This should be a fun bidding war to watch. There was one bid for $500 when I first clicked the link a few minutes ago and now there are 17 bids up to $830.

Sunfire | January 29, 18:40 CET

I saw. This might become the most expensive Dollhouse prop ever.

Simon | January 29, 18:42 CET

Wow, $960 and still nearly 10 days of bidding to go, you could well be right Simon. Lovely painting and a great cause.

And interesting that the black splotch was seemingly scripted (since they specifically asked the artist to not put black on that side). Was wondering if that was script or Frakes and now we know, brilliant moment.

Saje | January 29, 19:00 CET

Dude, I LOVE that painting. If I had the money I would buy it.

Harmalicious | January 29, 19:05 CET

Anyone know the dimensions of the painting?

RayHill | January 29, 19:20 CET

Does anyone know what the most expensive Whedonverse prop is? Cause at the rate this bidding is going...

Simon | January 29, 19:21 CET

Freakin' huge.

It's a really amazing piece - I'd say the best thing you're going to get from Dollhouse - for a brill cause. I can't afford to bid so I'm going to donate here.

gossi | January 29, 19:23 CET

Wow, it's been on ebay for an hour and 20 minutes, and it's $1822 already.

Didn't Maurissa tweet at one time that some of the artist's other works were for sale also (maybe for charity as well - don't recall?)

eyes of the world | January 29, 19:33 CET

Dang it, just had to being this to my attention! Gosh, I love that painting. It would look perfect as a center piece on my living room wall. I'll monitor the next 10 days and place a bid if it doesn't break 5 digits. Yes, even I have my limits.

Simon, wasn't it Angel's jacket? I seem to to recall it went for a pricely sum indeed. My one remaining brain cell is telling me six figures, but take that with a grain of salt. My one remaining brain cell has a terrible memory! ;)

Madhatter | January 29, 19:39 CET

Simon, the highest I've seen yet was the original browncoat, which went for $12K.

Personally, I'm curious to see if the painting itself raises as much money as the folks who can't afford the painting but donate money to the cause anyhow. Sadly, I think I'll have to be with Gossi in the latter group.

$2K after just the first hour is amazing!

RayHill | January 29, 19:40 CET

Wow, now there's something I'd love to own (but can't afford). That painting is gorgeous.

Emmie | January 29, 20:14 CET

Hear, hear, Emmie.

Taaroko | January 29, 20:17 CET

I lurves it and wantses it - but I ain't got the do-re-mi. I like most of Brooke Reidt's work - it's beautiful and whimsical and filled with light, but never, I think, sappy, which is a tough line to walk.

It's a lovely JMo (& Brooke) et al. finale-timed effort ; > and I hope it raises a ton of cash for this great L.A. pediatric hospital - well, it's international, really - and in honor of Hunter.

QuoterGal | January 29, 20:36 CET

It's up to $2550.00. Oh how I wish I was rich.

madmolly | January 29, 20:41 CET

The smart thing to do, of course, would be to wait until the auctions ends and then release a 24"x18" print of the painting, with proceeds also going to the children's hospital. That way everyone who can't afford the big one (or don't have wall space for it) can still get a piece of it, and contribute to the cause.

Not sure how you're get a good digital version from something that big, though...

RayHill | January 29, 21:13 CET

This is maybe kinda evil, but I feel comfortable admitting it here. Years ago when I was a regular eBay user (haven't used it since a credit card got frauded a while back and made me internet-purchase-shy for a while), buying more than selling stuff, sometimes I played a bit of mischief with charity auctions. If it was something like this, still 10 days away from finishing, and you just knew it was gonna go higher, I'd bid every now and again to up it that much further, perhaps resulting in the final cost/donation being higher (and if it backfired and you won it by mistake, you can always back out of it, though probably get booted off of eBay for doing so--though I think they'd just offer it to the next-highest bidder for the same price). I dunno, I was just messing around with the eBay system and figured if a wealthy and/or obsessed fan had that much money to spend on a prop, they could afford some more for it if it was for a good cause.

I wouldn't do that now because, well, guilt, and even though it's for a good cause, it's kinda mean to force whoever the winner is to pay more for something they could've gotten cheaper.

Cool to get more info on the piece and how it was planned for the show. A very stand-up thing for Jed, Maurissa, and the folks at Fox to do.

[ edited by Kris on 2010-01-29 21:16 ]

Kris | January 29, 21:14 CET

RayHill - Not sure how you're get a good digital version from something that big, though...

There are professional art reproduction services - large format reprographics services produce digital versions of large paintings for museums and other businesses that create and sell art reproductions.

I'd love a frameable copy of this and would buy it in the proverbial heartbeat or New York minute. ; >

QuoterGal | January 29, 21:48 CET

I thought it was pretty obvious that Sierra's dark figure appearing on the painting was scripted. The whole narrative leads up to that moment.

electricspacegirl | January 29, 21:59 CET

I wonder if the pick-the-item-up (non-shipping) option means you'd be picking it up from Jed and Maurissa????? Because that informal meeting would be worth a pretty penny alone! Maybe they could bust out a private performance of one of their wacky internet songs about stinky Felicia! (btw, I'm sure she doesn't stink!)

alexreager | January 29, 22:20 CET

There are tears running down the inside of my head because I can't bid. I fell in love with that painting on the show and viewing it on Brooke Reidt's website. The con, even if I could afford it, is that it is huge and I don't have room for it where I live. Here's hoping it brings in a lot of dough for that very fine cause.

Maybe down the road whomever is the eventual winner will put it up for sale again on eBay at some point. That's my only hope to CLING to. Ah well.

Tonya J | January 29, 22:30 CET

Yeah I could easily fit that painting in my flat, so long as I moved out and took all my other stuff with me (if I had the money it'd almost be worth it ;).

I thought it was pretty obvious that Sierra's dark figure appearing on the painting was scripted. The whole narrative leads up to that moment.

Only in retrospect I think - if I hadn't seen that specific image I wouldn't have ended the episode thinking "Why didn't Sierra appear as a black splotch on her painting when the narrative required it ?", maybe you would've electricspacegirl in which case kudos on your perceptive same-wavelength-as-writers-ness ;). Without the benefit of hindsight (to me) it could've been one of those happy accidents that appear on the day of filming or an instance of the collaborative marvel of TV, something which the director contributes, an image they've come up with as a result of the script, hence my wondering (mentioned in the episode thread that I thought it was probably scripted, now I actually know. Which is cool).

Saje | January 29, 23:36 CET

I love that they used the "dark splotch" image on the item description.

ManEnoughToAdmitIt | January 30, 00:15 CET

I'm delighted by Brooke Reidt's work & blog . . . another reason to love DH.

bluegrrl | January 30, 05:39 CET

It's now up to $4,000.

The One True b!X | January 30, 06:28 CET

I love this painting, as others have stated I fell in love with it when I first saw it on the show, it has such warmth. Wish we could all have one...

silent knight | January 30, 07:04 CET

Saje, I was talking about retrospect. I didn't predict that image. But when I saw it, It seemed clear to me that it was a writer's decision. It was the evolution of Sierra painting black spots on all of her art in the Dollhouse.

electricspacegirl | January 30, 08:07 CET

Oh totally electricspacegirl. I'm just saying it being an "evolution" of something in the script doesn't necessarily make it the writers' idea (because obviously the director has also read the script and so can contribute ideas that evolve from the script without being in the script, in the same way the actors etc. do, it's just the nature of a collaborative medium).

But it's a moot point - it was the writers' idea and now I definitely know that rather than just thinking it probable. And all credit to them for, as I say, a brilliant moment.

(and $4000 so far. Great news for the charity)

Saje | January 30, 15:39 CET

US $4,350.00

::DIES::

Tonya J | February 03, 03:24 CET

$4,550.00 with less than an hour left.

Sunfire | February 08, 17:24 CET

Sells for $6,900 thanks to final bid surge.

[ edited by The One True b!X on 2010-02-08 18:13 ]

The One True b!X | February 08, 18:13 CET

I'm sorry, but, bidding on this piece sounds almost monstrous to me. Don't get me wrong; this is my favorite episode of this show, but, it is also an episode about sexual slavery in the most graphic, violent depiction I have ever seen on television. I love that this episode exists, but buying Priya's art is almost a symbol for supporting the abuse Priya endured. I'm sure no one intends this, and it is a re-purposing of something horrible, but, the rape aspect is still horrible.

I know that the members of Whedonesque get that...but it's just painful...

Wow who knew Dollhouse would be my least favorite Joss show and yet the most emotional for me..

5X5B | October 08, 06:45 CET