How Much Is Mother About to Wash Her Sleepy Child Worth?

Painted in 1880, the work sits squarely in Cassatt’s Impressionist prime and within her most consequential theme: the intimate mother-and-child scene. This subject, explored with modern, observational nuance, underpins her canonization in the movement alongside Degas and Morisot. Works of this period informed her participation in the Impressionist exhibitions and shaped subsequent scholarship. Because art-historical weight is a leading determinant of market value for blue-chip Impressionism, the painting’s date, style, and subject confer a pronounced premium. In any major-sale context, this ‘core-oeuvre’ alignment would be highlighted to position the lot above more peripheral themes or later works.

Cassatt’s oils are materially scarcer than her pastels and color prints, and early oils from c. 1878–1882 appear only sporadically on the market. Scarcity is an amplifier: when a prime-period, canonical-subject oil surfaces, institutional and top private buyers often converge. Recent records indicate that even masterpieces on paper can set price ceilings; an equivalently important oil—especially one with museum-level credentials—can credibly stretch beyond those figures. This supply dynamic supports pricing at the top of her market range and underpins the view that $8–14 million is defendable, with upside in an optimal, guarantee-backed evening sale.

Mother-and-child imagery is the nucleus of Cassatt’s legacy and consistently outperforms secondary subjects. Collectors value the tenderness, modern domesticity, and technical poise she achieved in these scenes, and institutions seek strong exemplars to anchor their Impressionist narratives. The subject’s emotional and cultural resonance widens the bidder pool beyond strict Cassatt specialists to include generalist Impressionist collectors and museums aiming to correct historical imbalances in representation. This broader demand base tends to compress downside risk and enhance the potential for spirited competition, especially for large-scale, well-composed examples like this one.

The painting’s long residence at LACMA and associated publication/exhibition history confer imprimatur that private works often lack. Museum-held status implies curatorial vetting, conservation oversight, and high scholarly acceptance—attributes that typically translate to buyer confidence and elevated pricing if a deaccession ever occurred. Earlier ties to notable collectors and reputable dealers can add narrative weight. While museum ownership means a sale is unlikely, in valuation terms this pedigree signals quality and helps justify placement at the upper end of Cassatt’s price spectrum, contingent on an excellent, up-to-date condition report.

Cassatt’s auction record stands at $7.489 million for a prime-period pastel (Christie’s, 2022), and a prime-year mother-and-child pastel achieved ~$4.5 million in 2018. Top-tier oils with child/family subjects have ranged roughly $1.6–$6.2 million publicly over the last two decades, with rare, high-quality canvases attracting outsized interest. The category remains relatively stable, but it is bifurcated: masterpieces perform, while average material can be price-sensitive. Given the scarcity and caliber here, liquidity should be strong in a marquee sale. Still, realized price will be sensitive to condition, estimate strategy, and the presence of third‑party guarantees.