French Masterpiece Sells for $1,102,500

Painting Came to Light Through Facebook Message

A long-lost portrait by a master of French Realism sold today at Cowan's Auctions for $1,102,500. The painting was a part of Cowan’s Fall Fine and Decorative Art Auction.

Rayon de Soleil (Sunbeam) by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) was completed in 1899, at the height of the artist's career. An exceptional example of Bouguereau's talent, the work pictures a barefoot girl in a white dress. She stands against a garden wall, one hand raised to her chin in a pensive pose.

The whereabouts of Sunbeam had been unknown for more than 100 years, but was recently discovered in the most unlikely of places thanks to a Facebook message.

Cowan’s Auctions founder and owner, Wes Cowan, received word from a Facebook friend that the painting was hanging in the parlor of a modest clapboard home in Elkhart, Ind. A trip to the home revealed the long-lost work truly was there, hidden in plain sight for over a century.

Bouguereau was regarded as the foremost representative of French academic art during the second half of the 19th century. He was a member of the prestigious Académie des Beaux-Arts and exhibited his work at the organization's salon for most of his life.

"As an artist, Bouguereau was incredibly popular during his heyday; his paintings were marvelous compositions and reflected the long popularity of realism in art,” said Pauline Archambault, Fine Art specialist at Cowan's.

That popularity continues to this day with his works hanging in some of the most prestigious museums in the world including the Louvre, The State Hermitage Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Sunbeam was created during a period in which Bouguereau had moved to southern France, where his ailing son was receiving treatments. Not one to remain idle, Bouguereau set up a makeshift studio in his hotel.

"It’s a spectacular example of Bouguereau's work, painted at the apex of his long career, and clearly one of the best to come to market in some time," said Archambault. "The pensive – yet coquettish expression of the little girl immediately invites the viewer into the scene. It really creates a conversation with the viewer, yielding a form of contemplation that isn't just visual."

For more information about Sunbeam or the Fall Fine and Decorative Art sale, call Cowan's at (513) 871-1670 or visit Cowans.com.