Æsthetic Circus

Santiago Rusiñol, Jardín del Generalife, 1909, oil on canvas, Museu d'Art Modern, Barcelona

  Santiago Rusiñol 1861 - 1931 SPANISH LA FUENTE DE LOS CIPRESES (THE CYPRESS FOUNTAIN) signed  S. Rusiñol  lower left oil on canvas 100 by 85cm., 39½ by 33½in Painted in 1922,  La fuente de los cipreses  depicts the cypresses and fountain of a Franciscan convent on the outskirts of Játiva in Valencia, a region whose gardens Rusiñol had first started painting in 1901, and which drew him back again and again. Rusiñol's burgeoning success as a painter enabled him to concentrate almost completely on the subject closest to his heart, Spain's gardens and landscapes. From 1900 he travelled widely across the regions of Spain, painting in Gerona, Horta, Cataluña, Valencia, Ibiza, Mallorca, Játiva, La Granja and Aranjuez. Wherever he went, Rusiñol recorded the sometimes domestic, at other times enigmatic, forms and rich vegetation of the shrubbery, orchards, flowerbeds and arboretums that he discovered.

  Giorgio de Chirico 1888 - 1978 PIAZZA D'ITALIA - LA MALINCONIA SIGNED, OIL ON CANVAS. EXECUTED IN MID FOURTIES firmato olio su tela cm 50x40 Eseguito nella seconda metà degli anni Quaranta

  Giorgio Morandi 1890 - 1964 FIORI SIGNED, OIL ON CANVAS. EXECUTED IN 1950-51 firmato olio su tela cm 28x35 Eseguito nel 1950-51

  Cuno Amiet 1868 - 1961 MORGENSTIMMUNG, 1932 MORNING MOOD, 1932 Dieses Gemälde ist im Schweizerischen Institut für Kunstwissenschaft SIK-ISEA unter der Archiv-Nummer 110901 0002 inventarisiert. Unten rechts monogrammiert und datiert; rückseitig signiert, datiert, betitelt und bezeichnet  P. H. 19. Öl auf Papier 33,5 x 41,5 cm

  Walter Ropélé 1934 FERNBLICK AUF DEN WILDSTRUBEL, 2011 DISTANT VIEW TO THE WILDSTRUBEL, 2011  Unten links signiert und datiert; rückseitig signiert, datiert und betitelt Acryl auf Leinwand 100 x 120 cm

  Walter Ropélé 1934 SILSERSEE MIT PIZ CORVATSCH, 2011 LAKE SILS WITH MOUNT CORVATSCH, 2011 Unten links signiert und datiert; rückseitig signiert, datiert und betitelt Acryl auf Leinwand 100 x 120 cm

  Giovanni Giacometti  1868-1933 GREVASALVAS, 1927 GREVASALVAS, 1927 Dieses Gemälde ist im Schweizerischen Institut für Kunstwissenschaft SIK-ISEA unter der Archiv-Nummer 110826 001 inventarisiert. Unten rechts monogrammiert; rückseitig signiert, datiert und bezeichnet  Maloja Öl auf Leinwand  Auf dem Weg von Blaunca nach Grevasalvas oberhalb des Silsersees begegnet man diesen charakteristischen beiden Felsformationen, zwischen denen die Silser Ebene mit der Halbinsel Chasté sichtbar wird. Dieses Landschaftsgemälde von Giovanni Giacometti war uns bislang nicht bekannt. Wir hatten indessen Kenntnis von seinem Werk  L'Esodo  aus dem folgenden Jahr 1928, in dem er in dieselbe Landschaftskulisse eine dem Ehemann bergan folgende Gruppe einer Mutter mit Kind auf einem Esel hineinkomponierte – eine moderne Interpretation des biblischen Themas. Giacometti hatte  L'Esodo  wohl unter dem erschütternden Eindruck der Hochwasserkatastrophe in Stampa am 25. September 1927

Giovanni Giacometti 1868-1933 HOCHGEBIRGSLANDSCHAFT (OBERENGADIN) ALPINE LANDSCAPE (UPPER ENGADIN) Bleistift und Aquarell auf Papier 22 x 28 cm (Lichtmass)

Giovanni Giacometti 1868-1933 CAPOLAGO CAPOLAGO Unten rechts monogrammiert Öl auf Leinwand 46 x 38 cm Gemalt um 1909. In Capolago, dem am Kopf des Silsersees gelegenen Dorfteil von Maloja, verbrachte Giovanni Giacometti mit seiner Familie ab 1909 die Sommermonate in einem Haus, das Annetta geerbt hatte. Als eines der ersten Bildmotive in Capolago wählte er den Blick durch die engen Gassen des Dorfes – mit seiner malerischen Ansammlung alter Steinmauern, den vorspringenden Dächern und Treppen vor den bewaldeten Berghängen im Hintergrund sollte es ihn immer wieder beschäftigen. Und hier war es vor allem das Spiel von Licht und Schatten, das er zu einer eigenen Kunstform erhob. Der tief verschatteten Dorfpartie steht nicht nur die strahlende Helle des besonnten Dorfteils gegenüber, vielmehr erfasst das flimmernde Sonnenlicht das gesamte Bildgeschehen – die dunklen Töne des Farbenspektrums sammeln sich in den Schattenpartien, die hellen in den besonnten. Das untrügliche ko

  Ferdinand Hodler 1853 - 1918 GENFERSEE VON CHEXBRES AUS LAKE GENEVA FROM CHEXBRES Dieses Gemälde ist im Schweizerischen Institut für Kunstwissenschaft SIK-ISEA unter der Archiv-Nummer 84 246 inventarisiert. Unten rechts signiert Öl auf Leinwand 81 x 100 cm Gemalt um 1904. Die Gegend zwischen Montreux und Lausanne am Genfersee gehörte zu Ferdinand Hodlers bevorzugten Landschaftsmotiven. Als Standort wählte der Künstler häufig die 565 M.ü.M. gelegene Ortschaft Chexbres, die mit der Bahn einfach zu erreichen war und einen weiten Blick auf den See mit der Bucht von Cully und auf die Savoyer Alpen freigab. Hodler malte zwischen 1895 und 1911 mehrere Fassungen von der Ansicht, die in Farbe und Ausschnitt variieren. Mit der ersten Variante (heute Kunsthaus Zürich, Depositum der Gottfried Keller-Stiftung) hatte er 1895 den zweiten Preis am Concours Calame gewonnen. Die Beliebtheit des Sujets sowie die grossen, für repräsentative Zwecke gedachten Bildformate erklären, wes

  Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky 1817-1900 SUNSET OVER YALTA signed in Cyrillic and dated  1861  l.l. oil on canvas 67 by 89cm, 26 1/4 by 35in  Throughout his life, Aivazovsky turned frequently to his beloved Crimea for inspiration. Whether depicting the coastline in the intense midday heat, or bathed in the rose-pink rays of the setting sun, as in the offered view, these compositions are testament to the artist's unrivalled mastery of the depiction of light on water and the importance of sunlight in his canvases. As Aivazovsky himself commented, 'the paintings whose principal effect comes from the sunlight should be considered my best' (the artist quoted in Sh.Khachatourian,  Aivazovsky, The Poetry of the Sea , Paris: Thalia Edition, 2007, p.32). In the offered lot, the stillness of the early evening is palpable. Aivazovsky frames the elegant sweep of the bay with the majestic silhouettes of the cypresses in the foreground, whose rich green hues contrast

  Alexander Nikolaevich Benois SHROVETIDE FAIR  signed in Latin l.m. watercolour and ink over pencil on paper 48 by 63.5cm, 19 by 25in. Estimate     60,000  —  80,000   GBP   LOT SOLD.  57,500 GBP   Benois’ costume and set designs for  Petrushka  are among the most recognisable of all the Ballets Russes images. The first production performed by Diaghilev’s troupe in 1911 is considered by many as the climax of Benois’ career and he repeatedly revised and reworked these designs in later life. The present work is remarkable for its unusual sense of depth and has the air of a finished  mise en scene  rather than a more two-dimensional theatre design. It is Benois at his most fanciful, incorporating all the colour and the familiar set pieces of the production itself, together with the characterisation more often found in his more intimate and informal family sketchbooks. The little girl tugging at her father’s arm in the centre of the composition is a c

  Stepan Fedorovich Kolesnikov RETURNING FROM CHURCH signed in Latin l.l. gouache on paper 40.4cm by 51cm, 15 3/4 by 20in.

  A rare Fabergé smoky quartz bonbonnière with jewelled and enamelled gold mount, workmaster Michael Perchin, St Petersburg, circa 1900  carved in the form of a scarab with pharaoh's face, the eyes set with diamonds, the gold mount chased with leaf tips under translucent green enamel, cabochon ruby and rose-cut diamond-set thumbpiece,  struck with workmaster's initials and  Fabergé  in Cyrillic, 72 standard, scratched inventory number 59487 width: 4.8cm, 1 7/8 in. Estimate     8,000  —  12,000   GBP

  A Fabergé jewelled and enamelled gold and hardstone seal, workmaster Henrik Wigström, St Petersburg, circa 1910 the flat oval handle inset at both sides with a moss agate panel over sunburst engine-turning within a rose-cut diamond-set border, the mount enamelled in opaque white, the collar with swirled fluting within further diamonds, blank nephrite matrix,  struck with workmaster's initials, 72 standard, scratched inventory number 25396 height: 3.6cm, 1 3/8 in.

Apollinaire, Guillaume--Raoul Dufy. LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTÈGE D'ORPHÉE, ILLUSTRÉ DE GRAVURES SUR BOIS PAR RAOUL DUFY. PARIS: DEPLANCHE, 1911

  Raphael Sanzio d'Urbino. DELLE LOGGIE DI RAFAELE NEL VATICANO. ROME, 1772-1777  3 parts in 3 volumes, comprising: Delle Loggie di Rafaele nel Vaticano.  Rome, 1772,  oblong folio (1220 x 500mm.), 18 etched and engraved plates including large folding plan of the gallery in 3 sheets Second parte della loggie di Rafaele nel Vaticano,  Rome, 1776 , elephant folio (820 x 710mm.), title within engraved border, 14 etched and engraved plates Terza ed ultima parte delle Loggie di Rafaele nel Vaticano.  Rome, 1777 , oblong folio (1168 x 530mm), etched title page, 13 engraved plates Estimate   10,000  —  15,000   GBP  The three storeys of balconies in the Vatican known as Raphael's "Logge" were begun in 1514 by Donato Bramante; after Bramante's death that same year, Raphael was appointed to oversee their completion and design their decoration. These decorations quickly became famous and several suites of plates based on them w

Fischer von Erlach, Johann Bernhard. ENTWURFF, EINER HISTORISCHEN ARCHITECTUR. LEIPZIG, 1725

  Obélisque en porphyre rose d'Egypte et bronze doré, travail romain de la fin du XVIIIe siècle, entourage de Giuseppe Valadier A GILTBRONZE MOUNTED RED EGYPTIAN PORPHYRY OBELISK, ROME, LATE 18TH CENTURY, CIRCLE OF GIUSEPPE VALADIER supporté par quatre lions assis, reposant sur un socle circulaire Haut. 58 cm, diam. 17 cm Height 22 3/4 in; diam. 6 2/3 in Paire de grands obélisques en porphyre rouge d'Egypte, travail italien, probablement Florence, du XVIIIe siècle A PAIR OF EGYPTIAN RED PORPHYRY OBELISKS, ITALY, PROBABLY FLORENCE, 18TH CENTURY les obélisques en placage de porphyre; reposant sur des bases à encadrement de bois noirci ouvrant à une porte ; (les obélisques et les bases vraisemblablement associés) Quantity: 2 Haut. 103 cm, larg. 19 cm, prof. 17 cm Height 40 1/2 in; width 7 1/2 in; depth 6 2/3 in Estimate     20,000  —  30,000   EUR

  Plaque en relief en argent, atelier du maître HG, probablement Hans Jamnitzer/Gamnitzer, Nuremberg, 1590 A GERMAN SILVER EMBOSSED PLAQUETTE, WORKSHOP OF THE MASTER HG THOUGHT TO BE HANS GAMNITZER (JAMNITZER), NUREMBERG, 1590 représentant Abraham et les trois anges, Sarah dans le fond, datée 1590, dans un cadre en bois Diam. 14,9 cm, 123 g ; 5 3/4 in, 3oz 18dwt  Ingrid Weber attribue cette plaquette à Hans Jamnitzer (1538-1603), fils de Wenzel et père de Christoph, tous trios figurant parmi les orfèvres les plus renommés de leur époque. Hans travailla pour l'empereur Ferdinand I et le duc de Ferrare. Il existe une version en argent de cette plaquette non localisée. Il existe des exemples en plomb au musée historique de Bâle et au Bayersiches National Museum de Munich. Voir Ingrid Weber,  Deutsche, Niederlandische....Renaissanceplaketten , Munich, 1975, no. 284 Ingrid Weber ascribes this plaquette to Hans Jamnitzer (1538-1603) whose father Wenzel and son Chris

  Maxfield Parrish 1870 - 1966 CASCADES (QUIET SOLITUDE) signed  Maxfield Parrish  l.r., also inscribed  Cascades / Maxfield Parrish / 1959  on the reverse oil on panel 23 by 18 1/2 in. (58.4 by 47 cm) In 1930, Maxfield Parrish turned away from images of beautiful young gods and goddesses and whimsical vignettes of medieval revelry, and began painting his "beloved" landscapes, exclusively.  A 1931 newspaper article entitled "Maxfield Parrish Will Discard 'Girl-on the-Rock' Idea in Art," quoted the artist as saying: "I'm done with girls on rocks.  I have painted them for thirteen years and I could paint them and sell them for thirteen more.  That's the peril of the commercial art game.  It tempts a man to repeat himself....Magazine and art editors – and the critics, too—are always hunting for something new, but they don't know what it is.  They guess at what the public will like and, as we all do, they guess wrong abou

Andrew Wyeth 1917-2009 ADAM'S SHEDS signed  Andrew Wyeth , l.r. watercolor on paper 13 3/4 by 21 3/4 in. (34.9 by 55.2 cm) Executed in 1955

  Andrew Wyeth 1917-2009 SKUNK CABBAGE signed  Andrew Wyeth , l.l. watercolor on paper 19 3/4 by 26 1/2 in. (50.2 by 67.3 cm) Executed in 1953

  Edward Hopper 1882 - 1967 CONSTRUCTION IN MEXICO signed  Edward Hopper , l.r. watercolor on paper 21 by 29 in. (53.3 by 73.7 cm) Executed in 1946 Edward and Jo Hopper first went to Mexico in June 1943. The Hoppers had made South Truro, Massachusetts, their summer base since 1930. By the end of the summer of 1942, it had become clear that Cape Cod was no place for a summer idyll or even the relaxation that allowed the incubation of creative urges. German submarines patrolled the coastal waters, attacking ships, while American war planes buzzed overhead. Gasoline rationing made it impractical to tour around in search of suitable painting themes. As a consequence, the Hoppers decided not to open their Truro house for the 1943 season. On June 9, they took the train from New York's Pennsylvania Station to Mexico City. Mexico was familiar ground for many American artists, but the Hoppers had no local connections. At home on Cape Cod they made a point of avoiding artists&

  Winslow Homer,  Blackboard, 1877,  watercolor on paper,  19 3/4 x 12 3/4 inches,  The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Alexander Nikolaevich Benois 1870-1960 THE PALACE CHURCH AT PETERHOF signed in Latin and dated  1918-1954  l.r. and dedicated to the artist's grandson, Pierre Braslavsky l.l. watercolour and pencil on paper 36.5 by 58 cm, 14 1/4 by 22 3/4 in.

    Alexander Nikolaevich Benois 1870-1960 TWO VIEWS OF ST. PETERSBURG: THE KUNSTKAMMER AND THE BOLSHOI KAMENNY THEATRE Quantity: 2 one inscribed on reverse; the other dated  1932  l.r. and further signed in Latin on reverse watercolour over pencil on paper 34.5 by 46.5cm, 13 ½ by 18 ¼in.; 12 by 15.5cm, 4 ¾ by 6 ¼in.

  Francesco Guardi VENICE 1712 - 1793 VENICE, PIAZZA SAN MARCO WITH THE BASILICA AND THE CAMPANILE oil on panel 25.4 by 42.8 cm.; 10 by 16 7/8 in. The Basilica of Saint Mark and its piazza have always captured the imagination of visitors to the   Serenissima   and Grand Tourists, for whom many of Guardi's   vedute   were destined, were no different. The scene depicts the daily bustle of the city but also allows Guardi to explore some of his characteristic themes: the contrast between the stillness of the magnificent buildings and the sharply-painted animated figures which inhabit them; the play of light between the warmly-lit Procuratie Nuove to the right and the shadow hanging over the left of the composition; the small flashes of colour, seen here in the blues and reds, which pierce the composition and break up the continuity of the windows of the Procuratie. Though several autograph versions of this view are known, few are on panel and match the quality