Munch's iconic Madonna fetches £1.25 million at Bonhams
- July 14, 2010 17:21
A hand-colored Madonna image by Edvard Munch sold for £1.25 million ($1.9 million) at a Bonhams sale in London on Tuesday - twice its lower estimate, making it the the second most expensive print to be sold in the world.
An American private collector snapped up the once-controversial artwork which depicts Munch's mistress, Dagny Juel, a femme fatale who, after numerous ill-fated affairs, was shot dead by a young lover in at hotel room at age 33.
Munch's Vampire II sold in Oslo in 2007 for around £1,256,000.
This rare-to-market image is a first impression, signed and dated 1895, and owned by the same family for over 100 years.
![Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640), After Titian (Tiziano Vecelli) (Italian [Venetian], c. 1488–1576), Rape of Europa, 1628–29. Oil on canvas, 71 7/8 x 79 3/8 in.](/images/c/e2/2e/Jan20_Rape_of_Europa100x100_c.jpg "Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640), After Titian (Tiziano Vecelli) (Italian [Venetian], c. 1488–1576), Rape of Europa, 1628–29. Oil on canvas, 71 7/8 x 79 3/8 in.")
100x100_c.jpg "Diquis/Chiriqui pendant depicting two figures within a framework of linked gold rectangles, 22K gold, Costa Rica, weight 129.6g. Estimate $7,000-$8,000")
