How does this artwork elucidate its History?
Israëls first exhibited the painting in 1859 at The Hague with the title Droomen (Dreams). The painting has had many different titles including Dolce far niente, Rêverie, Dreams of Youth and Castles in the Air. The whereabouts of the painting were unknown for many years. After 1860 the painting was not displayed until it surfaced in 1927 in a display at Gimbel Brothers in Philadelphia. it was purchased from Gimbels by a private collector for US$5000 in 1927.In 1859 art critic Théophile Thoré-Bürger who wrote for Gazette des Beaux-Arts described the original size of the painting and when it was auctioned by Sotheby's they determined that part of the painting was cut away on the left-hand side of the canvas after its 1860 exhibition. The preauction estimate was US$100.000 - 150.000 and it was sold for US$293,000 on May 9, 2013.
Gimbels Gazette des Beaux-Arts Gimbel Brothers Sotheby's Théophile Thoré-Bürger