Index

El Jaleo
1882
 

Study for the Spanish Dancer
Watercolor

Notes:

Sold Sotheby's; 5/25/1994; Lot 93; $7,592,500    
 

• See the year in review 1879

Your website has the dimensions of the painting at around 5 [w]x7[h] feet. A book about Sargent has the dimensions at less than 12[w]x18[h] inches.  I believe YOU are correct, but I am uncertain. Can you help me? Thank you and let me say again how much we all appreciate your research and hard work. 

Love your website, as do all of my fellow art students at DiDomizio's Old World Art in Atlanta. Our teacher, and most of the students, have a passion for Sargent, and we often copy his works. Personally, I have painted The Oyster Gatherers, a closeup of one of the daughters in The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, and finally (the reason for this e-mail), a study of The Spanish Dancer. 

Sincerely,

Buddy Hicks

From: Natasha

No, I think I might be the one mistaken. I checked the books I have at my fingertips and I can’t find it again, the site I got the image from has taken it down, and the site I got the sale info from is no longer available to me.

Though it’s possible a 7 x 5 foot painting was done – a lot of his oil preparatory studies were a lot smaller than the original image – in this case El Jaleo. On the other hand, though I don't mean to imply value is measured by square inches of paint -- 7 million dollars for an 11 inch high painting (that was a study) seems a bit steep -- even for Sargent.

which book are you getting your info from? and thanks for correction

From: Buddy Hicks 

I am sorry I do not have the actual name and author of the book that says this painting is, I believe, around 11x17 inches. We were discussing it last night in class. There have probably been 50 paintings of the Spanish Dancer by my fellow students. It is one of my favorite paintings (I have done it twice)!

Thank you again for your website. It is a tremendous effort, worthy of the artist himself. 

Fri, 11 Jun 2004

I found the book. It is entitled, "John Singer Sargent," and it was written by Edward Swinglehurst. The painting is on page 27, and it is indeed listed as very small. For what it is worth, my art teacher, Chris DiDomizio, thinks the painting in question was large.

Thanks again for all your scholarship and research. You definitely have a lot of fans in Atlanta.

(Editor's Note -- You're right, there is so much detail for such a small size, will continue to look for a second confirmation.)