The Girl or the Vase
1878 painting by Henryk Siemiradzki
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The Girl or the Vase (Polish: Wazon czy kobieta), also known as The Presentation of the Slave, is an 1878 painting by the Russian-born Polish artist Henryk Siemiradzki. The subject is from ancient Rome and shows a patrician who contemplates on whether he should buy an East Asian vase or a slave girl.[1] The painting earned Siemiradzki the gold medal at the 1878 World's Fair in Paris and the French Legion of Honour.[2]
| The Girl or the Vase | |
|---|---|
| |
| Artist | Henryk Siemiradzki |
| Year | 1878 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 99 cm × 155.6 cm (39 in × 61.3 in) |
| Location |
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The painting last changed owner in 2005, when it was sold through Sotheby's in New York for 1,426,000 dollars.[3][4]
The painting is referenced in Boris Pasternak's 1957 novel, Doctor Zhivago, described as depicting "[t]he fat Roman making up his mind between the woman and the vase."[5]
