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Lot 2002A
English School, c. 1800, portrait of John Wesley, oil on panel, framed, annotated to reverse of frame, 27 x 20.5cm. Catalogue notes; The collection of Ernest Pearce (1930-2012) a dedicated art collector and connoisseur of the bookplate.His files of letters reveal that he was in regular correspondence with many well-known artists and fellow collectors from the 1950s onwards, sharing with them his in-depth knowledge and often exchanging rare prints and other works of art. Of particular note is his collection of works by the Romanticist artist Samuel Palmer many of which were purchased from Carlos Peacock, author of 'Samuel Palmer, The Shoreham Years' who himself acquired a number from AH Palmer, Samuel's son. Also works by well-known 20thcentury artists, some, unusually, accompanied by personal notes or cards. Finally, of course, his extensive collection of bookplates including British and Continental artists and some illustrious libraries.Ewbank's is delighted to have this opportunity to bring Ernest Pearce's lifelong collection to the market. Provenance: The family of Ernest Pearce.
Lot 309
Georg Jensen - an enamel brooch, with purple enamel on an abstract 'amoeba' form panel, fitted with hinged pin stem and roll-over safety catch, designed by Henning Koppel, No. 307, post-1945 maker's mark, HK maker's mark, stamped as 925, overall measuring 6.1 x 3.8 cm, total weight of item 28.6 grams.
Lot 322
Georg Jensen - a tension clamp opening moss agate bangle, with an oval moss agate panel set in a ring mount, to a tapered concave band, designed by Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe, No. 203, post-1945 maker's mark, signed 'TORUN', stamped as 925, inner circumference 15.5 cm, bangle width 2.0 cm, hard stone dimension 4.3 x 3.0 cm, total weight of item 49.7 grams.
Lot 347
Georg Jensen - a Modernist ring with spectrolite, comprises an open shank with a flat oval panel end, the other a round spectrolite cabochon, designed by Bent Gabrielsen, No. 176, post-1945 maker's mark, stamped as 925, ring size Q½, total weight of item 12.3 grams.Another sample has been acquired by British Museum.
Lot 350
Georg Jensen - A dress ring with polished hawk's eye, comprises an open shank with a flat round panel end, the other a round tabular hawk's eye stone, designed by Bent Gabrielsen, No. 173, post-1945 maker's mark, BG maker's mark, stamped as 925, ring size N½, total weight of item 15.1 grams.
Lot 1166
An early 19th Century parquetry inlaid and later converted square piano by Broderip & Wilkinson Haymarket London, lacking keys and mechanism, the upright section with a gallery centred by an enamelled name plaque over two glazed doors and a panel, on rectangular base and square tapering legs united by an undertier, height 160cm x depth 46cm x length 156cm.
Lot 973
A 19th Century bells in view musical box, serial number 12108, playing eight airs with tune card, 15.5cm cylinder, the case with rosewood veneered lid inlaid with a later associated 19th Century ivory and boxwood marquetry panel, width 41cm. 2018 Ivory Act application submission reference 9MZKR34Q
Lot 162
A Chinese four panel black lacquer screen. Each panel having two sides, one side inlaid in low relief with soapstone, mother of pearl and wood, carved and hand painted with courtiers in front of a gazebo in a fenced garden with steps leading towards the observer, the whole scene outlined by a circle, the outer corners with some calligraphy. The back side of each panel decorated with hand painted wildflowers within a rectangle, H182cm, W45cm x 4 panels. Mid 20th century.
Lot 37
Sir John Lavery R.A., R.S.A., R.H.A. (1856-1941)Arab gathering signed and dated 'J. Lavery 92' (lower right)oil on panel12.9 x 21.6 cm. (5 1/8 x 8 1/2 in.)Footnotes:ProvenancePrivate Collection, U.K.In January 1891, Lavery first set sail for Tangier, Morocco. He was instantly captivated by its mystery and exoticism and would, of course, later establish a studio there. That first trip, however, was reconnaissance and he made multiple sketches of the souk and kasbah, the winding streets and gates of the old walled city, all in his inimitable impressionistic style. He also ascended to the roof of the Hotel Continental to capture an aerial view of the receding flat white roofs. The starkness of the buildings in Morocco and the contrast they made with the blue of the sky thanks to brilliant sunlight is an abiding feature of Lavery's Moroccan paintings.The present work, painted en plein air, has all of the trademark spontaneity one would expect. Daubs of colour expertly applied represent tents, a bustling crowd, flowing robes and the city behind. This lively scene teams with activity, all set under a typically azure sky and the artist has used the bare wooden panel to his advantage, successfully giving an impression of the dry, sandy ground.We are grateful to Professor Kenneth McConkey for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 38
Sir John Lavery R.A., R.S.A., R.H.A. (1856-1941)Bull fight signed and dated 'J. Lavery 92' (lower right)oil on panel13 x 21.6 cm. (5 1/8 x 8 1/2 in.)Footnotes:ProvenancePrivate Collection, U.K.In 1892 Lavery travelled back from Tangier through Spain with fellow painter Alexander Mann, who noted in letters dated in April and May of that year that despite having a heavy cold, Lavery attended a number of bullfights. It is likely that his interest in this subject was first ignited by close friend Joseph Crawhall's bullfight scenes painted at Algeciras, which were subsequently shown at the Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolours exhibition in Glasgow in 1889. Lavery responds to the scene as an intriguing subject foremost – he found the brutality of the sport unsettling – later commenting to Walter Shaw Sparrow that: 'a curious thing happens when an artist sits down before his subject; material things vanish, only colour and its plots remain, and they look visionary. I have never seen a bullfight, though I have been present at twelve in Madrid and Seville. I don't think I could watch a bullfight, as I am very fond of horses; it is the moving colour that attracts me at this cruel sport' (Walter Shaw Sparrow, John Lavery and his Work, London: Kegan Paul, Trubner, Trench and Co, 1912, p.98).In the present lot, Lavery manages to depict the whole scene quickly and with great skill, captured en plein air by the side of the bullring. Generous brushstrokes convey the expanse of sand filling the ring, with a stripe of orange demarcating the perimeter, beneath a cloudless blue sky. Flashes of colour – the matador's robes in bright green, small accents of red – punctuate the scene. Lavery captures movement with great ease, the matador with flowing purple cape striding into the ring suggested with just a few strokes, and contrasting to the solid, unmoving stance of the bull. Painted on a small scale, this study is expertly executed, with a flourish which echoes that of the scene it describes.We are grateful to Professor Kenneth McConkey for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 4
Alfred Wallis (British, 1855-1942)Mount's Bay with St Michael's Mount signed 'A WALLIS' (lower right)oil on panel23.5 x 33 cm. (9 1/4 x 13 in.)Footnotes:ProvenanceBen Nicholson and Dame Barbara Hepworth, by whom gifted toMiss Misomé PeileWith Crane Kalman Gallery, London, May 1986, where acquired by the family of the present ownerPrivate Collection, U.K.ExhibitedLondon, Tate Gallery, Alfred Wallis, organised by the Arts Council of Great Britain, 30 May-30 June 1968, cat.no.34; this exhibition travelled to York, City Art Gallery, 6-28 July, Aberdeen, Aberdeen Art Gallery, 3-25 August, Kendal, Abbot Hall Art Gallery, 31 August-22 SeptemberMount's Bay with St Michael's Mount enjoys distinguished provenance having formerly been in the collection of Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth. The duo were married in 1938 and moved to St Ives the following year just before the outbreak of war, at the invitation of Adrian Stokes and his wife Margaret Mellis. Nicholson however, together with Christopher Wood, had 'discovered' Wallis a decade prior and he was to become the elder artists greatest champion, both buying and promoting his work among some of the most progressive artists, intellectuals and collectors in 1930s Britain. Of that first encounter, Nicholson said 'In August 1928, I went over for the day to St Ives with Kit Wood: this was an exciting day, for not only was it the first time I saw St Ives, but on the way back from Porthmeor beach we passed an open door in Back Road West and through it saw some paintings of ships and houses on odd pieces of paper and cardboard nailed up all over the wall, with particularly large nails through the smallest ones. We knocked on the door and inside found Wallis, and the paintings we got from him then were the first he made.' (Exh.cat., Two Painters, Works by Alfred Wallis and James Dixon, Merrell Holberton London, 1999, p.105).Wallis's unique approach to perspective and the immediacy of his painting sparked a period of intense experimentation for Ben, clear in his exploration of material and proportion during this pivotal period. An inscription verso shows that the work passed from the Nicholson/Hepworth collection to that of Misome Peile. Peile was born in Hampshire into a naval family and studied art under Leonard Fuller at the St Ives School of Painting from 1939-43, where presumably she encountered the 'St Ives set'. She was an invited member of Newlyn Society of Artists and, in 1949, a founder-member of Penwith Society of Arts.The present lot depicts Mount's Bay, so named for the presence of St Michael's Mount, and is a stretch of coastline that features repeatedly in the artist's work. Wallis, as a seaman, would have held great appreciation for the bay, understanding the shelter it offered vessels in bad weather, then as it still does today. The location is identifiable by the Mount itself, upper centre, and the Lizard lighthouse, top right. A large ship with full sails dominates the composition whilst a gaff-rigged cutter bobs alongside in the choppy waters and the crew of both vessels can be seen working on board. Alfred Wallis went to sea at an early age and worked as an Ordinary Seaman on merchant sailing ships for at least sixteen years. Crew lists show that at 19 or 20 years of age he sailed from Penzance to Newfoundland on a Westcountry schooner, Pride of the West, and returned on a Devon ship 'Belleaventure' a brigantine similar to the sailing ship that is the main subject of this painting. Wallis was an experienced seaman. He knew the ropes. Climbing the rigging in all weathers, day or night to make sail adjustments and taking his turn at the ship's wheel were all part of his life aboard ship and he shows this in this painting.With its vivid hues of green and blue, painterly application and map-like composition, the present work is a tour de force by one of Britain's best loved artists, a fact endorsed by the eminent nature of the previous ownership.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 48
Tristram Hillier R.A. (British, 1905-1983)Selsey Bill signed 'Hillier' (lower left)oil on panel22.6 x 35.6 cm. (8 7/8 x 14 in.)Painted in 1945Footnotes:ProvenanceWith Arthur Tooth & Sons, London, 2 May 1948, where acquired by Colonel F. BarkerHenry Luce III and Claire Booth Luce, thence by descentPrivate Collection, Vermont, U.S.A.ExhibitedLondon, Arthur Tooth & Sons, Paintings by Tristram Hillier, 7 May-1 June 1946, cat.no.28The present work was included in Hillier's exhibition at Arthur Tooth & Son's Bruton Street gallery in summer of 1946. This exhibition, the artist's first with Tooth's, had been slated for 1940 but was delayed due to the war. Many of the works selected for inclusion had to be abandoned by Hillier as he fled from his Normandy studio. Subsequently, these paintings had to be rescued and transported to London at great pains, as it transpired just in time with troops ransacking the Hillier house not long after.The delay to the exhibition resulted in an opportunity for Hillier to showcase the scope of development across the years since his Lefevre exhibition of 1933. Together it grouped a select number of Surrealist compositions such as Variations on the Form of an Anchor (1939, Tate Gallery) with a larger number of dazzling continental scenes such as The Lighthouse (1939, sold in these rooms on 23 November 2016 for £106,250). Hillier also included several recent English scenes in the exhibition, such as the present work, The Forsaken Village (1944) and Lobster Pots (1945). Generally executed on a small scale and demonstrating finely laboured application, these views are all deserted, abandoned even, undoubtedly a reflection of the horrors which the continent had just witnessed. Hillier wrote of the Tooth show - 'My exhibition was as successful as I could have wished. All the pictures were sold, within a few days while the critics were in some cases complimentary and in others exceedingly abusive, so that their reactions were without exception gratifying' (Tristram Hillier, Leda and the Goose, Longmans, London, 1954, p.177).Colonel F. Barker, the works first owner, purchased several works by Hillier, including Étretat (1939), and Chapel at Zarza (1969, sold in these rooms on 22 November 2017).The Estate of Tristram Hillier is preparing a forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the Artist's paintings and would like to hear from owners of any works by Hillier. Please write to The Estate of Tristram Hillier, c/o Modern British and Irish Art, Bonhams, 101 New Bond St, Mayfair, London W1S 1SR or email britart@bonhams.com.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * AR* VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.AR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 63
Sir Peter Blake R.A. (British, born 1932)M.M. Blue & Red signed, titled and dated 'M.M. Blue & Red. Peter Blake. 1990' (verso)collage and enamel paint on panel39.7 x 21.9 cm. (15 5/8 x 8 5/8 in.)Footnotes:ProvenanceWith Waddington Galleries, LondonSale; Christie's, London, 13 June 2002, lots 103, where acquired by the present ownerPrivate Collection, U.K.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ARAR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 64
Sir Peter Blake R.A. (British, born 1932)M.M. Yellow & Blue signed, titled and dated 'M.M. Yellow & Blue. Peter Blake 1990' (verso)collage and enamel paint on panel39.7 x 21.9 cm. (15 5/8 x 8 5/8 in.)Footnotes:ProvenanceWith Waddington Galleries, London, September 1990Sale; Christie's, London, 13 June 2002, lots 100, where acquired by the present ownerPrivate Collection, U.K.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ARAR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 9
John Wells (British 1907-2000)Crystal from the Earth signed, titled and dated 'John Wells. 1946/CRYSTAL from the EARTH' (on the backboard)pencil and oil on panel27 x 25.4 cm. (10 5/8 x 10 in.)Footnotes:ProvenanceMr Geoffrey Bayldon, by whom gifted to the present ownerPrivate Collection, U.K.ExhibitedSt Ives, Tate Gallery, The Fragile Cell, 2 May-1 November 1998, cat.no.14LiteratureMatthew Rowe, The Fragile Cell, Tate Gallery Publishing, St Ives, 1998, p.31, cat.no.14 (col.ill.)'Here is a tremendous language capable of conveying elemental truths. Words cannot say these things' – John WellsIn the immediate post-war years John Wells was able to devote himself fully to his art for the first time and his slow, measured development is apparent in Crystal from the Earth (1946). In the accompanying catalogue to the Tate St Ives' 1998 exhibition The Fragile Cell, Matthew Rowe describes the present work, 'the device of placing an angular structure centrally within the composition evokes the same sensation of sailing boats as earlier paintings such as Untitled (1945). The lower section of the crystal possesses the gently curving 'hull', and the painted triangles that make up the body of the crystal can also be seen as sails or pennants. These references to former techniques are combined with a renewed interest in natural forms. The highly weathered texture of the surface of the painting augments the idea of a natural object being drawn from the subterranean depths of the earth and may prefigure the heavily scraped-back surfaces of Peter Lanyon's paintings – Prelude (1947), for example.' (Matthew Rowe, John Wells, The Fragile Cell, Tate Gallery Publishing, London, 1998). The former owner of Crystal from the Earth was the actor Geoffrey Bayldon who enjoyed a long and decorated career both on the stage in the West End and for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) as well as in film and television, where he played the title role of the children's series Catweazle and the Crowman in Worzel Gummidge.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ARAR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 101
Andalusian School of the 18th century."Calvary of Christ".Wear and tear due to use and the passage of time. Old xylophages in the frame. Two golden mouldings missing from the lower part.Polychrome stucco.Measurements: 54 x 43,5 x 11 cm (panel); 58 x 48 x 13 cm (frame-box).Polychrome stucco panel, with the representation of the bust of Christ carrying the cross, on the way to Calvary. Christ is realistically depicted and the polychromy is very well preserved. His eyes are made of glass and his eyelashes are made of natural hair. It is framed in a wooden urn-box. The glass is missing. In the scene, the Nazarene carries the Cross with great effort, which rests heavily on his back. In order not to fall to the ground, Christ has to lean on his legs, resting his right hand on his left knee. He is depicted in a purple robe, the colour of the Passion. Drops of blood fall from the crown of thorns, staining his face.
Lot 102
Andalusian School of the 18th century."Sorrowful Virgin".Polychrome stucco.Wear and tear due to use and the passage of time. Old xylophages in the frame. Two golden mouldings are missing from the lower part.Measurements: 54 x 43,5 x 11 cm (panel); 58 x 48 x 13 cm (frame-box).Polychrome stucco soffit, with the representation of the bust of the Sorrowful Virgin, it is made with great realism and the polychromy is very well preserved. The eyes are made of glass and the eyelashes are made of natural hair. It is framed in a wooden urn-box. The glass is missing. In the scene, the Virgin is bust-length and slightly turned to her right, her eyes reddened by the tears she has shed.
Lot 11
Flemish school; early 16th century."Ecce homo".Oil on panel. Engatillada.It has faults, losses and repainting.It has an ebony frame from the 16th century.Measurements: 24.5 x 18 cm; 30.5 x 24 cm (frame).Formally this work is dominated by the light treatment, very contrasted and effective, based on a spotlight that falls directly on the figure of Christ. The dramatism that stands out in the scene, reflected in the blood of the body that falls on Christ's body, contrasts with the austere and recollected attitude of the body's posture. It is this composition of the body that brings the artist closer to the Flemish school.This devotional canvas, painted for a private altar or chapel, depicts the theme of Ecce Homo, which is very common in this type of painting. The composition is simple and clear, with Christ's face in the foreground, and the absence of narrative details enhances the expressive power and pathos, designed to move the soul of the faithful who pray before the image, in a sense of tremendism very typical of the Baroque period in Catholic countries. The theme of Ecce Homo belongs to the Passion cycle and precedes the episode of the Crucifixion. Following this iconography, Jesus is presented at the moment when the soldiers mock him, after crowning him with thorns, dressing him in a purple tunic (here red, the symbolic colour of the Passion) and placing a reed in his hand, kneeling down and exclaiming "Hail, King of the Jews". The words "Ecce Homo" are those pronounced by Pilate when presenting Christ to the crowd; their translation is "behold the man", a phrase by which he mocks Jesus and implies that Christ's power was not such in comparison with that of the rulers who were judging him. Formally, this work is dominated by the highly contrasted and dramatic treatment of light, based on a spotlight that falls directly on the figure of Christ. The dramatism that stands out in the scene is reflected in the blood of the body falling on the skin.
Lot 14
Spanish School, ca.1600."The Passion Child, Saint Joseph and John the Baptist".Chapel triptych.Oil on panel.Carved and polychrome wood structure.Perforations. Faults. Losses. Repainting.Measurements: 76 x 85 x 20 cm.Chapel triptych belonging to a transitional period between the Renaissance and the Baroque. The central panel depicts the people of Jerusalem. The scene is devoid of all human references, which are relegated to the side panels: the one on the right shows Saint John the Baptist with the Agnus Dei, and the one on the left shows the Christ Child wearing the tunic of the Passion and accompanied by Saint Joseph. The figures are set in a wooded landscape, discreetly idealised and resolved with attractive chromatic shifts. The ensemble brings together symbolisms prefiguring the sacrifice of Jesus (the Arma Christi and the symbol of the Lamb of God), alluding to his martyrdom, death and resurrection to save humanity. A wooden structure with grooved shafts joins the three panels, the side panels being able to close over the central one to protect the paintings inside, as was usual in this type of chapel.
Lot 26
Flemish School; circa 1500."Ecce homo.Oil on oak panel.It has a 19th century carved and gilded wooden frame.Measurements: 27 x 20 cm; 32 x 25 cm (frame).Christ accepts with a serene face his destiny adopting a pious attitude that enhances his figure. Portrayed with only his long bust, his monumental body stands out against a neutral background, which already anticipates what would be one of the most relevant aesthetic characteristics for the tenebrist current of the Baroque. The artist boldly introduced this neutral background with the intention of creating an image of greater intimacy and symbolic quality. However, he did not abandon the aesthetic characteristics typical of the Flemish primitives, based on the quality of the materials and the painstaking attention to detail that is reflected here, for example, in the gilded powers on the panel, or in the angular folds of Jesus' tunic. This work depicts the theme of Ecce Homo, which is very common in this type of painting. The composition is simple and clear, with Christ's face in the foreground, and the absence of narrative details enhances the expressive power and pathos, designed to move the soul of the faithful who pray before the image, in a tremendist sense typical of the Baroque period in Catholic countries. The theme of Ecce Homo belongs to the Passion cycle and precedes the episode of the Crucifixion. Following this iconography, Jesus is presented at the moment when the soldiers mock him, after crowning him with thorns, dressing him in a purple tunic (here red, the symbolic colour of the Passion) and placing a reed in his hand, kneeling down and exclaiming "Hail, King of the Jews". The words "Ecce Homo" are those pronounced by Pilate when presenting Christ to the crowd; the translation is "behold the man", a phrase by which he mocks Jesus and implies that Christ's power was no match for that of the rulers who were judging him.During the 16th century, the influence of the Flemish school of painting was key to the development of European art. At that time, Flemish painters established a stylistic model based on the search for reality, focusing on the rendering of the qualities of objects, giving special importance to secondary details and using a smooth, draughtsmanlike technique. In the 16th century, as a result of the introduction of the novelties of the Italian Renaissance, the Flemish style evolved towards a more classical and sculptural style, while retaining its own characteristics.
Lot 52
Workshop of LUIS DE MORALES "El divino" (Badajoz, 1509 - Alcántara, 1586)."Pietà".Oil on panel.Size: 44 x 30 cm; 51 x 38 cm (frame).The Virgin Mary embraces the inert body of Jesus, with a sad expression; Christ's olive complexion harmonises with his mother's gesture. Despite the fact that Christ is dead, his face retains the signs of torture: his mouth half-open, the drops of blood trickling down his forehead. These features introduce us to the great drama expressed in this image in which a mother picks up the inert body of her son. The artist shows us a concentrated scene, with both protagonists in the foreground, showing the difference between life, which can be seen in the Virgin's tense hands, and death, reflected in Christ's body, which falls under its own weight. This purity and mysticism reveal the influence of Luis de Morales (Badajoz, 1515-1586), whose elegant, schematic style manages to convey the drama in a simple, superbly executed manner. The iconography of the Virgin of Sorrows or Dolorosa does not appear in the Gospels; it is a creation that arose from the exaltation of pathos at the end of the Middle Ages. However, the episode would always take place after the death of Christ, either with her Son on the cross, after the Descent from the Cross (with the body on her lap), or with the pain suffered by a mother in solitude. In this case it is the suffering of the martyrdom and death of her son.Luis de Morales, a painter of great quality and marked personality, is perhaps the best of the Spanish painters of the second half of the 16th century, with the exception of El Greco. His training poses serious problems, although Palomino makes him a disciple of the Flemish painter Pedro de Campaña, who lived in Seville between 1537 and 1563. Certainly the meticulousness and detail of his brushstrokes and the conception of the landscape are Flemish in origin, and most of his iconic themes are of late medieval tradition. But he painted human types and used a colouring and sfumato related to the Lombard tradition of a Bernardino Luini and a Cristoforo Solario, whom he probably met not on a trip to Italy but possibly to Valencia, in order to catch up with the innovations of the Leonardesque Fernando Yáñez and Fernando de Llanos and the Raphaelesque Vicente and Juan Masip. However, the most personal aspect of his painting lies in the tormented, almost hysterical atmosphere in which his figures breathe, more focused on an intense inner life than on action, full of melancholy and ascetic renunciation and characteristic of the climate of tense religiosity imposed in 16th-century Spain by the reform movements, from the less orthodox Erasmianism and Alumbradism to the more genuine mysticism and Trentism. Morales, called the Divine by his first biographer, Antonio Palomino, because he painted only religious subjects with great delicacy and subtlety, reached his peak from 1550 to 1570, when he painted numerous altarpieces, He painted numerous altarpieces, triptychs and isolated canvases that were widely distributed because they satisfied the popular religiosity of the time, although some of his canvases contain quotations and information of literary erudition, the result of his contact with enlightened clients, primarily the bishops of the diocese of Badajoz, in whose service he worked. On the other hand, his presence in the monastery of El Escorial, called by Philip II, is not documented, although it seems that the latter acquired some of his works to give them as gifts. The enormous production and the continuous demand for his most frequent and popular iconographic themes obliged him to maintain a large workshop in which his two sons, Cristóbal and Jerónimo, collaborated; a workshop responsible for many copies that circulate and are still considered to be Morales's autograph works.
Lot 57
Flamenco Master; second third of the 17th century."Esther before Ahasuerus".Oil on panel. Engatillada.It has an 18th century frame.Measurements: 50 x 79 cm; 66,5 x 95 cm (frame).This scene is really characteristic, since normally the scene of Esther and Ahasuerus is represented in profile, showing the concrete moment in which Esther faints. In this work, however, the artist has captured the banquet in which all the characters are gathered around a table, a fact that allows the artist to recreate a multitude of details and to demonstrate his carefully outlined technical quality, a characteristic that was common in the Flemish school. The image is conceived through an open foreground treated in perspective, thus creating an image of great depth and following Italian models, an influence that is also evident in the architectural treatment of the space, where the floor and the Solomonic columns stand out. However, the figures retain the dimensions and pictorial treatment typical of the Flemish school, where the depiction of banquets was also very common.The scene in the painting depicts a narrative from the Book of Esther, which is part of the Old Testament. The painting depicts Esther, the Jewish wife of King Ahasuerus, sometimes referred to as Xerxes in modern texts. After the king ordered the execution of all the Jewish people in the Persian Empire, Esther went to him, without being summoned, to beg him to spare her people. This broke court etiquette and Esther risked death in doing so. She ended up fainting before the king, which resulted in a change in the king's decision, allowing the Jews to defend themselves against her attack, preventing them from being killed.
Lot 75
LUCA GIORDANO (Naples, 1634 - 1705)."Apparition of Christ to Constantine.Oil on panel. Marbled back.Measurements: 115 x 64 cm; 131,5 x 80 cm (frame).This is a splendid work by Luca Giordano, an outstanding representative of the Italian Baroque. It is a markedly scenographic composition in which, most probably, the narrative recorded by Eusebius of Caesarea (ca. 263-30-339) in his Vita Constantini is represented. In it he explains how Constantine was marching with his army when he looked up at the sun and saw a chrism in the sky, just before the battle of the Milvian Bridge against Maxentius in 312. At first Constantine did not know the meaning of the apparition, but the following night he had a dream in which Christ explained to him that he should use the sign against his enemies. Giordano depicts the exact moment when Constantine is fast asleep with the soldiers, while Christ appears to him with the Roman labarum, the banner from which the chrismion will hang.Luca Giordano, the most outstanding Neapolitan painter of the late 17th century and one of the leading representatives of the late Italian Baroque, was a painter and engraver known in Spain as Lucas Jordán, who enjoyed great popularity during his lifetime, both in his native Italy and in Spain. However, after his death his work was often criticised for its speed of execution, which was at odds with the Greco-Latin aesthetic. It is thought that he trained in the circle of Ribera, whose style he initially followed. However, he soon travelled to Rome and Venice, where he studied Veronese, whose influence is evident in his work. This trip was key to the maturing of his style, as were the influences of other artists such as Mattia Preti, Rubens, Bernini and, above all, Pietro da Cortona. In the late 1670s Giordano began his large-scale mural decorations (Montecassino and San Gregorio Armeno in Naples), followed from 1682 onwards by other projects, including the mural paintings in the gallery and library of the Palazzo Medici Ricardi in Florence. In 1692 he was called to Madrid to paint murals in the monastery of El Escorial, where he worked from 1692 to 1694. He then painted the office and bedroom of Charles II in the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, and after these he undertook the paintings of the Casón del Buen Retiro (ca. 1697), the sacristy of Toledo cathedral (1698), the royal chapel of the Alcázar and San Antonio de los Portugueses (1699). However, royal commissions ceased with the arrival of Philip V in 1701 and the beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession, and Giordano returned to Naples in 1702, although he continued to send paintings to Spain from there. Today Giordano's works are housed in the most important art galleries throughout the world, including the Prado, the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, the Louvre in Paris, the Kunsthistorisches in Vienna, the Metropolitan in New York and the National Gallery in London.
Lot 76
Master active in Flanders, first third of the 16th century."Calvary".Oil on oak panel.It has an inventory label on the back from the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne.It has later gilding and xylophagous remains.It shows repainting and frame.Measurements: 88.5 x 60.5 cm; 99 x 71.5 cm (frame).A delicate trompe l'oeil emerges from the painting, extending Mary Magdalene's mantle and going beyond the limits of the frame. This delicate device accentuates the marked theatricality of this work, which can be seen in the faces and gestures of the protagonists and in the dynamic presence of the angels who complete the scene. Compositionally, the work is structured through strict symmetry, showing the main subject in the foreground, while in the background a landscape unfolds, crowned by architecture on each of the flanks, and by a mountain range in the centre. Returning to the foreground, it is worth noting the painstaking detail of the angular cloths that make up the garments of the protagonists, the Virgin's veil billowing in the wind, as well as the angels' cloaks in the upper area, the damask of the cloth and the book carried by Saint John, details that denote the great technical, detailed and precious quality of the Flemish school and which recall compositions by great artists such as Van Groot, the master of the Flemish school.The author has chosen a work with a devotional theme, depicting the Crucifixion of Christ, accompanied by the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist and Mary Magdalene at the foot of the Cross, an iconographic form evolved from the original Byzantine Deesis, which depicted Christ in Majesty accompanied by Mary and Saint John the Baptist. In Western art, the representation of Christ on the cross was preferred as a narrative scene, and the figure of John the Baptist was replaced by that of John the Evangelist. This image, in its conception and form, is the result of the expression of the people and their deepest feelings. The composition of the present work is based on the artist's faithful rendering of the Gospel text, which is why all the figures are clearly represented. During the 15th century, the influence of the Flemish school of painting was a key factor in the development of European art. At that time, Flemish painters established a stylistic model based on the search for reality, focusing on the rendering of the qualities of objects, giving special importance to secondary details and using a smooth, draughtsmanlike technique. In the 16th century, as a result of the introduction of the novelties of the Italian Renaissance, the Flemish style evolved towards a more classical and sculptural style, while retaining its own characteristics.
Lot 109
BIBLE, IN ENGLISH, AUTHORISED VERSIONThe New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, title within wide woodcut architectural border, with final blank (2A6), [ESTC S90981, citing 3 copies only; Herbert 310, incorrectly calling for 2 preliminary leaves], Robert Barker, 1611; The Booke of Common Prayer, collates [12], 348 (ending with Q6), title within wide woodcut architectural border, single small wormhole to opening 3 leaves [not cited on ESTC], Robert Barker, 1611; The Whole Booke of Psalmes. Collected into English Meeter by T. Sternhold..., black letter, title within woodcut ornamental border (shaved just touching border at fore-edge, and trimmed very close to lettering on 2 index leaves at end) [ESTC S116325, citing 2 copies only], Company of Stationers, 1615, together 3 works bound in 1 vol., contemporary English calf gilt, covers with 2-line rule border enclosing panel with elaborate central design and corner-pieces on a semis of seeds, flat spine elaborately tooled, gauffered edges, ties (2 mostly missing), spine with small loss at head and 2 old vertical cracks, small tears to joints, 12moFootnotes:THE EARLIEST SEPARATE EDITION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT OF THE KING JAMES' AUTHORISED VERSION, BOUND WITH AN UNRECORDED EDITION OF THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER.Provenance: Margaret Gybbon, early ownership name in lower margin of Book of Common Prayer (bound first).This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: •• Zero rated for VAT, no VAT will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
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