Bonhams May 8 auction of European Paintings in New York has been highlighted by the sale of Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot's portrait of his friend and fellow artist Constant Dutilleux.
 The piece perfectly reflects the pair's friendship and artistic travels through Holland |
The painting sold for $134,500, the highest price realised by any lot in the auction. It was painted in 1854 and is a fantastic documentation of the pair's travels through Holland.
Corot had been travelling through Holland with Dutilleux, spending ten days visiting and sketching various Dutch cities. At the end of their tour, Dutilleux left Rotterdam for his hometown of Douais and was joined by Corot a week later, which is when the work was painted.
Costume paintings played a large role in the auction, with several high-profile pieces offered. The genre is an offshoot of romanticism, where artists endeavour to capture the essence of more elegant times through brilliantly realised depictions of sumptuous interiors and clothing.
 The attention to detail paid to the costumes and furnishing make this a perfect demonstration of the costume painting genre |
Francesco Villnea's A Romantic Dream brought the second highest bids of the sale, selling for $104,500. A massive piece showing a sleeping maiden surrounded by cherubs while receiving a visit from a prince, it is a classic example of the genre, with the silk of the maiden's dress and the prince's armour painted in magnificent detail.
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