The Haunted Castle
The Haunted Castle
Signed Print
David Hockney
£3,100-£4,600
$6,000-$9,000 Value Indicator
$5,500-$8,000 Value Indicator
¥28,000-¥40,000 Value Indicator
€3,650-€5,500 Value Indicator
$30,000-$45,000 Value Indicator
¥590,000-¥870,000 Value Indicator
$3,950-$6,000 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: Intaglio
Edition size: 100
Year: 1969
Size: H 61cm x W 43cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2019 | Sotheby's Online - United Kingdom | The Haunted Castle - Signed Print | |||
| June 2019 | Galerie Kornfeld - Germany | The Haunted Castle - Signed Print | |||
| November 2018 | Sotheby's Online - United Kingdom | The Haunted Castle - Signed Print | |||
| September 2017 | Christie's New York - United States | The Haunted Castle - Signed Print | |||
| March 2007 | Bonhams New Bond Street - United Kingdom | The Haunted Castle - Signed Print |
Meaning & Analysis
Before embarking on his year-long project of illustrating Six Fairy Tales From The Brothers Grimm, David Hockney took a trip down the Rhine as research. Here he encountered the stretches of fields and rolling hills that make their way into his prints, as well as the iconic castles of the Rhine valley. He took many photographs and made many drawings which eventually became key touchpoints for his etchings. With the present work, The Haunted Castle, we can see the characteristics of the classic German castle, with its high turret, pointed spires and narrow windows. Shaded grey against a dark background of cross hatched marks the building is filled with the foreboding suggested by the title. It sits alone on a fuzzy mound, adding to the sense of isolation in the image. The scene is taken from the story known as 'The Boy who left Home to learn Fear', where, in what is now a cliche of the horror and cartoon genre, a boy spends three nights in a haunted castle in order to win a prize – in this case the hand of the king’s daughter and all the riches in the castle – as well as learning fear. He survives with reason intact however and while he wins the princess, he still does not know true fear.
