Edward Hicks, “The Peaceable Kingdom with the Leopard of Serenity”
Photo: Sotheby’s
I was surprised to get today’s press release that Sotheby’s will sell Edward Hicks‘ “The Peaceable Kingdom with the Leopard of Serenity” at its May 22 American paintings sale. As I reported here (scroll down to last item in the linked post), the auction house had intended to sell that painting privately for its owner, Ralph Esmerian, the American Folk Art Museum’s financially embattled benefactor,
Sotheby’s press spokesperson Courtney King confirmed that the consignor to the upcoming sale, unidentified in the press release, is Esmerian. She also revealed that Sotheby’s had indeed held a private auction for the painting, but “offers didn’t meet the minimum bid” (an amount she would not disclose). The estimate for the work, which had been promised but not yet given to the New York museum (where it was on loan), is now $6-8 million.
The provenance and quality should help the price. The distress-sale aura won’t.