Stolen Art DealerA Roman banquet in which rose petals fall from a loosened canopy over the guests, with the Emperor reclining at the upper table among the flowers.
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Catalogue No. 1274 · Christie's · London
The Roses of Heliogabalus
About $5.9 million in today’s money: 67 years of the typical US household’s income. Source
- Artist
- Lawrence Alma-Tadema (Dutch-born British, 1836–1912)
- Title
- The Roses of Heliogabalus
- Date
- 1888
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Size
- 132.7 x 214.4 cm (52 1/4 x 84 3/8 in.)
Lawrence Alma-Tadema painted The Roses of Heliogabalus in 1888. The oil on canvas measures 132.7 by 214.4 cm. It shows a Roman banquet in which rose petals fall from a loosened canopy over the guests, with the Emperor reclining at the upper table among the flowers. The picture is signed and inscribed L. Alma-Tadema OP CCLXXXIII.
Sir John Aird commissioned it in 1888. At his sale at Christie's on 3 May 1935 it was lot 35 and made 483 guineas, bought by Messrs Nathan Mitchell. Fred W. Reeves of Wolverhampton owned it in 1950, and it went unsold at Christie's on 2 December 1960. By 1964 it was with James Coatts in New York. Allen Funt owned it before Sotheby's Belgravia sold it on 6 November 1973 as lot 23, for £28,000, to Charles Jerdein.
It was with Whitford and Hughes, London, before Christie's sold it in London on 11 June 1993, with an estimate of £700,000 to £900,000. The price realised was £1,651,500, which includes the buyer's premium, and The Independent reported the same figure. At the Bank of England reference rate for that day, this is about $2.52 million.
The sale
- Auction house
- Christie's, London
- Date
- 11 June 1993
- Estimate
- £700,000–£900,000
- Sold for
- $2.5 million (including buyer’s premium) · £1,651,500
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Provenance
1888
Commissioned by Sir John Aird, 1888
1935-05-03
His sale, Christie's, 3 May 1935, lot 35 (483 gns. to Messrs Nathan Mitchell)
1950
Fred W. Reeves, Wolverhampton, 1950
1960-12-02
With Messrs Newman, London; Christie's, 2 December 1960, lot 85 (unsold)
by 1964
With James Coatts, New York, by 1964
1973-11-06
Allen Funt; Sotheby's Belgravia, 6 November 1973, lot 23 (£28,000 by Charles Jerdein)
before 1993
With Whitford and Hughes, London
1993-06-11
Christie's, London, 11 June 1993
Sources
- Christie's, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, The Roses of Heliogabalus (11 June 1993)
- Christie's story: Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (sold for £1,651,500 on 11 June 1993 at Christie's in London)
- The Independent, International Art Market: Bargains still abound despite increase in prices (4 July 1993)
Prices include the buyer’s premium, in US dollars at the time of sale, unless marked as a hammer price.