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THE
WORLD'S
MOST
EXPENSIVE PHOTO
Sold:
the world’s most expensive photo.
At Christie’s on 20 May, the oldest extant image of the remains
of the Athenian Temple of Olympian Zeus, or “Olympeion”,
on the Acropolis, 1842–among the most “modern” compositions
by the seasoned 19th-century French traveller, artist and historian
of Islamic architecture, Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey–became
the most expensive photograph ever sold at auction. This unique,
large, full-plate image, labelled verso in his hand: “113.
Athènes. 1842. T.[emple] de J.[upiter] Olympien. pris de
l’Est.” more than quadrupled its estimate of £90,000/120,000,
rocketing the benchmark for both a Daguerreotype and record for
a photograph at auction to a monumental £565,250, or $922,488
(€789,654). Amid intense international interest, it was bought
by an anonymous overseas collector, widely believed to be the wealthy
Sheikh Saud al-Thani of Qatar. If so, it will be the latest addition
to the rich holdings of 19th-century British and French photographs
destined for his new museum.
Taken from The Art
Newspaper - 20th January 2004.
Visit the site at http://www.theartnewspaper.com
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