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Lot 108
KANDINSKY WASSILY: (1866-1944) Russian Painter. 'I hereby wish to protest against the epithet "Orphiste"´.A.L.S., Kandinsky, one page, 8vo, Murnau, 20th June 1913, to the editor of Le Thyrse, in German. Kandinsky asks his correspondent to forward his notice as he requires it 'to be published in your magazine'. Accompanied by the original holograph statement, signed ('Kandinsky') at the conclusion, one page, 8vo, n.p (Murnau), n.d. (20th June 1913), in German. Kandinsky's statement reads 'Although I do not intend to initiate an argument about this, I hereby wish to protest against the epithet "Orphiste" which has been used to designate me, and this is for the simple reason that the doctrine of such a trend is completely unknown to me'. A contemporary red ink translation of Kandinsky's letter and statement into French (in an unidentified hand, although evidently for the purposes of publication in the French language) appear below each line of the artist's bold black text. A statement of interesting content. VG, 2 Le Thyrse was an Art & Literature magazine published in Brussels from 1899 to 1965. Orphism (or Orphic Cubism), a term coined by French poet Guillaume Apollinaire in 1912, was an offshoot of Cubism that focused on pure abstraction and bright colours, influenced by Fauvism. This movement, perceived as key in the transition from Cubism to Abstract art, was pioneered by Frantisek Kupka, Robert Delaunay and Sonia Delaunay. Critics and biographers of Kandinsky have frequently considered the artist a key contributor to Orphism, however the present statement would suggest that the artist himself distanced himself from the movement, declaring it 'completely unknown' to him. The Russian painter and art theorist Kandinsky is credited with painting one of the first purely abstract works. In 1896 he settled in Munich where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts before returning to Moscow in 1914 after the outbreak of World War I. Kandinsky was unsympathetic to the official theories on art in Communist Moscow, and returned to Germany in 1921. There, he taught at the Bauhaus school of art and architecture from 1922 until it was closed by the Nazis in 1933. The artist then moved to France, where he remained for the rest of his life, becoming a French citizen in 1939 and producing some of his most prominent art.
Lot 527
Charlotte Audrey Fawley (British, b.1934) Sleeping Beauty, contemporary depiction of feline ballet dancers, bodycolour and silver marker, entitled, signed and dated '86, framed and mounted under glass, 43 x 36 cm, together with one other similar framed work by the same artist 21 x 28 cm, and three further unframed examples, one incorporating a foiled paper collage, each approximately 28 x 42 cm (5) Charlotte Fawley graduated from the Blackpool School of Art and worked for two years as a publicity designer with the Manchester Guardian Newspaper. Following this role she moved to London where she split her time between working as a book illustrator and working as an art director for some of the UK's leading advertising agencies, including Young and Rubicam, Collet and Dickinson and Pearce. A major part of Fawley's oeuvre has since been involved in the world of theatre, namely ballet and opera, where she continues to sketch rehearsals at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden as an invited artist.
Lot 119
Jennifer Lee (British, b.1956) Pale pot, speckled emerging rim, 1997 painted potter's year mark 23.5cm high. Provenance: Estate of John Ball; Private Collection. Exhibited: Twenty-five Years, Craft Council Shop at the V&A, 1999. Illustrated: Crafts: Magazine for Contemporary Craft, September/October 2016, p.70. Possibly also illustrated in Ceramics Art and Perception. 'Her pots offer the quietest and most abstract exploration of space as well as the properties of clay itself' (David Whiting, Critic)
Lot 735
ATTRIBUTED TO ANTON FRUHAUF (1914-1999): AN 18CT YELLOW GOLD ABSTRACT BROOCH, of square form, depicting Masai Tribe figures under a moon, the moon modelled as a round, brilliant-cut diamond c. 0.4cts, the reverse stamped '750' with makers mark for Charles de Temple, c. 7.5cm wide, c. 116.2g (all in). See illustration. Provenance: Purchased in a Mayfair jewellers by the vendor's mother in the 1980's. Thence by descent. Private Collection, Bath. The design and construction of this piece is wholly consistent with the work of Anton Fruhauf, an award winning modernist Austrian jeweller and graphic designer who sought to make wearable works of art. Numerous identical brooches with the same casting have appeared on the open market in recent years but without the addition of a diamond and the Charles de Temple mark. It is possible that Fruhauf sent a small number of these 'Masai Tribe' brooches to his friend and contemporary Charles de Temple for gem-stone embellishment which would explain the addition of de Temple's mark.
Lot 8
2003 Rolls-Royce Phantom PLEASE NOTE: This lot possesses a MOT certificate valid until 30th November 2017.PLEASE NOTE: This lot is not accompanied by a V5C Registration Document. The new owner will have to apply for a replacement one by completing a V62 form and submitting it to the DVLA together with a fee of £25. - One former keeper and 5,100 recorded miles- Dates from the first year of production (300 sales) and would have had a basic list price of £250,000'Luxury cars abound, but there's only one Rolls. And whatever one might think about the national origins of the new stewards, they seem to understand their mission. The new Phantom (the seventh generation of the name) has the craftsmanship, comfort, presence, and prestige of its predecessors. Call it tradition made modern' (Tony Swan, Car and Driver, May 2003)Less than five years after acquiring what is arguably the world's most famous luxury car marque, the BMW Group had not only engineered a brand new Rolls-Royce flagship but also erected a state-of-the-art production facility on the Goodwood Estate within which to assemble it. Launched on January 1st 2003, the seventh generation Phantom marked a technological step change from its predecessors yet was still unmistakably a Rolls-Royce. Based around a hand-welded extruded aluminium spaceframe chassis clothed with aluminium and composite panels, the newcomer featured a highly sophisticated independent air suspension system mounted on steel subframes (double wishbone front / multi-link rear) as well as speed-sensitive power assisted steering and massive four-wheel disc brakes. Developing some seventy-five percent of its peak torque at just 1,000rpm, the bespoke 6.75 litre V12 was eerily refined. Quoted as developing some 453bhp and 531lbft of torque and allied to six-speed automatic transmission, it gave the luxury saloon an improbable turn of speed with contemporary road testers achieving 0-60mph in 5.7 seconds and 149mph. Initially contentious, the Phantom's bold styling lent it a road presence that rivals simply could not match. Although, reviewers devoted almost as much ink to its rear-hinged 'coach' doors, discretely-mounted Teflon-coated umbrellas and matchless interior. Put simply BMW re-defined the luxury car market with its first 'clean sheet' Rolls-Royce design. While labelling any car as 'the best in the world' is these days deemed anachronistic, our American cousins did hail the new Phantom as 'The King of Cars'.Offered for sale with clear title by order of the High Court, this particular example has formed part of an extensive London-based private collection since 9th December 2011 when it was purchased from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars London for £96,000. Showing a warranted 3,593 miles at the time, the Phantom has since been serviced at 4,239 miles (3/10/13) and 4,688 miles (9/1/15). Finished in Light Metallic Blue with Beige leather upholstery, 'M50 RRR' was entrusted to Jack Barclay for the addition of highlighting coachlines at a cost of £2,160 on 20th December 2011. An HPi check reveals that (a) the Phantom has had one former keeper and (b) it is not recorded on their stolen, finance, security watch or insurance write off databases. While a UK Government Vehicle MOT History search shows that the Rolls-Royce has been MOT tested at 2,417 (14/11/2006), 2,484 (13/2/2007), 2,875 (24/10/2007), 3,025 (5/11/2008), 3,113 (28/10/2009), 3,548 (2/11/2010), 3,579 (17/10/2011), 3,580 (18/10/2011), 3,889 (31/10/2012), 4,279 (30/10/2013), 4,639 (7/11/2014) and 5,052 (30/10/2015) miles. Now displaying some 5,100 miles to its odometer, this imposing luxury saloon will hopefully possess a fresh MOT certificate by the time of sale.
Lot 511
A HIGHLY RARE AND IMPORTANT ENGLISH JACK OF PLATE, CIRCA 1580-90 formed of small overlapping square plates of iron with cropped corners, secured by lines of diagonal, vertical, or in some cases horizontal stitches of crossbow twine through holes at their centres between the inner and outer layers of a fabric doublet of 'peascod' fashion with a frontal opening situated slightly to the right of centre and originally closed by laces passing through pairs of reinforced holes, an upstanding collar devoid, like the edges of the arm-openings, of plates, and a short skirt, the whole enclosed between two outer layers of fine linen canvas overlying felted woven wool on the outside and a coarser canvas on the inside of the garment, and decorated with green (perhaps originally white) woollen tufts at the intersections of the stitches (the outer fabric discoloured, worn through at points and split at the shoulders and some points of the waist and the base of the collar) 75.5 cm; 29¾ in Provenance Sir William ffarindon, Worden Hall, Lancashire (sold by auction 1948) A private English collection Literature Alexander de Cosson & William Burgess, 'Catalogue of the Exhibition of Ancient Helmets and Examples of Mail', Archaeological Journal, Vol. XXXVII, 1881, p. 591 Ian Eaves, 'On the Remains of a Jack of Plate Excavated from Beeston Castle in Cheshire', Journal of the Arms and Armour Society, Vo. XIII, no. 2, September 1989, p. 137, n. 29) The jack of plate - sometimes referred to in contemporary documents as a 'steel coat', a 'plate coat' or a 'coat of plate' - was a uniquely British defence first recognisably mentioned in English and Scottish records of the second quarter of the 16th century (Eaves 1989, pp. 85-6 & 144, n. 48), p. 145, n. 52). The inventory of the holdings of the Office of the Armouries taken on the death of Henry VIII in 1547 mentions 'a Northerne Jack covered with lynnen' and three 'Northern Jackes made of Canvas and plate' (Harold A. Dillon, 'Arms and Armour at Westminster, the Tower and Greenwich', Archaeologia, Vol. LI, 1888, pp. 52 & 57). Although defences of this kind ceased to be manufactured towards the end of the 16th century (Eaves 1989, p.86 & 148, n. 60), their use persisted into the early years of the following century. In 1622 some forty examples were issued from the Armouries of the Tower of London for use in America by the Virginia Company (Eaves 1986, p. 86 & 148, n. 61). William Harrison in his description of England first published in 1577, observed that 'Our armour …consisteth of corselets, almaine riverets, shirtes of mayle, Jacke quilted over wyth leather, fustian or canuas ouer thicke plates of yron that are sewed into the same, and of which there is no towne or village that hath not hir conuenient furniture (in Ralph Holinshead, The First Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland, London, 1557, f. 86v). Today, however, only sixteen more or less complete jacks of plate are preserved worldwide. Aside from this and the following lot, eight (only five of which are complete) can be recorded in the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, one in the British Museum, London, one in the Royal Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh, one in Warwick Castle, Warwickshire, one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, one in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg, and one in the Schweizerisches Landesmuseum, Zurich (Eaves 1989, pp. 135-7, n. 22-6 & 29). Only the last two and one of those in Leeds has its frontal opening offset to one side of centre as on this and the following lot. These lots and the Leeds example formed part of a collection assembled at Worden Hall, Lancashire, by Sir William ffarington (c. 1704-81) sometime after 1765. They are unlikely to have formed part of the Hall's indigenous armoury which was sequestered by Parliament in 1643 (Susan Maria ffarington, The ffarington Papers, Chetham Society, 1856, p. 93), although it was said that one of the three did service, together with a helmet and other pieces, as part of a funeral achievement eventually removed from the ffarington Chapel in Leyland Church in 1816 (De Cosson & Burgess 1881, p. 591). The collection was in due course added to by Miss Susan ffarington in the 19th century. An 18th century inventory of it is preserved in New Zealand while three 19th century ones, dating from 1846 to circa 1870 are privately preserved in England, and refer to '3 Brigandine Jackets (for Bowmen. (Elizn'. A drawing of what is almost certainly one of these jacks is preserved in a manuscript catalogue prepared by the late 18th century Manchester antiquary Thomas Barritt and now preserved in the Manchester City Library (Ancient Armour and Weapons in the Possession of Thos Barrit 1793). The catalogue shows objects both in his own collection and of others that he visited in the north of England. He describes the jack as 'A Bigantine jacket quilted within with square pieces of iron about an inch in diameter and sliding over each other like the scales of fishes, and covered over with strong linen'. One of the Worden jacks (probably that now in the Royal Armouries Museum, inv. No. III.1884) was lent by Miss ffarington to the Exhibition of Ancient Helmets and Examples of Mail held in the rooms of the British Archaeological Association in 1881 (De Cosson & Burgess 1881, cat. no. 49, p.591) The collection was sold by a local auctioneer in 1948. The purchaser of the three jacks subsequently lent them to Rufford Old Hall, Lancashire. One of them in due course passed to a private collection in the USA but was in 1982 acquired by the Royal Armouries, H.M. Tower of London, while those forming the present and following lots had from some time before 1981 been sent for conservation to the North Western Museum and Art Gallery Service at Blackburn, Lancashire.
Lot 513
TWO HIGHLY RARE AND IMPORTANT ENGLISH PLATESLEEVES, CIRCA 1580-90 deriving from the same series as one another and formed in each case of widely separated columns of long, narrow, overlapping rectangular plates of iron with cropped corners, secured by lines of vertical and horizontal stitches of crossbow twine through holes at their centres between the inner and outer layers of a voluminous fabric sleeve that is slightly shaped to the elbow and narrows to the wrist where a longitudinal slit was originally closed by a lace passing through a single reinforced hole at each side, the upper edge of the sleeve pierced at its outside with pairs of similar holes to lace it to an underlying garment (the outer fabric discoloured, worn through and split at points; both covered over where required by nylon netting) left 59.5 cm; 23½ in; right 63.0 cm; 24¾ in (2) Provenance Sir William ffarindon, Worden Hall, Lancashire (sold by auction 1948) A private English collection Literature Alexander de Cosson & William Burgess, 'Catalogue of the Exhibition of Ancient Helmets and Examples of Mail', Archaeological Journal, Vol. XXXVII, 1881, p.591, fig. 220 Ian Eaves, 'On the Remains of a Jack of Plate Excavated from Beeston Castle in Cheshire', Journal of the Arms and Armour Society, Vo. XIII, no. 2, September 1989, pp. 88-9 & 150, n. 68, pl. XLIB The wearing of platesleeves - sometimes referred to in contemporary documents as a 'sleeves of plate' or 'sleeves of metal' - in conjunction with the jack of plate is mentioned in English and Scottish records of the second quarter of the 16th century to the first quarter of the 17th century (Eaves 1989, pp. 88 & 150, n. 66-8). A report sent to the Venetian Senate in 1577 observed that the English wore jacks, shirts of mail or quilted canvas doublets with no defences for their arms other than 'plates of mail put lengthways' (Calendar of State Papers, Venetian, Vol. VI (1556-7). p. 1048). It is perhaps defences of this kind that are referred to in the accounts of the Armouries Office for 1560 which mention the costs of fourteen pairs of sleeves made of old gorgets (National Archives, Kew, Pipe Office Declared Accounts 2962, f. 7). References to platesleeves occur with particular frequency in Scottish and Northern English documents of the period. For example, a Scottish order relating to the raising of troops for a campaign in France in 1552 required them to be equipped with 'a jack of platt, steilbonnet, splent slevis, of mailyie or plait', while the record of a muster held in Morayshire in 1595/6 showed many of those attending as being armed with a 'jack, steilbonat, pleitslevis' (Registers of the Privy Council of Scotland, Vol. I, p. 130, and Vol. XIV, p. 379). In Northern England, Thomas Hondly's will of 1588 mentions 'a jack, plait sleves, gauntlet, steel cap', while an inventory of Thomas Fischer's possessions of c. 1590 refers to 'a coat of plait' and two 'pair of plateslevis' (J. C. Hodgeson, Wills and Inventories …of the Northern Countie, Pt 3, Surtees Society, Vol. CXI, 1906, pp. 145-6 & 153). Aside from the platesleeves offered here, only one other pair of such defences, now in the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, inv. no. III.1885, survives today. The two pairs were originally preserved together at Worden Hall in Lancashire at part of a collection formed by Sir William ffarington (c. 1704-81) at Worden Hall, Lancashire, after 1765. They are referred to in an inventory of the collection prepared between 1846 and c. 1870 as accompanying, in frames, three jacks of plate (wrongly called 'Brigandines Jackets') for bowmen of the time of Elizabeth. The history of this group of pieces is recorded in detail under the two previous lots. At some time before 1981 they were sent for conservation to the North Western Museum and Art Gallery Service at Blackburn, Lancashire, where the sleeves were enclosed within protective nylon netting.
Lot 15
Christos BOKOROSGreek, born 1956Offeringoil on woodsigned lower right45.5 x 28.5 cmPROVENANCEprivate collection, Athens Christos Bokoros was born in Agrinio in 1956. Between 1974 and 1979 he studied law and later he enrolled at the School of Fine Arts, Athens (1983-1989) where he studied painting under D. Mytaras. His work is characterised by the extremely accurate and persuasive depiction of the visible world, a quality that governs his entire oeuvre. He has explored themes through allegorical or symbolic studies, to realise the archetypal dimension of simple things and contemplate their meaning.The key features of his oeuvre are the ritualistic repetition of certain motifs such as the flame, the correlation of the tangible with the intangible, the individual with the universal and the past with the present. These themes sometimes interact poetically and sometimes semantically, evoking memories either personal or collective and frequently turn the very act of painting into a kind of spiritual exercise. He has presented his work in a large number of solo and group exhibitions in Greece and abroad, such as the 24th International Festival of Painting in 1992 (Cagnes-sur-Mer, France), where he was awarded the Grand Prix, and the 13th Mediterranean Biennial of Contemporary Art in 1994 (Nice, France) where he won the city prize 'Saint Paul de Vence'. His work can be found in: The National Gallery of Greece, The Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and many other public and private collections.
Lot 52
Stelios VOTSISCypriot, 1929-2012landscapeink on papersigned lower rightcirca 196031 x 24 cmPROVENANCEprivate collection, NicosiaVotsis was born in Larnaca. He studied Fine Art in London at St. Martin’s School of Art, Sir John Cass College of Art and at the Royal Academy. In 1955 he graduated from The Slade School of Art, University College London. On his return to Cyprus after his studies, he exhibited widely in Cyprus, Greece and internationally. Most notable being his participations in 1967 and 1971 at the Alexandria biennale, in 1968 and 1972 at the Venice biennale, in 1969 at the Sao Paolo biennale, and in 1969, 1973 and 1975 at the Ljubljana biennale.In 1973 Votsis was awarded the Ruskin prize in drawing.Votsis started with abstraction and gradually moved into representational art with works that are full of lyricism and poetry. His approach is a geometrical analysis of physical dimensions. Ηe explores the structure of matter and mind, sometimes using big areas of colour and sometimes with linear monochromatic work. His work can be seen at the collections of The State Gallery of Contemporary Cypriot Art, Central Bank of Cyprus Art Collection, The National Bank of Greece, The Commercial Bank of Greece, The Hellenic Bank Cultural Centre, The Limassol Municipal Gallery, The Archbishop Makarios III Foundation-Cultural Centre, The Vorre Museum and in a large number of public and private collections in Cyprus and abroad.
Lot 27
Glyn HUGHESCypriot, born in Britain, 1931-2014Untitledmixed media on hardboardsigned and dated 1962 on the reverse47 x 57 cmPROVENANCEprivate collection, Nicosia In 1959 Hughes met Christoforos Savva (who had studied under André Lhote in Paris), when they were both exhibiting at The Ledra Hotel (there were no galleries at the time). The following year, in the spring of 1960, he and Savva opened the island’s first gallery and cultural centre of its kind, the Apophasis, with the aim of launching contemporary art in Cyprus. This was housed in Sophocleous Street, where Savva lived, and exhibitions where held in the outside courtyard.The same summer, when Cyprus gained independence, the gallery moved to Apollo Street, were Hughes and Savva exhibited their work and the work of other artists. Lectures and discussions were held with speakers like the great Russian film director, Sergei Bonderchuck.While with Savva at Apophasis, Hughes produced work influenced by the European avant-garde. The independence of Cyprus (1960) could not be a better time for creativity. This work is from this great period of modern Cypriot art.This work is from the period when Hughes worked closely with Savva.His work can be found in many public and private collections in Cyprus. Notably at The State Gallery of Contemporary Cypriot Art, The Limassol Municipal Gallery, The Bank of Cyprus Cultural Centre Foundation, The Central Bank of Cyprus Art Collection, The Hellenic Bank Cultural Centre, The Archbishop Makarios III Foundation-Cultural Centre and The Costas & Rita Severis Foundation.
Lot 46
Andreas CHARALAMBIDESCypriot, b.1938Cypriot landscapeoil on canvassigned and dated 86 lower left50 x 70 cmPROVENANCEprivate collection, Nicosia Charalambides studied at The Royal College of Art under Sir Terry Frost, RA and has since been developing a career of international standing, based in his native historical town of Paphos. He has built a reputation as a figurative painter of the Cypriot generation of the 1960’s.His paintings are composed and executed with the skill of an Old Master, yet they are unmistakably modern. He has forged his own unique pictorial language, which is essentially steeped in the diachronic Mediterranean culture. The Italian 16th and the Dutch 17th century, the early works of Picasso and Modigliani, the Medieval frescoes and mosaics of Sienna and Paphos, and most of all the myths and legends of Hellenism are his main points of reference. The imagery and atmosphere bears an element of magic and archetypal metaphysical energy, and is articulated with frugal forms and a strict palette, where golds and browns are used to model and accentuate selected details and key figures.He held more than twenty solo and more than twenty group exhibitions in Athens, Nicosia, London, Alexandria, Beirut, Baghdad, Kuwait, New Delhi, Amsterdam and New York.His work can be found in many public and private collections in Cyprus and abroad. Notably at The State Gallery of Contemporary Cypriot Art, The Limassol Municipal Gallery, The Paphos Municipal Gallery, The Bank of Cyprus Cultural Centre Foundation, The Central Bank of Cyprus Art Collection and The Archbishop Makarios III Foundation-Cultural Centre.
Lot 18
Zoe ZENGHELISBritish, born Greece 1937Untitledacrylic on papersigned and dated 86 lower left14 x 20 cmPROVENANCEprivate collection, London Zoe Zenghelis was born in Athens, Greece. She studied painting and drawing with Orestis Kanelis. In the 1960s she left Greece to study stage design and painting at The Regent Street Polytechnic, London.It was a period when many art and architecture students had tutors strongly influenced by the Modernist Movement. Ultimately she and her fellow graduates went on to fly the flag of Modernism themselves, now absorbed seamlessly into the contemporary art and design of the day. Zoe started her painting career as a founding member of OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) and painted for presentations, exhibitions and publications. Gradually she focused more on her own paintings and less on architectural presentations, so that in the 1980s she became known as a painter in her own right, exhibiting in the UK, Europe and the USA. From 1982 to 1993, in partnership with Madelon Vriesendorp, she ran the colour workshop at The Architectural Association, London. Zoe has also taught at: UCLA, Los Angeles, California, UCA CAL, State Polytechnic, Pomona, USA, Plymouth Polytechnic , Brighton Polytechnic and Edinburgh University.Collections holding works by Zoe Zenghelis for OMA include: Museum of Modern Art, New York, Gilman Paper Co., Time Life Building permanent Exhibition, New York, Hans Wagner private Collection, London, Peter Klimt collection, London, Alpha Credit Bank, Athens, Greece, Dr. Andreas Papadakis collection, London, Frankfurt Museum, Germany, Central Bank of Cyprus Art Collection, Bank of Cyprus Cultural Centre Foundation
Lot 55
Rhea BAILEYCypriot, b. 1946Figureetchingsigned and dated 1970 lower rightedition 2/1049 x 25 cmPROVENANCEprivate collection, Nicosia Rhea Bailey was born in Nicosia, where she lives and works. She studied in England at Sir John Cass School of Art (1964-65) and obtained a BA Honours in Art and Design from Liverpool College of Art, UK (1965-69). Since 1971 she has had 35 solo exhibitions in Cyprus, UK, USA, Greece and Spain and has participated in over 50 group exhibitions, art festivals, art workshops, art competitions and congresses in many countries. Her works are part of major public and private collections all over the world and she has received many international awards.Bailey’s paintings reflect new aspects of the artistic experience and contribution to contemporary art. Rhea is among the few Cypriot artists who crossed the boundaries of the established traditions in Art and revealed the possibilities of a new personal approach. Her work has been considered a vehicle that 'transfers us to other dimensions from where we can draw perfection’ and that it ‘provides a conceptual bridge to contemporary art forms'.Her work can be found in many public and private collections in Cyprus. Notably at The State Gallery of Contemporary Cypriot Art, The Bank of Cyprus Cultural Centre Foundation, The Hellenic Bank Cultural Centre, The Limassol Municipal Gallery and the Archbishop Makarios III Foundation-Cultural Centre.
Lot 1691
11th-12th century AD. A gold ring with tapering shank, the lower part ridged, the bezel formed as a reclining lion stretched over shoulders of ring, front paws crossed, and with head turned to one side. 10 grams, 20.30mm overall, 14.75mm internal diameter (approximate ring size British H, USA 3 3/4, Europe 6.18, Japan 6) (3/4"). Ex Beale collection, Kent, UK; acquired on the UK art market. The style of the lion is similar to those depicted in the mosaics on the wall of the throne room of King Roger II at the royal palace, and the Palatine chapel, of Palermo, Sicily. It has been suggested that these were influenced by Sassanian imagery that would have been familiar to the Normans from their travels in the east as mercenaries under the Byzantine emperors.The lion also appears on a capital in the cloister court of Monreale, Sicily, on the shields of Saracen soldiers in the service of the King of Italy, and as a repeating motif on the exterior of the apse of Palermo Cathedral. Lions were commonplace in eleventh century art and sculpture and are often found associated with Norman royal families as a symbol of their court. The contemporary use of similar symbols in the Arab and Byzantine worlds, and the fact that Saracen architects designed some of the decoration for the Sicilian cathedrals, whose mosaics reflect Byzantine influences, suggests a kingdom that benefited from strong cultural and economic links with the wider world. . Very fine condition. Very rare.
Lot 1792
Dated 1817 AD. A flat-section gold hoop with black enamelled outer face, high-relief text in capitals '***PRINCESS CHARLOTTE / OBT.NOVR.6 1817. Æ: 21. in contemporary hinged case, silk lined and marked 'Russels, 18 Church Street, Liverpool and Lloyd St., Llandudno'. 8.81 grams including case, ring: 19mm overall, 16.95 mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.16, Japan 12) (3/4"). Property of a Suffolk lady; acquired on the UK art market. . Very fine condition. Rare.
Lot 456
The First Work on the Law of the King's Forest by John Manwood (d.1610), A Treatise of the Laws of the Forest, Wherein is Declared Not Only Those Laws, As They are Now in Force, But Also the Original and Beginning of Forests; And What a Forest is in its Own Proper Nature, and Wherein the Same Doth Differ from a Chase, A Park or a Warren, Wit All Such Things as are Incident or Belonging Thereunto, With the Several Proper Terms of Art. Also a Treatise of the Pourallee, Declaring what Pourallee is, How the Same First Began, What Pourallee May Do, How he May Hunt and Use his Own Pourallee, How Far he May Pursue and Follow After His Chase; Together with the Limits and Bounds as Well of the Forest, As the Pourallee. Collected, As Well Out of the Common Laws and Statutes of this Land; As also Out of Sundry Learned Ancient Authors, And Out of the Assises of Pickering and Lancaster by John Manwood. Whereunto are Added the Statutes of the Forest; A Treatise of the Several Offices of Verderors, Regardors and Forestors, and the Courts of Attachments, Swanimote and Justice-seat of the Forest, And Certain Principal Cases, Judgments, And Entries of the Assises of Pickering and Lancaster. Never Heretofore Printed for the Publique. Corrected, And Much Inlarged. London: Printed for the Company of Stationers, 1665. 552 pp. Quarto (7-1/2" x 5-1/2"). Contemporary calf, blind rules to boards, rebacked in period style, raised bands and lettering piece to spine. Hinges damaged, backboard loose, spine label only partly present.
Lot 1055
8th century AD. A hollow fabricated pendant comprising: transverse tubular suspension bar with beaded wire collars, granule and beaded wire detailing; waisted D-shaped plaque with granule and beaded wire bands, scooped eyelids and tubular eye sockets with black glass insets; old collector's accession number to the reverse. Cf. similar gold beast-head finial on the Alfred Jewel in Webster, L. & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, item 260. Accompanied by an Art Loss Register certificate. 4.61 grams, 29mm (1 1/4"). From the Maurice Braham collection 1997; formerly in the collection of Lord Alastair McAlpine in the early 1980s. Accompanied by a positive X-Ray Fluorescence metal analysis certificate. The pendant is one of a series of Middle Saxon type prestige items bearing fierce dragon-head imagery, of which the Alfred Jewel is the most notable example. Similar heads, facing and in profile, appear on the Anglian 'Coppergate' helmet from York where they form terminals to the nasal and to the decorative raised border of the ocular. The design reflects the Insular Style of ornament, with raised bands to the brow and roundels for the eyes. Similar animal heads are incorporated in the decorative schemes of contemporary manuscripts such as the Book of Kells. . Extremely fine condition. Excessively rare.
Lot 1400
10th-12th century AD. A carved stone figure fragment of Parshvanatha standing nude against a background of coiling snake body and holding lotus blossoms to his thighs; seven hooded cobra rearing above head drilled socket to the underside. Cf. Pal, P. The Peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India, Los Angeles, 1994, p.135, for a similar statuette now in the Indian Museum, Calcutta. 9.3 kg, 37cm (14 1/2"). From an important London collection, acquired in the 1990s. Veneration of the twenty four Jinas is the most significant devotional focus in Jainism. These perfected-beings serve as role models to guide the faithful on the proper path to liberation from the endless cycles of rebirth. While all are revered as great teachers, four of the Jinas occupy the most exalted positions and have received particular attention in textual and artistic portrayals. Parshvanatha was the twenty third Jina and is believed to have lived in the eighth century BC. He was the penultimate of the Tirthankaras, or 'ford-crossers', the last being Mahavira, a contemporary of the Buddha. According to legend Parshvanatha was protected by the seven-headed snake king Dharana from the attacks launched against him by the demonic Meghamalin. Hence his symbolic creature is a snake and he is always depicted with the seven hoods of the snake rearing over him protectively. It is probable that Parshvanatha is based on a real historical person, possibly a prince, who founded the order of Nirgrantha, or 'the untrammelled', meaning those who have freed themselves from the bonds of Karma. Jinas are always shown in the seated posture or the standing body-abandonment pose, kayotsarga. The latter is a position uniquely Jain and combines vigorous austerity and non-violence through immobility, thereby avoiding even accidental injury to other creatures. Perhaps because Jain images are often indistinguishable from those of the Buddha, a distinctive chest mark, srivatsa, was introduced to establish a deity's identity as a Jina. Early in their history, due in part to a conflict over what constitutes total renunciation, Jainism split into two groups: the Svetambaras, meaning 'white clad' or clothed, and the Digambaras, 'sky clad' or naked. The Digambaras are the more austere sect and their monks consider any possessions, including clothing, a hindrance to spiritual liberation. The central teaching of Jainism is Ahimsa, meaning none-violence. This is summed up by the last Tirthankara, Mahavira who said, Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being. . Fine condition; arms absent.
Lot 134
Gladys MacCabe ROI FRSA MA HRUA (b.1918) Night at the Opera oil on board signed lower right 50 x 61cm (20 x 24in) Provenance: Private Collection Gladys MacCabe was born in County Antrim in 1918. One of her ancestors was a famous 18th-century Scottish painter, Sir George Chalmers. She had a picture published in the Royal Drawing Society's magazine when she was 16 years old and went on to study at the Belfast College of Art. In 1941 she married fellow artist and musician Max Maccabe (who died in 2000). Gladys and Max exhibited together on many occasions, starting in Ireland at Robinson & Cleaver in Belfast, 1942, and in England at the Kensington Art Gallery in 1949. Gladys and Max were members of the group of artists known as The Contemporary Ulster Group, which included Dan O'Neill, George Campbell, and Gerard Dillon. William Conor was also an associate and Gladys painted his portrait in 1957 (now hanging in the Ulster Folk Museum). She formed the Ulster Society of Women Artists in 1957, as she felt that there was an untapped wealth of talent among the women artists of Northern Ireland. The Society's first major exhibition was in the Belfast Museum and Art Gallery in 1959.
Lot 377
Prof. Antonio Frilli (Italian/Florentine, d. 1902),"Bust of a Nubian Maiden", marble, inscribed "A. Frilli / Firenze" on reverse of truncation, h. 30 1/2 in., w. 21 in., d. 13 1/2, contemporary marble socle, overall h. 37 in. Note: Antonio Frilli was a Florentine sculptor who worked primarily with Carrara marble and alabaster. His delicately executed original works and replicas garnered national acclaim, and he was highly sought-after in his lifetime, notably commissioned by Leland Stanford to create several of the impressive statues that decorate the Stanford University Campus. Frilli founded the Frilli Gallery in 1860, as a studio and art atelier in Florence, the capital art city of the Belle Epoque. An astute businessman, Frilli ensured that his gallery participated in many World Fairs, garnering international attention and taking home awards and prizes throughout the year. In 1904, he posthumously won the Grand Prix at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis for his exquisite marble sculpture entitled “Woman Lying on a Hammock,” which showcased his exceptional talent and ability to manipulate a notoriously difficult medium.In this lot, Frilli’s tremendous skills are on display particularly in the various textures that create the composition. His execution of the coarse fringed textile compared to that of the ringlets of hair and the details of the cabbage leaf crown is remarkable given the challenge inherent in accurately rendering each component. The maiden’s shawl falls open, revealing her left breast, a striking visual reminiscent of Amazonian warriors which lends gravitas to the figure who is being presented in such high esteem.Ref.:“About Us.” Frilli Gallery. www.frilligallery.com. Accessed Oct. 22, 2016.
Lot 850
Andrew LaMar Hopkins (American/New Orleans, 20th c.), "A Typical Day in Antebellum New Orleans", 2015, acrylic on canvas board, signed and dated lower right, signed, titled, dated and artist's card en verso, 20 in. x 16 in., framed. Note: Born in Mobile, AL, Andrew Hopkins’ art is greatly influenced by New Orleans and his love of all things French. Hopkins, an avid student of history, meticulously researches and immaculately executes his historic tableaus of the 18th and 19th centuries, resulting in beautifully rendered architectural interiors with period dress and exacting detail such as the work offered here. Each object included in his composition is period correct and often inspired by items within Hopkins' own collection of antiques.A person of Creole descent, Hopkins is passionate about his ancestry, and his subjects typically focus on Creole and free people of color in New Orleans. On his paternal side, he is a direct descent of Nicolas Baudin, who obtained a land grant in 1710 for an island south of Mobile, which he named Mon Louis. As a descent of Baudin, Hopkins is related to several French governors of Louisiana. As evidenced in “A Typical Day in Antebellum New Orleans,” Hopkins creates scenes that are both familiar and intriguing. Combining his period subject matter with simple, non-dimensional renderings of people reminiscent of the Early American Primitive School of portrait painters, Hopkins is often compared to artists such as Joshua Johnson and Julien Hudson. However, his contemporary use of color and often whimsical elements imbue his works with a style uniquely his own. Ref.: Cutrone, Lee. “Andrew LaMar Hopkins.” New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles. Spring 2015. www.myneworleans.com. Accessed Oct. 23, 2016.
Lot 821
John Christian Schetky (British, 1778-1874) Dunottar Castle off the Coast in Aberdeenshire, with a British frigate, a fishing boat in the centre distance, and to the right a naval barge watercolour 26 x 36cm (10 x 14in) Provenance: Lt. Col. Charles Howard Bury; Rex Beaumont Esq; The Leger Galleries, 13 Old Bond Street, London, W1. Other Notes: John Christian Schetky (1778-1874) was a Scottish marine painter, commissioned by George IV, William IV and Queen Victoria, and son of Johann Georg Christoff Schetky who was a renowned composer and cellist. Schetky was educated at the Royal High School in Edinburgh, where he befriended a near contemporary, Walter Scott. Schetky studied art under Alexander Naysmyth, moving later to Oxford where he spent six years teaching as an arts master. After obtaining a post in 1808 at the Royal Military College at Great Marlow, he was appointed Professor of Drawing at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth. Condition appears fine.
Lot 215
A silver four-piece condiment set,by Anthony Elson, London 1969,and stamped Hennell London,with trellis work texture decoration,comprising a caster, a pepper, the mustard and salt with gilt interiors,caster 14cm high, 20.2oz excluding blue glass liners (4)Anthony Elson (b.1935) trained at Brighton College of Art, before moving on to the Royal College of Art. His first job subsequently was at William Comyns Ltd. Then, in 1966, he took over a company that had produced traditional ecclesiastical designs, and there he proceeded to start developing his contemporary designs. Examples of his work are in Salters' Hall, the Inner Temple, London and Lincoln Cathedral.
Lot 197
Shane Blount (b.1978) IN TOO DEEP, 2008 oil on canvas signed and dated lower right; titled on reverse 40 x 60in. (101.60 x 152.40cm) Blueleaf Gallery, Dublin; Where purchased by the present owner Shane Blount was born in Dublin in 1978 and grew up in Bray, County Wicklow. Interested in art at a young age and self-taught, Blount was influenced by the work of Rembrandt and contemporary artists Lucien Freud and Jenny Saville. In 2001, after three years of studying life drawing at Ballyfermot Senior College, Blount addressed himself to painting full-time. From participating in exhibitions in 2003 Blount received numerous private and commercial commissions. In 2005 his work was selected for the Greenstar Open Exhibition in the Mermaid Centre, Bray. In a provocatively realist manner Blount paints people around him, capturing expressive figurative gesture through meticulous detail. Often, Blount's subjects are closely familiar to him - his sister, brother and, in this instance, himself. Blount finds that working with subjects whose personalities, emotions and gestures are familiar to him, including his own, provides him with a direct, pared down means of expressing the mood he wants to convey. Blount's paintings have been shown in numerous exhibitions in Ireland, Scotland, England and Europe. His work is represented in many collections throughout Ireland, Britain and Europe.
Lot 89
William Crozier HRHA (1930-2011) GARDEN AT NIGHT oil on canvas signed lower left; signed on reverse 64 x 66in. (162.56 x 167.64cm) Claremorris Gallery, Co. Mayo; Private collection Crozier was born in Glasgow to Irish parents and educated at the Glasgow School of Art between 1949 and 1953. On graduating he spent time in Paris and Dublin before settling in London, where he gained a reputation as an important young British artist through the early success and notoriety of his exhibitions of assemblages and paintings at the ICA, Drian and the Arthur Tooth galleries, with whom he had a long association. Profoundly affected by post-war existential philosophy, Crozier allied himself and his work consciously with contemporary European art throughout the 1950s and 1960s, rather than with the New York abstractionists, who were more fashionable in the UK at the time. He was also part of the artistic and literary world of 1950s Soho, a close associate of 'the Roberts', Colquhoun and MacBryde, John Minton and William Scott, and part of the expatriate middle-European and Irish intellectual circles in London of the time. Crozier spent 1963 in southern Spain with the Irish poet Anthony Cronin; this proved pivotal to Crozier's development as an artist. On his return to the UK, he began a series of skeletal paintings which anticipated the 'New Expressionist' German painters of the 1980s, and which were influenced by Crozier's visit in 1969 to Auschwitz and Belsen. Based in London throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Crozier exhibited his works in London, Glasgow, Dublin and all over Europe. Crozier spent much of 1960s and 1970s teaching. He became a citizen of Ireland in 1973 and started spending more time in Ireland. From the 1980s, Crozier's painting blossomed with a new freedom and confidence, the result of his giving up teaching and the stimulus provided by his studios in West Cork in Ireland, and in Hampshire in England. His abstract landscapes and still life painting used sumptuous colour to convey an emotional intensity. To the end of his life, he was endlessly concerned with the challenge of creating a new language in figurative painting. William Crozier represented Britain and Ireland at overseas exhibitions, and was awarded the Premio Lissone in Milan in 1958 and the Oireachtas Gold medal for Painting in Dublin in 1994. In 1991 the Crawford Art Gallery Cork and the Royal Hibernian Academy curated a retrospective of his work. He was elected to Aosdána in 1992 and was elected an honorary member of the Royal Hibernian Academy. In 2005 Crozier celebrated his 75th birthday with a major exhibition in Cork to celebrate the European Capital of Culture. He celebrated his 80th year with a large exhibition of his current work at the Flowers Galleries. A concurrent exhibition of his painting of the 1950s and 60s was shown at the Pyms Gallery, London, which triggered a reappraisal of his early painting. Acquisitions of his work by the Tate Gallery and the National Gallery of Ireland quickly followed.
Lot 11
* MOIRA BEATY (SCOTTISH 1922 - 2015),STILL LIFE WITH CHERRIESoil on board, signed26cm x 36cmFramed and under glassNote: Moira went to Glasgow School of Art in 1939 where her contemporaries included Joan Eardley and Margot Sandeman. These three young women were regarded by their lecturers as the brightest stars of their generation. After one year as a student she was recruited to Bletchley Park where she worked as a code breaker, one of Churchill's 'corkscrew thinkers'. She returned to GSA in 1947 to complete her studies. Moira's enduring talent was recognised again in 2014 at the age of 92 with a sell out exhibition in Kirkcudbright. Moira Beaty was a resolute and determined woman who was an integral part of the famous group at Bletchley Park who did much to aid the Allies' victory in the Second World War. She worked in Hut 8 where Alan Turing and Peter Twinn set up the Naval Enigma Code. Beaty was responsible to Twinn - the first mathematician to be recruited to Bletchley. ''I discovered something,'' Beaty modestly remarked years later, ''a code within a code. I was immediately moved to within the codebreakers and became a cryptographer working on the German Secret Service codes.'' The Twinn team was involved in breaking the secretive Abwehr codes which were even more complicated than the ordinary military messages. The information this provided to the Allies in such major operations as the desert campaign, the D-Day landings and the sinking of the battleship Tirpitz proved vital to the war effort. Her first solo exhibition was at the Open Eye Gallery in Edinburgh in 1979 and at the Collins Gallery in Glasgow. Her works were also seen at the Cadogan Contemporary Gallery in London and around Dumfries - notably at the Gracefield Arts Centre. In 2001 Gracefield held a major retrospective exhibition of both Moira and Stuart Beaty's works, entitled Full Circle. In 2014 Beaty officially opened the Kirkcudbright Summer Art Exhibition: Glasgow Girls 1920 - 1960, and held a solo exhibition in the town's Harbour Cottage Gallery. Both exhibitions were hugely popular and, at 92, Moira Beaty was still making a strong impression and gaining new collectors.
Lot 12
*JUNE REDFERN,SOUTHERN SHOREoil on linen, signed, titled and dated 2002 verso39cm x 29.5cmFramedLabel verso: Aitken & Dott Ltd, The Scottish Gallery, EdinburghExhibited: The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, 'Christmas Exhibition 2002', 30 November - 24 December, 2002Note: June Redfern’s work is widely represented in private and public collections including: National Gallery (London), Leeds Education Authority, Contemporary Art Society (London), Middlesborough Art Gallery, Dundee Art Gallery, Charlotte Englehart Foundation, Bradford Art Gallery, Laing Art Gallery, Kirkcaldy Art Gallery, University of Strathclyde, Michael Peters Group plc, Robert Fleming plc, Arthur Anderson, Texaco plc, Hiscox Holdings, Berkshire Associates, Proctor and Gamble, Spectrum (London), Standard Life, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Maclaurin Art Gallery, Glasgow Museum and Art Gallery, Lewisham College, Lillie Art Gallery (Glasgow), Paintings in Hospitals, BBC Television and Albertina Museum (Vienna).
Lot 177
* DAVY BROWNTHE WATER OF RENoil on board, dated verso 200661cm x 61cmFramed and under glass. Note: Davy Brown was born in Kilmarnock in 1950. As a young Scottish artist Davy studied at the Glasgow School of Art under David Donaldson and Duncan Shanks. In 1975 he won a modern art scholarship from the Institute of Cultural Affairs in Chicago. This enabled Davy to travel extensively in the USA and Canada. When he returned from his travels he successfully taught contemporary art in Scottish schools. Throughout this time he continued to paint and exhibit his paintings along with other leading Scottish artists in both Scottish art galleries and modern British art galleries further afield. Davy left teaching in 2002 to concentrate on his painting full time. Over the years his paintings, with their very distinctive style, have consistently grown in popularity. For much of this time Davy Brown paintings have been inspired by his love of the Scottish landscapes.
Lot 48
* JOHN KINGSLEY RSW PAI,CROWN ROAD NORTHoil on canvas, signed51cm x 70cmFramed and under glass.Note: John Kingsley was born in Glasgow in 1956. He studied drawing and painting at Glasgow School of Art from 1973-77. His art tutors included James D Robertson, David Donaldson and Geoffrey Squire. From 1980-86 he exhibited in one-man shows at the annual S.N.O. promenade concerts at the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow and in 1986 he was elected a member of Group 81 Artists, who exhibited regularly at the McLellan Galleries, Glasgow. John Kingsley has established a reputation as a leading Scottish contemporary artist. He was a finalist in the Hunting Art Prizes competition in London in 1989, 1993 and 1998, and was highly commended in the same competition in 1996. In 1991 Kingsley won the William Bowie Landscape Prize and in 1992 the Mary Armour Award at the Paisley Art Institute. Kingsley has an international reputation with art works in many public and private art collections across Europe, Australia, Canada and the USA. His paintings are found in the art collections of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Argyll and Bute District Council and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow and in numerous corporate collections,
Lot 255
Various Dictionaries of Artists including A Dictionary of Artists Who Have Exhibited Works In The Principal London Exhibitions From 1770 to 1893 by Algernon Graves, F.S.A. (1969), Dictionary of British Art Volume VI 20th Century Painters and Sculptors by Frances Spalding (1991), A Dictionary of Contemporary British Artists, 1929 by Bernard Dolman (1981), British Profile Miniaturists by Arthur Mayne (1970), The Dictionary of British Artists Working 1900-1950 by Grant M. Waters (1975), Dictionary of Victorian Painters by Christopher Wood (1978)
Lot 553
HORN, RESIN AND SIMULANT TURQUOISE BUTTERFLY PENDANT, ELIZABETH BONTE, PARIS, EARLY 20TH CENTURY designed as a carved horn moth set to the centre with a paste turquoise cabochon and a conical paste drop suspended from a brown silk cord necklace decorated with ovoid resin, black and stimulant turquoise beads, signed E Bonté length approximately 820mm, one black bead deficient The French designer, Elizabeth Bonté, is renowned for her Art Nouveau carved horn jewellery, easily identifiable by the signature that appears on nearly all of her pieces. The butterfly pendant of this sautoir is a classic motif of hers; others include dragonflies or exotic flowers and most are finished with a drop of simulated stone. The engraved horn is either soaked in hydrogen peroxide to add sheen to the translucent material or painted with a fine layer of pearly enamel to give the effect of real insect wings. The paste beads simulate turquoise or other hard stones and ambers. Her contemporary George Pierre created similar jewellery in horn and later went into partnership with her in French Jura until 1936. See Deanna Farnetiu Cera, Amazing Gems, New York,1997, p.55 for a similar example.
Lot 182
A mixed selection of glasswares to include a heavy clear cut Art Glass vase of lobed form with further cut detail, a large Italian opaque grey glass flask and stopper, a contemporary cast metal desk lamp in the form of a nude maiden, signed to base, accommodating an iridescent glass shade, boxed drinking glasses, etc
Lot 105
Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987) Willie Shoemaker, 1978 Synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen ink on canvas 40” x 40” Stamped and authenticated by the Estate of Andy Warhol, numbered ‘PO41.010’ (on overlap) $500,000. – 600,000.Provenance: Estate of the Artist, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. Jane Holzer (Baby Jane) Private Collection Sotheby’s New York: “Contemporary Art: Part Two (Morning)” [Lot 119]: Thursday, November 15, 2001 Private Collection, London: 2001-2005 Private Collection, NY: 2005-present Literature: Sotheby’s “Contemporary Art: Part Two (Morning)” [Lot 119] auction catalogue: New York: Thursday, November 15, 2001 Catalogue Raisonné, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. [Pending] In 1977 Warhol began working on a series of portraits of athletes at the behest of Richard Wiseman, a well-known art collector and sports enthusiast. While the “athletes” series was a deviation from Warhol’s previous subject matter, the theme that tied this group of portraits to many of his previous works remained — fame. Warhol immortalized many iconic figures in “pop culture,” including actors, musicians and political figures. The depiction of athletes was a natural progression and the fame that the athletes embodied was not lost on Warhol. He expressed this sentiment, saying: “I really got to love the athletes because they are the really big stars.” The 10 athletes that constituted this series were Muhammad Ali, Pelé, Dorothy Hamill, Tom Seaver, Jack Nicklaus, O.J. Simpson, Chris Evert, Willie Shoemaker, Rod Gilbert, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Warhol’s portraits of pop icons have become highly prized works of art and continue to produce record auction prices; images of Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor, Marlon Brando, Elvis and others have sold for more than $30,000,000 since 2014, with a Triple Elvis (Ferus Type) leading the way, bringing an astonishing $81,925,000. The first portrait Warhol produced in the “athletes” series was that of Willie Shoemaker, a Pop icon in the racing world, to be sure. Willie Shoe is the Elvis of the turf. Born August 19, 1931, in Fabens, Texas, William Lee Shoemaker became a giant in Thoroughbred racing despite his 2.5-pound beginning. Riding professionally from March 19, 1949, to February 3, 1990, “The Shoe” won 8,833 of 40,350 races, including 11 Triple Crown races. In 1958 at the age of 27, Shoemaker was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. An excerpt from Warhol’s published diary details his meeting of Shoemaker as follows: Monday, March 28, 1977–Los Angeles At 4:00 I went to Fred’s room to photograph Willie Shoemaker the jockey. Richard Weisman commissioned me to do a series of athletes’ portraits. Richard will keep some of the portraits and some will be for sale and the athletes will get to keep some. So Willie was the first athlete. Had to get some film (cab to Schwab’s $3, film $15.30–lost slip). Willie’s wife called from the lobby and she came up with a girlfriend–but without Willie. He didn’t show up till ten after 5:00 and when he saw her, he couldn’t believe she was there. He’d been in court getting a divorce from her, that’s why he was late. Willie’s ex-wife of one hour was one of the tallest women I’ve ever seen. She was dressing Willie for the picture and he looked like an eight-year-old kid. And guess what he was wearing – little jockey shorts! Ordered Martinis and the wife was drinking. She kept asking him for a date to celebrate the divorce and he kept turning her down, he said, “If I’d known that you were going to be here, I wouldn’t have come.”
Lot 2022
HOWARD E. POST, OIL ON CANVAS H 35" L 72" THREE RANCHERSThree cowboys in Texas landscape. Contemporary American artist born in Tucson. Signed lower left: "H. E. Post". Howard Post completed his bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in fine art at the University of Arizona. From the estate of Dollie Cole (Mrs. Edward ), of Michigan and Texas.Good condition.- For High Resolution Photos visit Dumouchelles website.
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