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JEWELRY I ART I ANTIQUES I DESIGN
GUSTAVE-MAX
STEVENS
A Magnum Opus
Artist Insights
— Critical Acclaim —
Stevens took every opportunity to show this work publicly. It was first shown at the Cercle Artistique et Littéraire in Brussels in 1899 and then at the Salon d’Art Idéaliste in Brussels. It was then accepted into the prestigious Paris Salon of 1901, a monumental achievement. The artist also exhibited it with Sächsischer Kunstverein (Saxon Art Association) in Dresden in 1900, the Antwerp Triennial Salon of 1901 and the Salon des Beaux-Arts d’Ostende of 1907.
— Pièce de Résistance —
Stevens kept The Twelve Princesses in his own personal collection for the entirety of his life, and it descended within his family — a testimony to the artist’s particular attachment to this work.
Museum Comparables
Solveig
The British Museum
Avenue Parisienne
Sold for $1,482,500 in 2010
Bois de Boulogne
Sold for $1,810,000 in 2016
Monumental Size
Rich in Symbolism
Expert Insights with Bill Rau
Monumental Size
Canvas: 76 1/8" high x 114" wide
Frame: 100 1/4" high x 138 5/8" wide
Canvas: 76 1/8" high x 114" wide
Frame: 100 1/4" high x 138 5/8" wide
The Twelve Princesses by Gustave-Max Stevens
Dated 1899
Stevens depicts the princesses with classic Pre-Raphaelite precision and profound symbolism. An iron-barred window emphasizes their miraculous escape, while a mirror represents their secret alternate world rather than vanity. Only the eldest and youngest sisters—the story's key characters—engage the viewer: the eldest with knowing mystery, the youngest with apprehension that foreshadows their eventual discovery.
Every great artist dreams of a masterpiece that captures their talent, ambition and life’s work. For Gustave-Max Stevens, The Twelve Princesses was that triumph. Monumental in scale and breathtaking in detail, this awe-inspiring vision of the Grimm Brothers’ tale became his most exhibited painting—and the defining achievement of his career.
Stevens pictured with the painting at the Salon des Beaux-Arts d'Ostende.