World record sale for Hans Makart at Dorotheum

Sensational result for historical painting by the Viennese 'prince of painters'


Palpable tension in an auction room filled to capacity: At the Dorotheum auction of 19th century paintings on 16th April 2013, international bidders spent several minutes in fierce competition for Hans Makart's opulent and operatic rendition of the death of Cleopatra. The final bid was won by a North American bidder at the sensational price of 757.300 Euro, by some margin the best result yet achieved for a painting by the Viennese 'prince of painters'.

Hans Makart (1840 - 1884) was one of the most important and influential painters of the late 19th century, lending his name to an entire era of Viennese art history, the so-called "Makart Period". This new record sale gives additional international recognition to Makart's art.

The history painting „The Death of Cleopatra“, dates to 1875, a period of great enthusiasm for all things Oriental. It depicts the dramatic moment immediately after the lethal bite of the serpent. The image derives its power from the contrast between the opulent splendour of the queen's garments and her delicate, opaque skin. "In this manner, the painter conveys an erotic-lascivious mood, further emphasised by the palpable vulnerability of the body, doomed to die among the now insignificant luxury of its surroundings", writes Gerbert Frodl, former Director of the Belvedere. Cleopatra is shown with the idealised features of the famous Viennese Burgtheater actress Charlotte Wolter, a friend of Makart's for whom he is also known to have designed a number of stage costumes.


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