Art History Series: Monuments Men

Monuments Men

Today I want to talk about a more unexpected story of the painting you see called "Portrait d'une femme, à mi-corps" (Portrait of a woman, half height) by Nicolas de Largillière (1656-1746). The picture is beautiful in my opinion, and painted in the fine portrait style of its time, but its extraordinary value is derived from the road through which it passes. I am showing it now because it is the picture that can be seen in the famous photo of the people who saved 5,000 paintings after World War II. It was taken from Baron Philippe de Rothschild by the Nazis in 1940 and subsequently returned and restored to his family in May 1946.

"Portrait d'une femme, à mi-corps" (Portrait of a woman, half height) by Nicolas de Largillière

After the Baron's death, it was purchased in 1978 and is now being auctioned by its owner at Christie's, Paris on November 21, 2024 with an estimated lot price of $50-80,000. Paintings by the artist in previous years reached $1.57 million and $1.23 for the infamous "Portrait of a Lady as Pomona," which returned to the ownership of an heir of Jewish art collector Jules Strauss through restitution.

There is a book and a 2014 film adaptation of Monuments Men if you want to know more. And for now, I'm waiting to see the auction and what value this painting will acquire with its curious tale.

Regards,

Julia

P.S.: Update on the sale: It got sold on November 21, 2024 for 529,200 EUR.

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