How Much Is Rosebush (Part 6) Worth?

Object and significance. Rosebush (Part 6) is a full‑scale working drawing (cartoon) for the mosaic frieze in the dining room of the Stoclet Palace, executed c. 1910–1911 in graphite, pastel, gouache, and applied gold, silver, platinum, and bronze on tracing paper (c. 195 × 120 cm). It belongs to a suite of nine cartoons and is held by the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna (Inv. MAL 226‑6) [1]. The Stoclet commission is a cornerstone of Klimt’s decorative phase and of the Wiener Werkstätte’s Gesamtkunstwerk ideal, and these cartoons are the primary documents of its design and execution.

Market frame. Klimt’s top market has re‑rated sharply upward. Lady with a Fan realized £85.3m (≈ $108.4m) in 2023 [2], and Birch Forest achieved $104.585m in 2022 [3]. In November 2025, Sotheby’s set a new Klimt auction record with Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer at $236.4m, alongside major results for decorative landscapes ($86m and $68.3m), underscoring deep demand for Klimt’s luxuriant, patterned surfaces [4]. While these are autonomous oils, they establish the intensity of global appetite for Klimt’s ornamental aesthetic that underpins the Stoclet cycle.

Works on paper context. Typical Klimt drawings transact from mid‑ to high‑six figures; historically, top‑tier sheets have approached or exceeded $1m (e.g., a major reclining nude drawing at Sotheby’s London, 2008) [5]. The Stoclet cartoons, however, are sui generis: monumental, mixed‑media with precious metals, unique, and directly tied to a landmark commission. There are no public auction comparables for these cartoons, but by rarity, finish, and art‑historical weight they reside at the summit of Klimt’s works‑on‑paper market.

Deriving the range. We position Rosebush (Part 6) at $3–8 million. Key positives include: unique, full‑scale status; precious‑metal execution; scholarly and museum provenance (MAK); and direct linkage to a UNESCO‑recognized Gesamtkunstwerk [1]. Counterweights include: its preparatory function (not an autonomous oil), the subject’s lesser iconicity relative to the Stoclet figure panels (Expectation/Fulfillment), and the conservation complexity of large tracing‑paper works with metal leaf. Broader market conditions—renewed strength at the trophy end of Modern/Impressionist art in 2025 per the Art Basel & UBS report—support strong bidding for exceptional, museum‑caliber material [6].

Positioning and upside. Within the Stoclet corpus, the figure panels would likely exceed Rosebush on brand recognition; this floral side panel nonetheless commands top‑of‑category status for Klimt works on paper. Should a cartoon with greater image recognition surface, or should exhibition/loan histories expand further, the upper end of this range (or modestly above) is conceivable. Given its institutional ownership and potential export constraints, this remains a hypothetical market indication rather than a prediction of imminent sale.