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Lucian Freud

The Egyptian Book Signed Print

The Egyptian Book

Lucian Freud

The Egyptian Book
Signed Print

Name: The Egyptian Book
Brand: Lucian Freud
Rating: 5 (233 reviews)

Lucian Freud

£3,350-£5,000Value Indicator

$7,000-$10,500 Value Indicator

$6,000-$9,500 Value Indicator

¥35,000-¥50,000 Value Indicator

€4,000-€6,000 Value Indicator

$35,000-$50,000 Value Indicator

¥660,000-¥980,000 Value Indicator

$4,550-$7,000 Value Indicator

-10% AAGR

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: Etching

Edition size: 40

Year: 1994

Size: H 46cm x W 43cm

Signed: Yes

Format: Signed Print

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Lucian Freud's The Egyptian Book (signed), an etching from 1994, is estimated to be worth between £3,350 and £5,000. This work has an auction history of seven total sales since its entry to the market in February 2012. The hammer price over the past five years has ranged from £5,222 in April 2023 to £9,177 in May 2021. The average annual growth rate of this piece is currently -12%. The edition size of this artwork is limited to 40.

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Auction Results

Auction Date	Auction House	Location
April 2023	Christie's New York	United States
May 2021	Wright	United States
September 2019	Sotheby's London	United Kingdom
October 2017	Sotheby's New York	United States
November 2015	Sotheby's New York	United States
October 2015	Phillips London	United Kingdom
June 2015	Phillips London	United Kingdom

Meaning & Analysis

The Egyptian Book (1994) is an etching by Lucian Freud that shows an open volume resting on a rumpled cloth surface. Across its pages are two sculpted heads, framed like illustrations in a catalogue or museum guide. The two enigmatic faces, with their stylised features, are reminiscent of ancient Egyptian artefacts.

Unusual in Freud’s work for its focus on objects rather than people, The Egyptian Book nonetheless feels closely tied to his ongoing interest in portraiture. The sculpted faces - fixed, mute, enduring - sit in contrast to the live, often unguarded subjects of his better-known prints. Yet the same attention to physical presence remains. The dense, tactile mark-making across the fabric, paper and stone gives weight to the image, as though time itself has settled into the folds.

Famed for his representations of the human form, Lucian Freud is one of the 20th Century's most celebrated artists. The grandson of psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud, the artist confronts the psychological depth and bare complexities of the human body. From his early works to his celebrated nudes and portraits, Freud's canvases resonate with an almost tactile intensity, capturing the essence of his subjects with unwavering honesty. Freud painted only himself, close friends, and family, which floods his work with an intimacy that is felt by the viewer. His pursuit of honesty through portraiture shaped the trajectory of figurative art in the 20th century.

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