NEW YORK—A group of six paintings led by William Bouguereau’s “La Branche de Cerisier” (“The Cherry Branch”) will be offered at Sotheby’s 19th Century European Art sale in New York on Nov. 8. The group is from the collection of Ohio couple Mr. and Mrs. Obed J. Wilson.
The emergence of the leading painting after over a century is significant considering the revival of admiration and collecting importance for the French academic master Bouguereau.
The location of “La Branche de Cerisier” has been unknown since it sold to Obed Wilson in 1881, within months of leaving the artist’s studio, according to Sotheby’s. The auction house expects it to sell for between $1.5 million and $2 million.
Other highlights include two paintings by Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau, William Bouguereau’s wife.
Obed Wilson was a noted philanthropist, and according to Sotheby’s, donated substantially to the Twin Towers Senior Living Community in Cincinnati, Ohio. Once the development was built in 1908, the Wilsons donated their entire art collection, which has hung there for the enjoyment of the residents ever since.
