Old Master Paintings
December 17, 2025
The Old Master Paintings auction held on 17 December at Tajan was marked by the pre-emption of a pastel Self-Portrait by Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, setting a world record for the artist. The work has joined the collections of the Château de Versailles for a total amount of €843,800*. Labille-Guiard is one of the rare female artists of the second half of the 18th century to have achieved official recognition under the Ancien Régime, alongside her “rival” Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. Her prestigious clientele included members of the Parisian bourgeoisie as well as the royal family at Versailles, notably Mesdames, aunts of Louis XVI, for whom she became the official painter. She exhibited this Self-Portrait at the Salon de la Correspondance in 1782, before being admitted the following year to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1783.
Women artists were once again in the spotlight with the sale of Maternal Solicitude by Rosa Bonheur, which was hammered down at €47,232*.
We should also note the success of the dispersal of the Collection of Monsieur C, which included several 17th- and 18th-century portraits, totaling €299,177*. Among them, particular mention should be made of the Portrait of the Duc du Maine in Armour, sold for €81,344*.
*including buyer’s premium
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard
Adélaïde LABILLE-GUIARD (Paris, 1749 – 1803)
Self-portrait
Pastel, 62 × 51 cm
Signed and dated lower left: “Labille F. Guiard 1782”
Original frame
Sold for €843,800* (including buyer’s premium)
World record, pre-empted by the Château de Versailles
Collection of 17th- and 18th-Century Portraits and Marine Paintings
Portrait of the Duc du Maine in Armour
Follower of Hyacinthe Rigaud
Sold for €81,344* (including buyer’s premium)
Total for the collection: €299,177* (including buyer’s premium)
Rosa Bonheur
ROSA BONHEUR (1822–1899)
Maternal Solicitude
Oil on canvas
Sold for €47,232* (including buyer’s premium)
OLD MASTER PAINTINGS
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
Tajan, 37 rue des Mathurins, 75008 Paris
CONTACTS
Thaddée Prate – Old Master Paintings Director
+33 1 53 30 30 47 – [email protected]
Landry Orizet – Auctioneer
+33 1 53 30 30 46 – [email protected]
Expert: Cabinet Eric Turquin
Press and Photo
Ariane de Miramon – Marketing & Communication Director
+33 1 53 30 30 68 – [email protected]