Rediscovered Anne Vallayer-Coster Still Life Sells for €2.58 Million, Goes to National Gallery of Art
The painting "Still Life with Flowers in an Alabaster Vase and Fruit," created by Anne Vallayer-Coster in 1783, has been sold for €2.58 million at Christie's Paris. This significant work, which was displayed as No. 77 at the Paris Salon of that year, was rediscovered in 2022 and estimated to fetch between €600,000 and €1,000,000. The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, is the new owner of the oil on canvas, which measures 108.5 x 89.5 cm. The artwork had remained in the Coster family until the 1940s after Vallayer-Coster's death in 1818.
Key facts
- Anne Vallayer-Coster painted Still Life with Flowers in an Alabaster Vase and Fruit in 1783
- The painting was shown as No. 77 at the Paris Salon of 1783
- It was rediscovered in 2022 at Christie's Paris showroom before Auction 20692 on June 15, 2023
- Estimated at €600,000–€1,000,000, it sold for €2,581,000 ($2.8 million)
- The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC acquired the work
- The oil on canvas measures 108.5 x 89.5 cm
- Vallayer-Coster joined the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1770 at age 26
- After her death in 1818 the painting passed to her husband Jean-Pierre-Silvestre Coster and remained in the Coster family until the 1940s
Entities
Artists
- Anne Vallayer-Coster
- Denis Diderot
- Jean Siméon Chardin
- Alexandre Roslin
- Rachel Ruysch
- Jan Davidsz de Heem
- Jean-Pierre-Silvestre Coster
- Marie Antoinette
- Louis XVI
Institutions
- National Gallery of Art
- Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture
- Christie's
- Crocker Art Museum
- DailyArt Magazine
Locations
- Washington, DC
- USA
- France
- Paris
- Sacramento
- CA
- Nancy
- French Caribbean