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Verdini Antiques
Domenico Morelli (Naples, 1823-1901) Cesare Borgia in Capua, 1854 Oil on canvas 131 x 183.5 cm Provenance: Count Tasca d'Almerita of Palermo Literature: Almerinda Di Benedetto, 'The painted history: Domenico Morelli and the Sack of Capua' in Rosanna Cioffi, Ornella Scogliamiglio, MOSAIC, Themes and methods of art and criticism for Gianni Carlo Sciolla, vol. 2, Luciano Editore, 2012 Exhibition: Exhibition of Fine Arts in Palermo, 1856, presented as: Cesare Borgia after the siege of Capua makes women who had taken refuge in a basement of the castle draw It is above all through the letters to his friend Pasquale Villari that we know the various moments of the work that allow the painter Domenico Morelli to complete the painting 'Cesare Borgia in Capua', commissioned by the wealthy German entrepreneur Ettore Giulio Marstaller. On September 26, 1849 Domenico Morelli wrote to Villari that Marstaller had been very interested in a 'drawing sketch representing Cesare Borgia after the capture of Capua who chooses among the women locked up in a tower 40 of the most beautiful and we agreed that he will execute the painting of the same size as the bodies, with torchlight'. The relationship between the painter and the client was somewhat troubled, to the point that Domenico Morelli proposed the painting to another buyer. Completed in the spring of 54, due to Marsteller's death, the painting was sold in January of the following year to Count Tasca d'Almerita of Palermo. In 1856 the painting was thus presented at the Exhibition of Fine Arts in Palermo with the title 'Cesare Borgia after the siege of Capua makes women who had taken refuge in a basement of the castle draw', obtaining enthusiastic judgments to such an extent that in the magazine 'Il Poligrafo' the regret of not being able to grant the Neapolitan painter a diploma of gratitude, as the regulation provided for it only for Sicilian artists. The certain motivations for Morelli's choice of this dramatic historical event are not known, but, as Almerinda Di Benedetto points out, it is shown 'certain, however, that the identification of an event so historically full of meaning, both for the terribleness with which the events took place, and for the very strong symbolic message transmitted by the behavior of the Capuans, strenuous and indomitable defenders of their own land and of the moral and civil values linked to it, appears more than appropriate in an era permeated by deep Risorgimento and patriotic moods'. In relation to the terrible decision of the ruthless Duke Valentino to perpetrate an unprecedented massacre in Capua to the detriment of the helpless population, which came to count a few thousand victims, the professor and researcher Almerinda Di Benedetto recommends the 'very recent publication by Giancarlo Bova, Il sacco di Capua, July 24, 1501, in which the author contributes, with the contribution of unpublished documents, to make greater clarity on the chilling story of the memorable massacre'. As far as the purely pictorial aspect is concerned, in the year 1925 Vittorio Spinazzola would have condensed the description of the work in the following lines: 'the lush canvas, in which all the virtues of his imagination, his brush, the wise research, the sensuality of the forms, the tumultuous yet Latinally contained impetus of the composition were employed, connecting to our Venetian or seventeenth-century Neapolitan tradition, in which the wonderful bottom of battlemented walls and towers glimpsed in a gold dust and the mastery of the groupings, the glimpses, the nudes, would be enough to show how much his mastery of the drawing, the brush, the form would be enough'.
Klaas Muller
Jan Boeckhorst (Münster 1604-1668 Antwerp) Henri IV at the Battle of Ivry, 17th century Pen and brown ink, watercolour and gouache, heightened with whith and red wash on paper 20 x 29.1 cm The gallery is grateful to Stijn Alsteens of the Fondation Custodia for his attribution of the drawing to Jan Boeckhorst In 1622, Maria de' Medici signed a contract with Rubens for two series of twenty-four paintings. The first series depicted her own life story, the other the heroic deeds of her husband: Henri IV. As was his custom, Rubens worked on this commission together with some of his pupils and assistants. The successful king had been assassinated 12 years earlier whilst riding through Paris in an open carriage. He had brought an end to the fierce civil war between Protestants and Catholics and did not shy away from doing the heavy lifting on the battlefield himself. What was intended to be a tribute to one of France’s bravest leaders turned out to be a damp squib. Due to turmoil at court, the series about the famous battle near Paris remained unfinished. This dynamic and finely worked drawing captures the dramatic moment of the Battle of Ivry (1590), where King Henri IV led his forces to a decisive victory during the French Wars of Religion. Executed in pen and brown ink and enriched with watercolour and gouache, the composition is animated by vigorous movement and strong contrasts of light and shadow. The artist heightens the scene with touches of white and red wash, emphasising the glint of armour, the energy of the horses, and the intensity of the clash. The central figure of Henri IV, mounted and illuminated, commands the composition, surrounded by swirling troops and fallen adversaries. Ethereal figures above the battlefield introduce a sense of divine favour, a motif often associated with royal propaganda of the period. Despite its relatively intimate scale, the sheet conveys remarkable grandeur and narrative force, making it a compelling example of late 16th‑ to early 17th‑century battle imagery.
Galerie bei der Albertina ▪ Zetter
Adolf Loos (Brünn 1870-1933 Kalksburg) Lady's Writing Desk, around 1903/04 Softwood, oil varnish, brass fittings, writing inlay with new leather H 106 (with top) x H 80 (without top) x W 113 x D 67.5 cm Manufactured by Friedrich Otto Schmidt, Vienna Company stamp on the underside: Friedrich Otto Schmidt / Wien / 1 Singerstrasse 16 / Schmidt Miksa / Budapest / 5. Lipotkorut 4 Provenance: Private collection, Vienna Literature: Burkhardt Rukschcio/Roland Schachel, Adolf Loos. Leben und Werk, 1982, Salzburg/Vienna, ill. p. 115, n° 117 cf. Exhibition catalogue ‘Adolf Loos. Private Spaces’, Barcelona Design Museum, 2017, ill. p. 134 Exhibitions: Paris, ‘Adolf Loos – Exposition Du Cinquantenaire’, 1983; Karlsruhe, ‘Gründerzeit, Adolf Loos: Jahrhundertwende: Rückblick und Ausblick im Spiegel der Wiener Architektur’, 1987
Galerie Édouard Ambroselli
Georges Aubert (Paris, 1866-1961) and Odilon Redon (Bordeaux 1840-1916 Paris) The Shadow, circa 1896-1900 Carved, engraved and painted wood H 25 x W 18.5 x D 2 cm Provenance: Ambroise Vollard collection (1866-1939) Plate for The Shadow, illustration from Gustave Flaubert’s Tentation de Saint Antoine, Paris, Éditions Ambroise Vollard, 1938, p. 21
N. Vrouyr
Etablissements veuve Guillon et fils, Belgium Before 1925 Warp and weft, cellulose, pile, wool 460 x 370 cm Numbered at the back Literature: Arthur De Rudder, International exhibition of modern decorative and industrial arts (Paris, 1925): official catalogue of the belgian section Exhibition: International exhibition of modern decorative and industrial arts, Paris, 1925, Belgian Pavilion, gallery of complete interiors, dining room by the Maison Gustave and Edouard Blondel
Willow Gallery
André Lhote (Bordeaux 1885-1962 Paris) Pique-nique à Mirmande, 1939 Oil on paper, laid down on canvas 106 x 127 cm Signed lower right Certificate of authenticity issued by Dominique Bermann Martin and will be included in the forthcoming Lhote catalogue raisonné currently in preparation Provenance: Simone Lhote, Paris (wife of the artist); Suzanne Bermann, Paris (by descent from the above); Soufer Gallery, New York (acquired from the above, 1988); acquired from the above by the late owner, March 1991; private collection, Chicago Exhibition: New York, Soufer Gallery, André Lhote: Cubism and Later Periods, April-May 1988 (ill. in colour; dated 1927)
Alexis Lartigue
Victor Vasarely (1906-1997), Untitled, circa 1958, oil on masonite, signed, 120 × 100 cm Provenance: Private Collection, Unites States Christie’s Sale, London Lo Guidice Gallery, Chicago Sotheby's Sale, London Private Collection, London Christie’s Sale, London Galerie Zlotowski, Paris Private Collection, Europe Sotheby's Sale, Paris Private Collection, Switzerland Past exhibitions: - Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Summer Loans, 1970
DIE GALERIE
Christian Dotremont (Tervuren, 1922-1979) Zyzzling aardvark, 1972 Indian ink on Japanese paper 98 x 61 cm Signed and dated lower right 'Dotremont 1972' Titled lower left 'Zyzzling aardvark' Provenance: private collection Exhibition: Pierre Alechinsky and his artist friends, DIE GALERIE, Frankfurt am Main, 2025
Finch & Co
Devotional crucifix of Christ Portuguese Goa, 17th century Coromandel wood, gilded ivory, silver mounts H 107 x W 26 cm Christ height: 32 cm Provenance: private collection, Ireland Belgium CITES: 2025/BE01024/CE A fine and large Portuguese Goa devotional Crucifix. The polychromed and gilded ivory of Christ crucified on a Coromandel wood cross, ornately embellished with Baroque silver mounts, stands on an integral Coromandel plinth. The agonising Christ on the cross has his head falling to his right, with closed eyes and mouth open in his call to God. His long hair is carved in undulating locks falling to his shoulders. The well-defined torso has flexed muscles and a pronounced rib cage, while the arms have veins threaded along their length. His hands and feet are pierced by silver nails, his wounds are polychromed red, and the edges of the perizonium are gilded.
Galerie bei der Albertina ▪ Zetter
Johann Lötz Witwe, Klostermühle and Gustave Serrurier-Bovy (attributed to) Table Lamp, around 1900 Metal with hammered décor, square-shaped lampshade, twelve square-shaped glasses, in blue and violet, with melted splashes in silver-yellow, iricised, by Johann Lötz Witwe, Klostermühle, single light, electrification renewed H 55 cm, D 25 cm
Univers du Bronze
Rembrandt Bugatti (Milan 1884-1916 Paris) Deux antilopes Goudou or 'Deux Amis', circa 1911 Bronze, dark brown patina H 23.1 x L 43.2 x D 11.9 cm Signed 'R. Bugatti' Original cast and edition by 'A.-A. Hébrard cire perdue Paris' (seal and inscribed in the wax 'Fondu en 1925'), engraved '(13)' Edition cast in 1925
Univers du Bronze
Antonin Mercié (Toulouse 1845-1916 Paris) Gloria Victis, circa 1880-1912 Bronze with richly shaded brown patina and gilt highlights H 187 x W 112 x D 91 cm Reduction n° 1 (3/5 from the original) Signed 'A.Mercié' and bears the founder's mark 'F. Barbedienne Fondeur' Presented as chief-model with assembly and mounting pins parts, like the one described in the Barbedienne catalogue raisonné (Rionnet, 2016): 'En janvier 1912, le sculpteur autorise l’éditeur à monter en épreuve et à mettre en vente le modèle n°1' (In January 1912, the sculptor authorised the publisher to produce a proof and put Model n° 1 on the market). A second example in this size is currently on display at the Musée des Augustins in Toulouse.
De Jonckheere
Pieter Brueghel the Younger (Brussels 1564-1638 Antwerp) The Payment of the Tithe or The Village Lawyer Oil on panel 78.9 x 123.2 cm Signed and dated lower left P.BREVGHEL 1622 Provenance: private collection, Belgium; J. Leegenhoek Gallery, Paris, 1991; private collection, France Literature: K. Ertz, Pieter Brueghel der Jüngere (1564-1637/38). Die Gemälde mit kritischem Oeuvrekatalog, Lingen, 1988/2000, Vol. I, p. 513, cat. E507, repr.; C. Currie, D. Allart (dir.), The Brueg(H)el Phenomenon. Paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Pieter Brueghel the Younger with a Special Focus on Technique and Copying Practice, 3 vols. in a box set, Scientia artis 8, Brussels, 2012, vol. III, pp. 1030-1031