https://clevelandart.org/art/1991.173Public domain · 3,400 × 2,037 px · Wikimedia Commons

1874 · Cleveland Museum of Art

A Eunuch's Dream

Jean-Jules-Antoine Lecomte du NouÿWikidata

painting by Jean Lecomte du Nouÿ (French, 1842-1923) (1991.173)

Wander from here
Date
1874Wikidata
Cleveland Museum of Art: 1874
Medium
oil on woodCleveland Museum of Art
Wikidata: Oil paint on canvas
Dimensions
39.3 × 65.4 cmCleveland Museum of Art
Wikidata: 39.3 × 65.4 cm
Collection
Cleveland Museum of Art, ClevelandWikidata
Materials
oil paint, canvasWikidata
Inventory no.
1991.173Wikidata
Credit line
Seventy-fifth anniversary gift of Mrs. Noah L. ButkinCleveland Museum of Art

Provenance

Where it has been

  1. 1977 –
    (Sale, Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, April 28, 1977, lot 209, possibly sold to Noah L. and Muriel Butkin)
    high confidenceCleveland Museum of Art
    “(Sale, Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, April 28, 1977, lot 209, possibly sold to Noah L. and Muriel Butkin) (1977) [notes: The consignor to this auction is not specified in the catalogue, which lists the Lecomte de Nouÿ under the “property of various owners.” The catalogue does not include a price list, but the Butkins made many purchases around this time, so it is possible that they were the buyers of the painting at this sale.  The earlier provenance of this painting is unclear.  A painting by Lecomte de Nouÿ entitled “Le Kieff du Schériff (Souvenir d'Orient)” appeared in the Hôtel Drouot sale of the “F.J.” collection on March 23, 1877 (no. 37).  However, it seems unlikely that this painting is the Cleveland picture, because while the description provided in the catalogue of the man in the painting matches that of the Cleveland picture, the female figure, so important to the composition, is not mentioned.  Furthermore, another version of this composition (see Roger Diederen, From Homer to the Harem: The Art of Jean Lecomte du Nouÿ, no. 86) but without the female figure or knife-wielding cherub, appears in Montgailhard’s 1906 monograph on Lecomte du Nouÿ under the title “Le kief du Schériff.” This painting’s current location is unknown.  What we do know is that the Cleveland painting was likely intended by the artist for direct sale to a private collector: the painting’s content – more graphic than that of the other versions of the composition - may have been considered inappropriate for public display.  ]”
  2. Possibly 1977 – 1991
    (Noah L. and Muriel S. Butkin, Cleveland, Ohio, given by Muriel S. Butkin to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    purchase
    high confidenceCleveland Museum of Art
    “(Noah L. and Muriel S. Butkin, Cleveland, Ohio, given by Muriel S. Butkin to the Cleveland Museum of Art (Possibly 1977-1991)”
  3. 1991 –
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
    high confidenceCleveland Museum of Art
    “The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio (1991-)”
Identifiers & sources+