site like this one. I have to admit that the investing world occupies more of my time than the arts. A pity? Maybe.....
Oh well.... I apologize for talking about money rather than focusing on art, as befits a site like this one. I have to admit that the investing world occupies more of my time than the arts. A pity? Maybe.....
N
Nufocus
And a few words about the work itself, my 5 cents so to speak: the face is very schematically painted, the hair (that doesn’t look like real hair) is parted too high above the forehead, the fingers of both hands are also done in a schematic manner. In addition, it seems that for the framing of the figure Botticelli used a ruler!....
Yes, Botticelli was an “early renaissance” artist, meaning among other things that his realism is certainly superior to that of his predecessors (such as Giotto or Mantegna for example), but far from that of “high renaissance” artists such Raphael. Oh well... if this is worth to someone $92 million, what would be the price of one of Rembrandt’s amazing self portraits?
Yes, Botticelli was an “early renaissance” artist, meaning among other things that his realism is certainly superior to that of his predecessors (such as Giotto or Mantegna for example), but far from that of “high renaissance” artists such Raphael. Oh well... if this is worth to someone $92 million, what would be the price of one of Rembrandt’s amazing self portraits?
stlukesguild
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Is a drawing or painting created in a schematic manner somehow inferior? Only if you place art based upon direct observation at some imagined pinnacle. Botticelli certainly employed abstract methods or systems in his works... in designing figures as well as the entire compositions. This was true of most artists of the Italian Renaissance through Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, etc... Their artistic goals... aiming for an abstract "ideal" was quite removed from Rembrandt's aim for an individuality and observational realism. Nevertheless, I see a good deal of individuality in most of Botticelli's portraits.
I wonder about the hair. High foreheads were desired in women and so hairstyles frequently pulled the hair back. They even shaved the hair back to accentuate this. You see this frequently in Netherlandish art...
This fashion continued to be popular well into the Baroque era:
Did they do the same with men? Or perhaps male pattern baldness?
Fortunately, we won't have to worry about a major self-portrait by Rembrandt ending up locked away in a private collection. There are no major paintings by the artist in private collections unless we count the brilliant Portrait of Jan Six housed in the Jan Six Collection in Amsterdam... which actually a small museum:
I wonder about the hair. High foreheads were desired in women and so hairstyles frequently pulled the hair back. They even shaved the hair back to accentuate this. You see this frequently in Netherlandish art...
This fashion continued to be popular well into the Baroque era:
Did they do the same with men? Or perhaps male pattern baldness?
Fortunately, we won't have to worry about a major self-portrait by Rembrandt ending up locked away in a private collection. There are no major paintings by the artist in private collections unless we count the brilliant Portrait of Jan Six housed in the Jan Six Collection in Amsterdam... which actually a small museum:
stlukesguild
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I wonder how many of those 54 were actually painted by Botticelli?
I would venture to say most of them. Paintings that are deemed as being from Botticelli's studio or students are usually labeled as such. 54 paintings doesn't seem like an extraordinary number... even considering the detail and the use of egg tempera... unless the majority were on the scale of Primavera and The Birth of Venus. Painting was Botticelli's profession and he didn't have the distractions of TV and the internet.
I would venture to say most of them. Paintings that are deemed as being from Botticelli's studio or students are usually labeled as such. 54 paintings doesn't seem like an extraordinary number... even considering the detail and the use of egg tempera... unless the majority were on the scale of Primavera and The Birth of Venus. Painting was Botticelli's profession and he didn't have the distractions of TV and the internet.
Artyczar
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Fifty-four is not that many, no. Especially considering how long he lived. I've been painting my entire life and I started counting when I was roughly eighteen and I'm just now passing a thousand. I'm in my fifties now. Not all are "major" paintings, like oil on canvases or board. I have been counting watercolors on paper too, so even half of that is a lot more than fifty-four and I've been plenty distracted.
N
Nufocus
And a few words about the work itself, my 5 cents so to speak: the face is very schematically painted, the hair (that doesn’t look like real hair) is parted too high above the forehead, the fingers of both hands are also done in a schematic manner. In addition, it seems that for the framing of the figure Botticelli used a ruler!....
Yes, Botticelli was an “early renaissance” artist, meaning among other things that his realism is certainly superior to that of his predecessors (such as Giotto or Mantegna for example), but far from that of “high renaissanceartists such Raphael. Oh well... if this is worth to someone $92 million, what would be the price of one of Rembrandt’s amazing self portraits?
Yes, Botticelli was an “early renaissance” artist, meaning among other things that his realism is certainly superior to that of his predecessors (such as Giotto or Mantegna for example), but far from that of “high renaissanceartists such Raphael. Oh well... if this is worth to someone $92 million, what would be the price of one of Rembrandt’s amazing self portraits?
Is a drawing or painting created in a schematic manner somehow inferior? Only if you place art based upon direct observation at some imagined pinnacle. Botticelli certainly employed abstract methods or systems in his works... in designing figures as well as the entire compositions. This was true of most artists of the Italian Renaissance through Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, etc... Their artistic goals... aiming for an abstract "ideal" was quite removed from Rembrandt's aim for an individuality and observational realism. Nevertheless, I see a good deal of individuality in most of Botticelli's portraits.
I wonder about the hair. High foreheads were desired in women and so hairstyles frequently pulled the hair back. They even shaved the hair back to accentuate this. You see this frequently in Netherlandish art...
View attachment 7481
This fashion continued to be popular well into the Baroque era:
View attachment 7482
Did they do the same with men? Or perhaps male pattern baldness?
Fortunately, we won't have to worry about a major self-portrait by Rembrandt ending up locked away in a private collection. There are no major paintings by the artist in private collections unless we count the brilliant Portrait of Jan Six housed in the Jan Six Collection in Amsterdam... which actually a small museum:
View attachment 7483
I never suggested that a Rembrandt self portrait is in private hands and may pop up at Christie’s. However, I’m making a private offer to the proprietors of the Jan Six collection!!!Is a drawing or painting created in a schematic manner somehow inferior? Only if you place art based upon direct observation at some imagined pinnacle. Botticelli certainly employed abstract methods or systems in his works... in designing figures as well as the entire compositions. This was true of most artists of the Italian Renaissance through Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, etc... Their artistic goals... aiming for an abstract "ideal" was quite removed from Rembrandt's aim for an individuality and observational realism. Nevertheless, I see a good deal of individuality in most of Botticelli's portraits.
I wonder about the hair. High foreheads were desired in women and so hairstyles frequently pulled the hair back. They even shaved the hair back to accentuate this. You see this frequently in Netherlandish art...
View attachment 7481
This fashion continued to be popular well into the Baroque era:
View attachment 7482
Did they do the same with men? Or perhaps male pattern baldness?
Fortunately, we won't have to worry about a major self-portrait by Rembrandt ending up locked away in a private collection. There are no major paintings by the artist in private collections unless we count the brilliant Portrait of Jan Six housed in the Jan Six Collection in Amsterdam... which actually a small museum:
View attachment 7483
J
