In New York at Sotheby's, “Nude Study of Young Man with Raised Arms” by Peter Paul Rubens – one of the most important designs of the iconic artist to appear on the market after 50 years it sold for $8,2 million after intense competition between two bidders during the “Old Master Drawings” auction sale.
“Nude Study of a Young Man with Raised Arms”
Estimate $2.5/3.5 Million
Sold for $8.2 Million
This powerful drawing formerly belonged to King William II of the Netherlands and his wife Anna Pavlovna, who together amassed one of the finest collections formed in Europe in the XNUMXth century. While many of the works they owned now reside in major museums, both in the Netherlands and around the world, this drawing was among those passed on privately through family.
Drawn by the artist shortly after his return to Antwerp from Italy in late 1608 and in preparation for his monumental altarpiece, The Raising of the Cross, the drawing offers the viewer fascinating insight into Rubens' working methods as well as the energy and vigor employed by the artist in his best drawings.
Throughout his life, Rubens made studies of substantial plaster figures, but his drawings of this type are most impressive and sculptural in his early years in Antwerp. At this pivotal moment, Rubens has made figure studies that are genuinely Michelangelesque in their grandeur, and drawings of this kind also assume a greater role in his creative process at this point than at any other point in his career.
The sale also saw a strong achieved price for a red chalk Portrait of a Young Man, attributed to Agostino Caracci, which sold for $1,5 million – more than 40 times its pre-sale estimate of $35 to $45.000.
Photo Credit: “Courtesy Sotheby's”
