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Sotheby's, London

Private Collection c/o Sotheby's London

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Beyond several craggy boulders that loom in the lower left corner of this horizontal painting, three sailing ships pitch wildly in crashing waves beneath towering clouds. At the center, a large ship tips sharply to our right with billowing ivory sails and two red, white, and blue striped flags whipping in the wind. White spray kicks up against the side of the boat and in the waves surrounding it. The sails of the second ship, to our right, are furled except for one that crashes down onto the deck. Tiny people scurry around inside the ship, which tilts steeply up on a high wave. The third ship floats beyond this, its sails also tied up. The top of a tall wooden mast along with a broken wooden pole poke up from emerald-green waves in the lower right corner, near a barrel and two bundles wrapped in cloth and tied with rope that bob nearby. One of the brown, jagged rocks to our left nearly spans the height of the painting while others jut from the water like crooked teeth. A bank of billowing, slate-gray clouds at the center of the sky separates a fog-gray sky and puffy clouds to our right from a patch of golden sunlight to our left, in the upper corner of the canvas. The artist signed and dated the work as if written on a rock at the bottom center of the canvas, “LBackh 1667.”
Ludolf Backhuysen, Ships in Distress off a Rocky Coast, 1667, oil on canvas, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1985.29.1

Ships in Distress off a Rocky Coast

Ludolf Backhuysen · 1667 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1985.29.1

Shown from the knees up, a pale-skinned woman with gray hair and wearing a scarlet-red, velvet dress looks at us in this vertical portrait painting. The woman’s shoulders and face are angled slightly to our left so she gazes out of the corners of her dark blue eyes under sloping brows. Her pink lips are closed, and jowls soften her chin line. She wears a black cap over her gray hair, and gold, jeweled earrings hang from her ears. A double strand of pearls is around her neck. The bodice of her dress is cut straight across the shoulders, and white cloth covering her decolletage is tucked into the neckline. A muted gold cloth wraps around the woman’s left shoulder, to our right, across her back, and down over her other elbow. The red dress’s sleeves split over the puffy white sleeves of her undergarment. The woman rests her right elbow, to our left, on a ledge, and her other hand hangs by her side with those fingers nestled into the fabric of her skirt. An iridescent, gold-colored cloth drapes over the ledge to our left and behind the woman. A stone column is along the left edge of the painting and a sunset sky over a grassy, tree-filled landscape is visible to the right. The artist signed and dated the lower right corner, “NMaes 1676.”
Nicolaes Maes, Portrait of a Lady, 1676, oil on canvas, Gift of Joseph F. McCrindle, 2001.138.1

Portrait of a Lady

Nicolaes Maes · 1676 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  2001.138.1

Three light-skinned girls hold hands to create a loose ring with their arms extended, in a grassy field in this horizontal painting. All three girls wear white headdresses, ankle-length, long-sleeved dresses, and clogs. Each dress has a wide white collar that extends beyond the shoulders. A ruby-red flower is pinned to the brown apron on the two girls whose fronts we see. Their features and clothing are outlined in cobalt blue and filled in with parallel, often visible strokes. To our left, a girl stands with both arms stretched out, one holding the hand of the girl next to her, to our right. The first girl looks off into the distance to our left with dark eyes. She has a button nose, and her peach-colored lips curve down at the corners. Her auburn-red hair is tucked back under her bonnet. Her dress is navy blue, and her stockings are brick red. She steps forward onto her right foot, to our left. The second girl, holding the first girls’ hand, stands facing our right in profile, looking slightly down. Her features are indistinct, but she also seems to have a snub nose and her pink lips are closed. She has blond hair and an emerald-green dress. Her hazelnut-brown stockings match her apron. She also steps forward, but onto her left foot. The third girl stands with her back to us, seen between the first two, as she looks over her shoulder to our right in profile. Her left arm is also raised but her right arm is hidden behind the second girl. The third girl has brown hair and a pointed nose. Her dress is black, and she steps forward onto her right foot. A small dog with brown and white speckled fur sniffs at the grass to our right of the girls. Piles of long grass or hay dot the lemon-lime green field, which dips down behind the girls and to our left to meet a low, stone gray wall. Buildings in plum purple, ivory white, terracotta orange, and ocean blue span the width of the painting beyond the wall. One narrow spire reaches above the other rooflines. Tall, narrow, dark green trees are interspersed among the buildings, and a hill climbs nearly to the top of the canvas to our left. A few thin slate-gray clouds float across a narrow band of shell-pink sky above. The artist signed and dated the work in lower right corner, “P. Gauguin 88.”
Paul Gauguin, Breton Girls Dancing, Pont-Aven, 1888, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.19

Breton Girls Dancing, Pont-Aven

Paul Gauguin · 1888 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1983.1.19

A blue and white bowl with a flaring rim is filled with small red strawberries, and the currants and cherries scattered around it are arranged along a wooden ledge or table in this horizontal still life painting. A single, ruby-red and white carnation with a short stem has been stuck down into the bowl at the back center. A few green strawberry leaves lie among the berries near the flower. A butterfly with honey-yellow and black wings perches on one leaf to our right. The top edge of the bowl’s rim is painted with geometric designs in muted azure blue between roughly oval-shaped medallions painted with stylized flowers. The base of the bowl is painted with fruit within a rounded medallion. To our left of the bowl, six vibrant red cherries and three stems of pearl-white currants sit on the table. To our right is another sprig of white currants and one of gleaming, scarlet-red currants. Between them is a trio of strawberry leaves and a pair of strawberries. A fly has landed on one of those berries, near the bottom center of the composition. Several water droplets glisten on the leaves and tabletop. The background is dark, earthen brown.
Jacob van Hulsdonck, Wild Strawberries and a Carnation in a Wan-Li Bowl, c. 1620, oil on copper, The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund, 2013.1.1

Wild Strawberries and a Carnation in a Wan-Li Bowl

Jacob van Hulsdonck · c. 1620 · oil on copper ·  Accession ID  2013.1.1

The sculpture depicts a female figure in a seated pose. She is leaning slightly, with one arm on her knee and her head supported by her hand. The body is textured, in a dark bronze color. The sculpture appears weighty, with uneven surfaces that capture light. It is placed on a simple base merging with the figure's legs and body.
Edgar Degas, Woman Seated in an Armchair, Wiping Her Neck, original plastiline 1890s/c.1905, cast 1920/1952, copper alloy, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.66

Woman Seated in an Armchair, Wiping Her Neck

Edgar Degas · original plastiline 1890s/c.1905, cast 1920/1952 · copper alloy ·  Accession ID  1985.64.66

The sculpture depicts a rough, textured head with indistinct facial features. Its surface is dark with a glossy shine, appearing to be made of bronze or a similar metal. Viewed head-on, the sculpture presents a stylized and abstract form, with a sense of ruggedness in its execution. The features are not sharply defined, offering an impression of facial contours rather than detailed anatomy. The head sits upon a simple rectangular base that elevates it slightly, drawing attention to its form and texture against a neutral background.
Edgar Degas, Head, Study for a Portrait of Mme Salle, original clay c. 1892, cast 1920/1926, copper alloy, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1995.47.16

Head, Study for a Portrait of Mme Salle

Edgar Degas · original clay c. 1892, cast 1920/1926 · copper alloy ·  Accession ID  1995.47.16

A man with pale white skin sits and a man with light brown skin stands in front of a cave-like, rocky outcropping in this vertical portrait painting. The light-skinned man closer to us has dark brown hair, and the light falls more strongly on him. He sits propped on or against a rock with his body angled to our left, and he looks off into the distance in that direction. He wears a scarlet-red overcoat, a white waistcoat, and moccasins. What appears to be an animal skin painted on the underside with red, tan, and black geometric patterns is tied around his chest and falls over his left arm, on our right. With that hand, he holds a musket like a walking stick. He also holds a black cap ornamented with beads and feathers on his other knee. The man with brown skin stands in shadow behind the other man, to our left. His body faces us, and he looks at the seated man. A dark cloak encircles his shoulders and is gathered around his waist. A strap crosses his bare chest and the strap, bracelets, and a feathered headdress seem to be beaded. Large gold rings curve from his earlobes up over his ears. A puff of smoke emerges from the top of the long, painted stick he holds, suggesting it is a pipe. He holds his left hand, on our right, at his chest, and points subtly to our left, perhaps to the landscape seen through a break in the rocky outcropping. There, in front of a waterfall in the distance, a small group of people with light brown skin gather around a camp fire in front of a tent-like structure.
Benjamin West, Colonel Guy Johnson and Karonghyontye (Captain David Hill), 1776, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1940.1.10

Colonel Guy Johnson and Karonghyontye (Captain David Hill)

Benjamin West · 1776 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1940.1.10

The sculpture depicts a winged female figure in an upright dancing pose, with her arms raised and bent above her head. Her large wings extend behind her. The woman is dressed in a flowing garment that billows back behind her. She is balanced on one foot atop a golden sphere that rests on a cylindrical pedestal. The sculpture is made of a dark-colored material with a polished and reflective surface.
Antonio Canova, Winged Victory, c. 1803/1806, bronze, Patrons' Permanent Fund, 1991.125.1

Winged Victory

Antonio Canova · c. 1803/1806 · bronze ·  Accession ID  1991.125.1

A young, nude girl is roughly modeled and cast with bronze-colored copper alloy in this free-standing sculpture. Her body is angled to our left in this photograph. Her weight rests on her left foot and her other leg extends long, the foot turned out at an angle. Her hands are clasped behind her back, and her round belly projects from her swayed hips. Her head is tipped back so her chin is lifted. Her eyes are closed, and her thin lips are set in a line. Light glints off the surface of the copper in some areas, especially on the cheek closer to us and the front of her shoulder. She stands on a rectangular base. The work is stamped on the top of the base in the front left corner, “Degas.”
Edgar Degas, Study in the Nude of Little Dancer Aged Fourteen (Nude Little Dancer), original wax c. 1878-1881, cast 1920/1926, copper alloy, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.67

Study in the Nude of Little Dancer Aged Fourteen (Nude Little Dancer)

Edgar Degas · original wax c. 1878-1881, cast 1920/1926 · copper alloy ·  Accession ID  1985.64.67

This colorful sculpture is a relief depicting a woman kneeling with her hands clasped in prayer, turned to the left, facing a small child lying on the ground. The woman wears draped robes and has a halo behind her head, while the child also has a halo but is nude. The ground the child lies on is green, with tall white flowers sprouting from green stems behind them. The sky behind the woman is blue, and two cherubic heads are on either side of her head, each with halos and wings. At the very top of this scene, two arms reach down from above holding a white crown with green and blue gems, appearing to be about to place it on the woman's head. This scene is framed with an elaborate border with green leaves, yellow fruits, brown pinecones, and clusters of dark purple grapes. At the bottom of the border are two more cherubic heads. Below that is a small section with a green wreath around what appears to be a round coat of arms featuring a lion and a large X. The people in the sculpture are all completely white, and there is a gold arched border around the sculpture.
Andrea della Robbia, The Adoration of the Child, after 1477, glazed terracotta, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1961.1.2

The Adoration of the Child

Andrea della Robbia · after 1477 · glazed terracotta ·  Accession ID  1961.1.2