Rare 1879 Sargent Child Portrait Sells for €170,000 at Paris's Hôtel Drouot, Doubling Estimate
A John Singer Sargent portrait titled Portrait of a Child, created in 1879, achieved a remarkable €170,000 (approximately $195,000) at Hôtel Drouot in Paris, significantly surpassing its estimated range of €80,000–€120,000. This artwork had been in the sitter's family for almost 150 years and marked the first Sargent piece from the 1870s to be auctioned since 1999, when Edouard Pailleron Junior's portrait sold for nearly half a million dollars at Laurin, Guilloux, Buffetaud. Elisabeth Maréchaux, a specialist at Drouot, emphasized the child's lively expression, suggesting it anticipated Sargent's later psychological insights. Sargent's auction record is $23.5 million (2004), with his second-highest, Capri (1878), selling for $11.5 million at Christie's New York last autumn during a Musée d'Orsay retrospective. Sargent, born in Florence in 1856 to American parents, studied under Carolus Duran in Paris and was inspired by Velázquez and Frans Hals. He passed away in London in 1925 at the age of 69.
Key facts
- Portrait of a Child (1879) by John Singer Sargent sold for €170,000 (about $195,000) at Hôtel Drouot in Paris.
- The pre-sale estimate was €80,000–€120,000, so the work more than doubled expectations.
- The painting had been off public view for nearly 150 years and descended through the sitter's family.
- It is the first Sargent portrait from the 1870s to appear at auction since 1999, when Edouard Pailleron Junior sold for nearly $500,000 at Laurin, Guilloux, Buffetaud.
- Drouot specialist Elisabeth Maréchaux praised the vivacity of the child's gaze, linking it to Sargent's later psychological depth.
- Sargent's auction record is $23.5 million, set in 2004; his second-highest result was $11.5 million for Capri (1878) at Christie's New York last autumn.
- The Capri sale coincided with a major Sargent retrospective at the Musée d'Orsay that included a near-identical composition.
- Sargent was born in Florence in 1856 to American parents, trained under Carolus Duran in Paris, and died in London in 1925 at age 69.
Entities
Artists
- John Singer Sargent
- Fanny Watts
- Elisabeth Maréchaux
- Edouard Pailleron Junior
- René Kieffer
- Jeanne Kieffer
- Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau
- Carolus Duran
- Velázquez
- Frans Hals
Institutions
- Hôtel Drouot
- Artnet Price Database
- Christie's
- Musée d'Orsay
- Laurin, Guilloux, Buffetaud
- Paris Salon
- Boston Public Library
- Artlyst
Locations
- Paris
- France
- New York
- United States
- Florence
- Italy
- London
- United Kingdom
- Venice
- Alps
- North Africa
- Mediterranean
Sources
- Artlyst —