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Lot 15
J Fimo - “The prostitute” - A 20th Century 1960's oil on board portrait painting depicting a blonde haired lady resting against and stone wall with an eerie black alleyway beside. Signed to the bottom right G.F and to the verso. Set within a gilt frame. Painting measures approx; 350mm x 270mm. Frame measures approx; 39cm x 31cm. Unknown.
Lot 49
Castilian school; first half of the XVI century."Santa Lucia".Carved and polychrome wood.Presents repainting and saints in the polychrome.Measurements: 74 x 54 x 31 cm.Due to the iconographic attribute of the eyes on the plate, this sculpture can be identified to Saint Lucia of Syracuse (283-304), who was the daughter of noble parents, who educated her in the Christian faith. She took a vow of chastity and consecrated her life to God, but her mother promised her in marriage to a young pagan. Finally, the engagement was broken, after her mother was cured of her illness by a divine miracle, but the suitor accused her before the proconsul Pascacio, denouncing her as a Christian. St. Lucy was then arrested and, refusing to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods, Pascatius ordered her to be taken to a brothel to be raped. However, the soldiers could not take her away, since the girl remained miraculously rigid as a stone. She was then condemned for witchcraft and taken to the stake, although the fire did not harm her. Her eyes were then gouged out, a symbol in the art of her martyrdom, but she retained her vision nonetheless. Finally, Pascacio ordered her beheading. Patron saint of the blind and protector of the poor and sick children, Saint Lucy is mainly venerated in Syracuse, Venice and Peter of the Mount, although important feasts are also dedicated to her in Scandinavia.Spain is, at the beginning of the 16th century, the European nation best prepared to receive the new humanist concepts of life and art because of its spiritual, political and economic conditions, although from the point of view of plastic forms, its adaptation of those introduced by Italy was slower because of the need to learn the new techniques and to change the taste of the clientele. Sculpture reflects perhaps better than other artistic fields this eagerness to return to the classical Greco-Roman world that exalts in its nudes the individuality of man, creating a new style whose vitality surpasses the mere copy. Soon the anatomy, the movement of the figures, the compositions with a sense of perspective and balance, the naturalistic play of the folds, the classical attitudes of the figures began to be valued; but the strong Gothic tradition maintains the expressiveness as a vehicle of the deep spiritualistic sense that informs our best Renaissance sculptures. This strong and healthy tradition favors the continuity of religious sculpture in polychrome wood that accepts the formal beauty offered by Italian Renaissance art with a sense of balance that avoids its predominance over the immaterial content that animates the forms. In the first years of the century, Italian works arrived in our lands and some of our sculptors went to Italy, where they learned first hand the new norms in the most progressive centers of Italian art, whether in Florence or Rome, and even in Naples. Upon their return, the best of them, such as Berruguete, Diego de Siloe and Ordóñez, revolutionized Spanish sculpture through Castilian sculpture, even advancing the new mannerist, intellectualized and abstract derivation of the Italian Cinquecento, almost at the same time as it was produced in Italy.
Lot 43
Flemish school of the sixteenth century. Follower of JOACHIM PATINIR (Dinant, ca. 1480-Antwerp, 1524)."Jacob's Dream".Oil on oak panel of the sixteenth century.Measurements: 63 x 78 cm; 74 x 89 cm (frame).The author of the present panel, close to the pictorial guidelines of Joachim Patinir, offers us the scene of Jacob's dream. The story of Genesis tells us that Jacob left Beer-sheba in the direction of Haran. By chance he came to a place and stayed there to spend the night, because the sun had already set. And he took a stone from there, and put it on as a pillow, and lay down to sleep in that place. And he had a dream: a stairway resting on the ground with its top touching the sky. Angels of God were ascending and descending it. The Lord stood upon it and said, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. The land on which you are lying, I will give it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will multiply like the dust of the earth, and you will occupy the east and the west, the north and the south; and all the nations of the world will be called blessed because of you and your descendants. I am with thee; I will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee again to this land, and will not forsake thee, until I have fulfilled that which I have promised." When Jacob awoke, he said, "Truly the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." And, in awe, he added, "How terrible is this place; it is but the house of God and the gate of heaven."Joachim Patinir is considered the first Flemish landscape painter. In this genre, his works are characterized by a high horizon, revealing much terrain, pointed and fantastic rocky mountains, mixing the real with the symbolic, and with the use of subjects as a mere pretext to show these views (thus anticipating landscape as an independent genre). At first his style was influenced by Bosch and, to a lesser extent apparently, Gerard David. It is possible that he first worked in Bruges, where he came into contact with the work of Gérard David. Like this master, he is quoted in 1515 in Antwerp, working as a teacher. Here he would meet Albrecht Dürer, initiating their friendship. He would collaborate with his friend Quinten Massys in certain works. He would achieve great fame, especially at the end of his career, for his execution and creativity, above all.His work is preserved only in some important private collections, and in certain institutions such as the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Staatliche Kunsthalle in Karlsruhe, the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Madrid), the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, the Louvre Museum in Paris, etc.
Lot 42
Spanish school, possibly from Madrid, second half of the seventeenth century."Lamentation over the Dead Christ".Oil on canvas.Frame of the nineteenth century.The frame needs restoration.Measurements: 205 x 160 cm; 224 x 180 cm (frame).In this work the theme of the lamentation of the body of Christ is captured in a more intimate way than in previous periods, simplifying the composition and eliminating all non-figurative elements. Thus, the body of the dead Christ articulates the image, located in the center, and around him the other figures are placed: St. John and Mary Magdalene to his left, the Virgin holding the dead body, with her face tilted upwards, in an attitude of deep pain. The landscape background has been eliminated, replacing it with an undefined exterior space, worked in a neutral and dark tone that only lightens in the central area. Iconographically, the scene of the lamentation or weeping over the body of the dead Christ is part of the cycle of the Passion, and is inserted between the Descent from the Cross and the Holy Burial. It narrates the moment in which the body of Christ is deposited on a shroud (in other cases, on the stone of anointing) and they are arranged around him, bursting in laments and sobs, his mother, St. John, the holy women, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. It is a very emotional theme, the fruit of popular piety, which concentrates attention on the drama of the Passion and the loving and sorrowful contemplation, with a realistic and moving sense. It is a work strongly influenced by naturalism, with a range of monochromatic tendency that revolves around ochre, earthy and crimson tones. Likewise, the composition draws from the same influence: the characters all appear in the foreground, very close to the viewer. It is worth mentioning the importance of the lighting aspect; it is not a tenebrist light, but it is rich in chiaroscuro contrasts, through which the painter models the anatomy of Christ, the faces and the rest of the elements.
Lot 1636
A 19th century yellow metal (tests as 14ct gold) continental, probably Swiss or French, table snuff box with inset rectangular bloodstone panel to the top within a foliate scrolling border and engine turned body, later engraved to the inside rim 'Anne Cowes 1922 Carlos', 9cms wide, total weight 156.4g.Condition ReportGood overall condition, no damage but with a torch behind the blood stone there is a natural fault line running up the right hand side but this cannot be seen with the naked eye and cannot be felt in the surface so not a crack
Lot 94
Workshop of JOSÉ DE RIBERA (Xátiva, Valencia, 1591 - Naples, 1652)."St. Francis of Paula" ca.1630.Oil on canvas.Measurements: 120 x 103 cm; 128 x 112 cm (frame).In this canvas is represented San Francisco de Paula of half body, in pensive position, with the glance directed upwards, in the direction of a halo of light that emanates from the top right part of the composition and in which the word "Caritas" can be read. He appears dressed in dark sackcloth, typical of his hermit character, accompanied by the staff, his main iconographic attribute, and with the Holy Scriptures in front of him, also illuminated by a spotlight that falls directly on them. It is a work perfectly framed within the naturalistic baroque, heir of José de Ribera, starring a totally earthly man, with a face far from any idealization. San Francisco de Paula is presented as a real person, with personalized features typical of the individualized study, furrowed by deep wrinkles. As usual within the naturalistic baroque, the composition is simple and clear, with the character in the foreground against a neutral and dark background that enhances his physical presence. Apart from the human model and this composition, the lighting is also clearly naturalistic, a tenebrism derived directly from Ribera that is based on an artificial, directed spotlight that penetrates the painting through the lower left corner and falls on the face and hands of the saint, also illuminating the writings and the table in the foreground, leaving the rest in a nuanced penumbra, very worked, as we can see in the perfectly achieved mantle, characterized by its realism, despite being enveloped in shadows. The chromatism is also typical of this school, very limited around the ochers, earthy, reflecting the warm and naturalistic atmosphere.Regarding the subject, it represents Saint Francis of Paola (Calabria, Italy, 1416-Tours, France, 1507), hermit founder of the Order of the Minims and saint of the Catholic Church in the Italian region of Calabria. Legend has it that St. Francis became seriously ill of the eyes, reason for which his parents entrusted themselves to St. Francis, curing their son's eyes. To be grateful for the miracle, at the age of fourteen he went on pilgrimage to Assisi, thus becoming a hermit. For five years he withdrew to the mountain, feeding only on water and wild herbs, sleeping on the hard ground, with a stone as a pillow. He was canonized in 1519, only twelve years after his death, during the pontificate of Pope Leo X. In the early years of the 16th century, the Order of the Minims entered Spain, acquiring great diffusion due to the values of Franciscan preaching that they spread, which, linked to the recent canonization of the saint and his way of life and poverty, strongly influenced the Spanish Christian population.Due to the aforementioned formal characteristics, this painting can be related to the circle of José de Ribera, a key painter for the development of the naturalistic baroque not only in Spain, but also in Italy and in other national schools, given the great diffusion of his work. Called the Españoleto, he was a key master of the Spanish Baroque, and in general of the history of art at the European level. Although no documentary sources or evidence of his youth are preserved, it is believed that he trained with Francisco Ribalta in Valencia, after which he went to Italy, first to the north and later to Rome, where he learned first-hand about the classicists and the Caravaggesque tenebrism of the Dutch who settled there. Finally he settled in Naples, where he arrived in 1616. Then began his period of maturity and splendor; Ribera enjoyed fame and a large workshop, and his works spread throughout Europe through engravings.
Lot 68
Set of five medieval architectural elements, XIV-XV centuries. Various types of carved and hand-carved stones. Provenance: Manor house of the City of Vic (Barcelona). Measurements: 38 x 120 x 16 cm (larger); 32 x 90 x 16 cm ; 45 x 40 x 19 cm ; 38 x 40 x 21 cm ; 38 x 32 x 16 cm (smaller).These five architectural stone elements were part of the original decoration of two windows of a manor house in the city of Vic in the province of Barcelona. They are accompanied by a set of documents, some of them written on parchment, from the house, from the 15th century onwards and two photographs of the windows where they were originally located. In architecture, the hollow space that interrupts a solid surface, whether it is a door or a window, is called an opening. In order to make openings in any wall, a support or lintel had to be used. The Greek models used flat lintels to cover openings, but already in Roman times the unloading arch on lintel was generalized. In the architecture of the Middle Ages three main styles were developed: the Byzantine, which influenced the whole period, the Romanesque between the 11th and 12th centuries, and the Gothic style from the 12th to the 15th century. The residential buildings were constructed with different types of materials and structures typical of each local tradition, very similar to the traditional rural housing that has survived to the present day. The most affordable materials were commonly used (masonry, adobe and timber framing) as well as the practice of gaining surface area by projecting the upper floor outwards (overhang). The use of roof tiles was scarce, being reserved for the rich houses, being very common the roofs of branches and reeds.
Lot 173
Scarabaeus; Egypt, Lower Epoch, 664-332 BC.Fayenza.Measurements. 4,5 x 3,5 x 1,5 cm.Egyptian scarab carved in round burst in faience. In ancient Egypt the scarab was associated with the god Jepri in the form of Ra, that is to say as the rising sun. Because it was believed that scarabs were self-reproducing without the need of the female gender. For this reason it was considered a symbol of transformation and resurrection.Generally the scarabs were carved in green stone and placed on the chest of the deceased, to protect the heart and replace it during mummification. The purpose of the "heart scarab" was to ensure that the heart would not testify against the deceased at the judgment of the dead. Another possibility is suggested by the words of transformation in the Sarcophagus Texts, which state that the soul of the deceased can transform into a human, a god, or a bird and reappear in the world of the living.
Lot 31
Two needles. Rome, 2nd-3rd century AD.Gold. One of them with hard stone.Measurements: 5,8 cm and 6,5 cm (length).One of the needles has been made in gold in one piece, topped by three circumferences inscribed in its head and spike ending in a sharp point; the other piece has a head ornamented with hard stone beads.
Lot 122
Pair of earrings. Rome, 2nd-3rd century AD.In gold, glass and hard stone.Measurements: 2.4 cm (length).Pair of earrings in movement made from a smooth hoop with hook clasp, decorated with a cabochon of hard stone bordered by perimeter sogueado. From this upper body hangs a small bar with faceted glass through.
Lot 152
Fragment of a lithic tool from the Valdivia culture, Ecuador, II millennium B.C.Stone.Measurements: 14 x 13.5 cm.Due to its physical characteristics, the piece we present could be a lithic tool. The Valdivia is one of the oldest cultures in America, developing between 3500 and 1800 BC. This culture occupied the lowlands of the west coast of Ecuador, the territory that currently corresponds to the provinces of Guayas, Isla Puná, Los Ríos, Manabí and El Oro. The carved stone is a very useful testimony for the study of the manufacture of tools in this culture. Among the lithic tools found in this site, we can highlight the flake knives, cores, crushers, metates, polishers, fishing weights and scrapers, among many others.
Lot 54
Greek relief, V-IV century BC. Stone. Measures: 71 x 31 x 8 cm. This is a Greek relief of transition between the archaic and classical periods. This can be seen, for example, in the drapery, whose drapery is slightly schematic, somewhat rigid, although naturalism begins to manifest itself in them, as well as in the anatomy, which already follows classical canons. As for the hair, by the symmetry and the repetitive element. It is an exponent of the Attic school in which he follows the Ionic tradition in the folding of the drapery: with finesse and symmetry. In archaic Greek sculpture the hieratic and rigid features are still maintained with geometric and closed compositions respecting the law of frontality. But in the figure in question, the tilted head and the anatomy already announce classical forms.
Lot 50
Head; Palmyra, Rome, 2nd century AD. White stone. Measures: 20.5 x 13 x 12 cm. Human head with idealized features, tight lips and large nose and eyes. The effigy is adorned with a ribbon that is arranged on the forehead, decorated through the relief with a geometric design on which stands out a central palmette. The lack of work on the back of the head could be due to having been part of a high relief. In the first century B.C. Palmyra became a province of the Roman Empire. When the governor Septimius Odenatus was killed in the war against the Sassanids, his widow, Zenobia, established an independent kingdom until she was defeated by the Roman Emperor Aurelian; a second revolt of the inhabitants caused Palmyra to be razed in 273, being rebuilt later by Diocletian. The area was taken by the Muslims in 634, and was destroyed by an earthquake in 1089. The Romans brought two important novelties to the world of sculpture: portraiture and historical relief, neither of which existed in the Greek world. However, they followed the Greek models for a large part of their sculptural production, a base that in Rome was combined with the Etruscan tradition. After the first contacts with the Greece of classicism through the colonies of Magna Graecia, the Romans conquered Syracuse in 212 BC, a rich and important Greek colony located in Sicily, adorned with a large number of Hellenistic works. The city was sacked and its artistic treasures taken to Rome, where the new style of these works soon replaced the Etruscan-Roman tradition that had prevailed until then. Cato himself denounced the sacking and decoration of Rome with Hellenistic works, which he considered a dangerous influence on native culture, and deplored the Romans' applauding of statues from Corinth and Athens, while ridiculing the decorative terracotta tradition of ancient Roman temples. However, these oppositional reactions were in vain; Greek art had subdued Etruscan-Roman art in general, to the point that Greek statues were among the most coveted prizes of war, being displayed during the triumphal procession of the conquering generals.
Lot 4
God Osiris. Ancient Egypt, Lower Epoch (664-323 B.C.). Bronze. Provenance: private collection S.A., Cadiz, Spain. Intact. Measures: 10,7 x 12,5 cm. Statuette of round bulk representing the God Osiris carrying the Heka and the Nekhakha. The God is standing, with his arms crossed over his chest and a series of characteristic elements, such as the Atef crown (a more complex typology of the White crown that is composed of two ostrich feathers, sometimes with two horns at its base, uraeus and a solar disk. It is represented in yellow color and it was thought to help the deceased to be reborn, attribute for which it is carried by the god Osiris). The piece also presents the arms crossed on the chest, with which it holds the whip and the callado, which are two of its main iconographic symbols. Osiris is the Egyptian god of resurrection, related to fertility and regeneration of the Nile, protector of vegetation and agriculture. He also presides over the court of judgment of the dead, and is in fact closely related to the Afterlife. He was considered the firstborn son of Geb, divinity of the earth, and the goddess Nut, representation of the sky. He was therefore brother and husband of Isis, with whom he had a posthumous son, Horus. We find him for the first time in the sources of the V dynasty, although it is most likely that he was worshipped long before. In fact, we find the epithet Khenti-Amentiu ("leader of the Orientals", alluding to his role as king of the Beyond) already used in the I dynasty, both in relation to the divinity and as a pharaonic title. The most valuable information about Osiris is found in the Pyramid Texts of the late V dynasty, the Shabaka Stone of the New Empire and, much later, in the texts of Greek writers such as Plutarch or Diodorus.
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