Pleading For The Child
Pleading For The Child
Signed Print
David Hockney
£2,300-£3,450
$4,450-$6,500 Value Indicator
$3,900-$6,000 Value Indicator
¥21,000-¥30,000 Value Indicator
€2,700-€4,050 Value Indicator
$23,000-$35,000 Value Indicator
¥440,000-¥660,000 Value Indicator
$2,900-$4,350 Value Indicator
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
There aren't enough data points on this work for a comprehensive result. Please speak to a specialist by making an enquiry.
Medium: Etching
Edition size: 100
Year: 1969
Size: H 62cm x W 45cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | Bonhams Online - United Kingdom | Pleading For The Child - Signed Print | |||
| May 2017 | Sworders - United Kingdom | Pleading For The Child - Signed Print | |||
| May 2016 | Wright - United States | Pleading For The Child - Signed Print | |||
| June 2013 | Bonhams Knightsbridge - United Kingdom | Pleading For The Child - Signed Print | |||
| September 2012 | Christie's London - United Kingdom | Pleading For The Child - Signed Print | |||
| February 2012 | Christie's London - United Kingdom | Pleading For The Child - Signed Print | |||
| November 2009 | Tennants Auctioneers - United Kingdom | Pleading For The Child - Signed Print |
Meaning & Analysis
In a pose reminiscent of one of the figures in Carpaccio’s Two Venetian Ladies, a woman sits with her arm propped on a low wall or balcony. Her expression is melancholy and a tear escapes from her right eye as she listens to the small man holding his arms out to her in a beseeching pose. An incongruous still life of fruit sits on the wall, complementing the high emotion of the scene in its calm and minimalism and perhaps representing fertility. The scene is from ‘Rumpelstilzchen’, one of the most famous stories collected by the Brothers Grimm, and one of six illustrated by David Hockney in his 1969 series of prints dedicated to the classic fairy tales. Originally published as a signed edition of 100, the prints also became a book which was represented by Oxford University Press and has sold over 150,000 copies. Hockney was immediately attracted to the fairytales as subject matter, and his elegant monochrome etching style is perfectly suited to the rich scenes and characters enfolded in these folk tales. Here we see him delighting in the composition of the scene, drawing on art historical references to add multiple layers to this childhood fable that, like many of the Grimm stories, has a sinister edge.
