11th Dec, 2024 12:00
Fine Paintings & Works on Paper
1
PERUVIAN SCHOOL (EARLY 18TH CENTURY)
VIRGIN OF SOLITUDE
oil on canvas
81 x 62cm; 32 x 24 1/2in
93.5 x 74.5cm; 36 3/4 x 29 1/4in (framed)
Property from a London Collection
Provenance
Frederick Ashton, Suffolk (Ashton, 1904-1988, became a dancer, the leading British choreographer of the twentieth century and Director of the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden. Born in Ecuador, he grew up in Peru before being sent to school in England, and - under parental pressure - working briefly in the City of London. But he soon quit his job to follow his passion to train to be a dancer, first studying under Leonide Massine and then under Marie Rambert, who encouraged his interest in choreography. In 1935 Ninette de Valois appointed him her resident choreographer, first for her company Vic-Wells Ballet and then for Sadlers Wells Ballet which became The Royal Ballet in 1956. Working alongside de Valois, Ashton honed his skills over many years and is now widely credited with the creation of a specifically English genre of ballet. Among his best-known works are Façade (1931); Symphonic Variations (1946); Cinderella (1948) and the feature film ballet The Tales of Beatrix Potter (1970). He was Knighted in 1962 and succeeded de Valois as director of the Royal Ballet in 1963. Under his direction the Company enjoyed a golden age of success and was widely considered the best ballet company in the world. He retired from the role in 1971).
Acquired from the above by his nephew, father of the present owner
The Virgin of Solitude is a form of Marian devotion specific to Spanish-speaking countries and refers to the Virgin in the act of contemplating the death of Jesus Christ. Both physcially and psychologically isolated in her sorrow - for only a mother can know the true pain of childloss - she is traditionally depicted alone with arms crossed in her lament. In the present work nails and a crown of thorns lie at the Virgin's feet, symbols of how Christ suffered for the sake of the world.
Sold for £1,800
VIRGIN OF SOLITUDE
oil on canvas
81 x 62cm; 32 x 24 1/2in
93.5 x 74.5cm; 36 3/4 x 29 1/4in (framed)
Property from a London Collection
Provenance
Frederick Ashton, Suffolk (Ashton, 1904-1988, became a dancer, the leading British choreographer of the twentieth century and Director of the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden. Born in Ecuador, he grew up in Peru before being sent to school in England, and - under parental pressure - working briefly in the City of London. But he soon quit his job to follow his passion to train to be a dancer, first studying under Leonide Massine and then under Marie Rambert, who encouraged his interest in choreography. In 1935 Ninette de Valois appointed him her resident choreographer, first for her company Vic-Wells Ballet and then for Sadlers Wells Ballet which became The Royal Ballet in 1956. Working alongside de Valois, Ashton honed his skills over many years and is now widely credited with the creation of a specifically English genre of ballet. Among his best-known works are Façade (1931); Symphonic Variations (1946); Cinderella (1948) and the feature film ballet The Tales of Beatrix Potter (1970). He was Knighted in 1962 and succeeded de Valois as director of the Royal Ballet in 1963. Under his direction the Company enjoyed a golden age of success and was widely considered the best ballet company in the world. He retired from the role in 1971).
Acquired from the above by his nephew, father of the present owner
The Virgin of Solitude is a form of Marian devotion specific to Spanish-speaking countries and refers to the Virgin in the act of contemplating the death of Jesus Christ. Both physcially and psychologically isolated in her sorrow - for only a mother can know the true pain of childloss - she is traditionally depicted alone with arms crossed in her lament. In the present work nails and a crown of thorns lie at the Virgin's feet, symbols of how Christ suffered for the sake of the world.
Auction: Fine Paintings & Works on Paper, 11th Dec, 2024
Auction Location: London, UK
Our sale of Fine Paintings and Works on Paper features 80 lots spanning four centuries. It includes works from two significant deceased estates: art dealer Alexander Iolas who promoted the bright and playful works by Jean Hugo and Niki de Sainte Phalle (lots 44-52), and gallerist Karsten Schubert, led by a green revolver on a vibrant red background by Michael Craig-Martin (lot 53), currently the subject of a retrospective at the Royal Academy, Piccadilly.
Colour dominates many of the post-War works. A stripe painting by the leading Washington Colour Field artist Gene Davis is a sale highlight. Davis worked alongside Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland also from D.C. in the 1950s and ‘60s perfecting his distinctive style. 65-6 by Davis (lot 58) dances and rhymes before the viewer’s eye. From the same collection and similarly optical are the works by Joe Tilson (lot 60) from 1965, and a rare painting by Justin Knowles (lot 59). Fellow colourist Howard Hodgkin is represented by Here we are in Croydon from 1979 (lot 63).
Modern British is led by an attractive group of watercolours by John Nash (lots 34-37), all acquired from the artist by the present owner’s grandfather. Other British figurative painters featured in the sale include Alan Lowdnes with a street scene in Altrincham near Manchester (lot 40), and three sketches by the young Michael Andrews (lots 41-43). Elsewhere there are works by John Piper and humorous illustrations by graphic artists Ronald Searle and Quentin Blake (lots 71 & 72).
Artists from further afield include two 18th/ 19th century Cuzco paintings from Peru and good Australian examples: a watercolour by John Russell of the Pont de Neuilly, and an atmospheric painting of a dust storm in the New South Wales out back by John Charles Goodhart of 1907 capturing a storm that year (lots 31 & 38). ‘en plein-air’-ists in the sale include Otto Modersohn, co-founder of Worpswede school in Bavaria in the 1890s (lot 19) and three delightful paintings of children by Scottish painter Gemmel Hutchison, influenced by Barbizon in France and the Hague School in Holland (lots 27, 28 & 30).
For more information please contact us | pictures@olympiaauctions.com | +44 (0)20 7806 5541
Viewing
PUBLIC EXHIBITION:
Sunday 8th December: 12:00pm to 4:00pm
Monday 9th December: 10:00am to 8:00pm
Tuesday 10th December: 10:00am to 5:00pm
