Null Circle of Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard,
Danish 1743-1809-

Orpheus and Eurydi…

Description

Circle of Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard, Danish 1743-1809- Orpheus and Eurydice; oil on canvas, 64.8 x 54.9 cm. Provenance: Property from a European Private Collection. Note: Abildgaard often depicted scenes from Classical mythology and literature, with highly muscular figures lit by a dramatic chiaroscuro, typically in a swirling, circular composition. Abilgaard's style was shaped by his travels to Rome, where he studied the work of artists such as Annibale Carracci (1560-1609) and Michelangelo (1475-1564), and where he met Henry Fuseli (1741-1825). Fuseli's influence on Abildgaard was immense, and can be seen particularly in the somewhat grotesque, nightmarish figures which occupy many of his scenes, of which the demons in the present painting are highly reminiscent. The pose of the central figures, with Orpheus clasping Eurydice to his chest, is almost identical to that in Abilgaard's painting of 'Catullus and Lesbia' which is now held in the Nivaagaard Collection in Denmark [0194NMK].

149

Circle of Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard, Danish 1743-1809- Orpheus and Eurydice; oil on canvas, 64.8 x 54.9 cm. Provenance: Property from a European Private Collection. Note: Abildgaard often depicted scenes from Classical mythology and literature, with highly muscular figures lit by a dramatic chiaroscuro, typically in a swirling, circular composition. Abilgaard's style was shaped by his travels to Rome, where he studied the work of artists such as Annibale Carracci (1560-1609) and Michelangelo (1475-1564), and where he met Henry Fuseli (1741-1825). Fuseli's influence on Abildgaard was immense, and can be seen particularly in the somewhat grotesque, nightmarish figures which occupy many of his scenes, of which the demons in the present painting are highly reminiscent. The pose of the central figures, with Orpheus clasping Eurydice to his chest, is almost identical to that in Abilgaard's painting of 'Catullus and Lesbia' which is now held in the Nivaagaard Collection in Denmark [0194NMK].

Auction is over for this lot. See the results

You may also like

Estim. 600 - 800 GBP

Valeria TROUBINA (Russie, née en 1966) Orpheus and Eurydice (circa 1990) Oil on canvas Signed and titled on the back in Cyrillic 160 x 80 cm (A few chips and cracks).

Estim. 20 000 - 24 000 GBP

"SPADINO"; GIOVANNI PAOLO CASTELLI (Rome, 1659 - 1730). "Still life with birds and fruit". Oil on canvas. Bibliography: Europ. Art, II. n.6. June 1991, pg. 57, image pg. 59. Size: 92 x 130 cm; 125 x 164 cm (frame). The combination of juicy fruits and exotic birds was repeatedly explored by Spadino, a painter in whose still lifes the most sensualist and exuberant side of the Baroque. The ripeness of the fruits has reached the highest degree of succulence (some are even beginning to open, announcing the ephemeral nature of their splendour). The flowers are also at the peak of their fragrance, ready to wither. The carefully chosen, distinctly baroque scenography is enhanced by the careful study of light, based on a rhythmic play of alternating plant shadows and glows that draw the eye to the porcelain bowl, the figs and the grapes, resolved with accomplished glazes. Known as "Spadino", Giovanni Paolo Castelli was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, mainly active in Rome and specialising in painting still lifes, principally flowers and fruit. He came from a family of artists whose patron was Jan Herinans, a Flemish painter linked to the Pamphili family and specialising in floral compositions. Castelli therefore grew up in direct contact with the artistic circles of Rome at the time and began his training with his older brother, Bartolomeo Castelli (1641-1686), by then a well-known still-life painter. From 1674 he worked as an independent master and after Bartolomeo's death in 1686 he took over the family workshop. Giovanni Paolo Castelli's language also reveals the influence of the Flemish artist Abraham Brueghel, who was active in Italy. In fact, it seems that between 1671 and 1674 Castelli furthered his training in Brueghel's workshop. Castelli painted mainly rich cups and vases with flowers and fruit, with a personal style marked by a brilliant palette that emphasises the contours of the objects, rendered with meticulous detail and attention to quality. His language reveals the Flemish forms that he may have learned from his godfather Herinans, and later also from Brueghel, during the latter's stay in Rome before his final departure for Naples. His language was continued by his son, Bartolomeo Spadino (1696-1738). The origin of the nickname inherited by his son, "Spadino", is uncertain; it literally means "the man with the sword", and was already held by his father, just as he would pass it on to his son. Scholars raise the question of why he inherited the nickname and not his older brother, suggesting that the answer is the shape of his signature, which is very angular, like the blade of a knife. Other historians suggest that it may be due to the fact that the artist used a long, narrow palette, the shape of which is reminiscent of a sword. However, it is documented that Giovanni Paolo was imprisoned between 1680 and 1683 for murder, which may indicate that he earned his nickname by killing his enemy in a duel. Now considered one of the most important still-life painters of the Roman school of the late 17th and early 18th century, Giovanni Paolo Castelli is currently represented in the Pinacoteca Civica Fortunato Duranti in Montefortino, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Fesch in Ajaccio and the Pinacoteca in Rieti, among other collections.

Estim. 20 000 - 24 000 GBP

"SPADINO"; GIOVANNI PAOLO CASTELLI (Rome, 1659 - 1730). "Still life with birds and fruit". Oil on canvas. Bibliography: Europ. Art, II. n.6. June 1991, pg. 57, image pg. 59. Size: 92 x 130 cm; 125 x 164 cm (frame). The combination of juicy fruits and exotic birds was repeatedly explored by Spadino, a painter in whose still lifes the most sensualist and exuberant side of the Baroque. The ripeness of the fruits has reached the highest degree of succulence (some are even beginning to open, announcing the ephemeral nature of their splendour). The flowers are also at the peak of their fragrance, ready to wither. In the background, Roman aqueducts form the perfect backdrop for the scenographic composition of nature. This carefully chosen, distinctly baroque scenography is enhanced by the careful study of light, based on a rhythmic interplay of alternating plant shadows and gleams that draw the eye to figs and grapes. The Flemish heritage can be seen in the accomplished pearly qualities of the fruit skins and the fleshy hearts of the split melons. Known as "Spadino", Giovanni Paolo Castelli was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, mainly active in Rome and specialising in still-life painting, mainly flowers and fruit. He came from a family of artists whose patron was Jan Herinans, a Flemish painter linked to the Pamphili family and specialising in floral compositions. Castelli therefore grew up in direct contact with the artistic circles of Rome at the time and began his training with his older brother, Bartolomeo Castelli (1641-1686), by then a well-known still-life painter. From 1674 he worked as an independent master and after Bartolomeo's death in 1686 he took over the family workshop. Giovanni Paolo Castelli's language also reveals the influence of the Flemish artist Abraham Brueghel, who was active in Italy. In fact, it seems that between 1671 and 1674 Castelli furthered his training in Brueghel's workshop. Castelli painted mainly rich cups and vases with flowers and fruit, with a personal style marked by a brilliant palette that emphasises the contours of the objects, rendered with meticulous detail and attention to quality. His language reveals the Flemish forms that he may have learned from his godfather Herinans, and later also from Brueghel, during the latter's stay in Rome before his final departure for Naples. His language was continued by his son, Bartolomeo Spadino (1696-1738). The origin of the nickname inherited by his son, "Spadino", is uncertain; it literally means "the man with the sword", and was already held by his father, just as he would pass it on to his son. Scholars raise the question of why he inherited the nickname and not his older brother, suggesting that the answer is the shape of his signature, which is very angular, like the blade of a knife. Other historians suggest that it may be due to the fact that the artist used a long, narrow palette, the shape of which is reminiscent of a sword. However, it is documented that Giovanni Paolo was imprisoned between 1680 and 1683 for murder, which may indicate that he earned his nickname by killing his enemy in a duel. Now considered one of the most important still-life painters of the Roman school of the late 17th and early 18th century, Giovanni Paolo Castelli is currently represented in the Pinacoteca Civica Fortunato Duranti in Montefortino, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Fesch in Ajaccio and the Pinacoteca in Rieti, among other collections.

Estim. 12 000 - 14 000 GBP

JUAN RUIZ SORIANO (Higuera de la Sierra, Huelva, 1701 - Seville, 1763). "The Death of Saint Francis", 1743. Oil on canvas. Relined. It has repainting and restorations. Presents inscription with date. Measurements. 139 x 275 cm. The semicircular format of this work indicates that it is a painting intended as a decorative element, perhaps with the intention of ornamenting the upper areas of an opening, or another architectural space. Of a devotional nature, the artist has depicted the death of Saint Francis, who is lying in the centre of the composition with his eyes closed and his hands with the stigmata on his chest. Saint Francis, the protagonist of the scene, is surrounded by numerous religious of his order who are watching over his corpse, all of whom adopt a different attitude and have different physical features, which shows the artist's mastery. The central image, of a sober and austere character, is relieved by the artist through three elements: the glory break located in the upper area, the family on the left, perhaps representing some donors, whose clothes stand out against the rigorous black of the friars, and finally the presence of a small space on the right, where the official burial of Saint Francis can be seen, already in his coffin. Born in the town of Higuera de Aracena, now Higuera de la Sierra, Juan Ruiz Soriano trained in Seville with his cousin Alonso Miguel de Tovar (Higuera de la Sierra, 1678 - Madrid, 1752), and began painting in 1725. As a disciple of Tovar, it is logical that Ruiz Soriano's art should at the same time derive from that of Murillo, which is why his pictorial production is characterised by a soft, gentle drawing. We know that he worked for numerous religious orders, which asked him to produce a series of paintings to decorate their cloister walls. He must also have worked extensively for private individuals. The present canvas shows the direct influences of both Ruiz Soriano and Tovar, so it could be deduced that the artist is a painter from the circle of the former and a follower of the latter. Both masters derived their models from Murillo, as was common among 18th-century Sevillian painters, and this influence is also evident in this canvas, both in the sketchy treatment, with its elaborate classical tones, and in the figures themselves, which are painted with a marked sense of expressive affability and serenity. Within Alonso Miguel de Tovar's production we frequently find the same theme as the present painting, depicted in a very similar compositional model. In the "Divinas Pastoras" in the parish church of Cortelazor, the one in Higuera de la Sierra and the one in the Museo del Prado, all typical of Tovar's style, Mary appears seated on a rock against a landscape background enclosed on the left, dressed in a pink tunic, blue cloak and sheepskin sackcloth, holding a rose in her left hand and caressing a sheep's head with her right. In all of them, moreover, the animals approaching the figure hold roses in their mouths as an offering to Mary. The rest of the elements of the composition are identical to those in Tovar's, including the secondary scene in the background, in which an archangel is depicted fighting a demon who intends to attack a lamb holding a phylactery with the text "Ave Maria" in its mouth. Thus, the only iconographic differences with respect to Tovar's work are the Virgin's crown and the archangel, who in the work by the master from Higueras de la Sierra carries a flaming sword, while here he appears unarmed. Another differentiating element, although secondary in terms of iconography, is that in this work an angel appears holding Mary's staff, while in Tovar's works the staff appears leaning against the rock.

Online payments are secured by Ingenico and encrypted transactions.

Each lot has been authenticated and appraised by an Auction House.

Consult our FAQ or contact us

Composed of several subsidiaries, the Drouot Group is a major player in the art market. Hôtel Drouot, located in the heart of Paris, has been the world's largest public auction center since 1852. 15 salerooms are available to more than 70 auction houses. The emulation generated by an annual offer of 230,000 artworks from 21 major specialities - from Antiquity to street art - attracts some 3,000 visitors every day. The Group's digital platform, Drouot.com, offers digital sales - Live auctions (live broadcasting and participation in auctions), Online-only auctions (dematerialised auctions) and Buy Now sales (sales of lots at fixed prices). Nearly 2 million items are offered annually by 600 auction houses. Auction news is reported every week in La Gazette Drouot, the leading weekly magazine for the art market and culture published by Auctionspress.

More about Drouot

Drouot certified auction houses

Contacts

HÔTEL DROUOT

9, rue Drouot 75009 Paris, France

+33 (0)1 48 00 20 00

[email protected]

DROUOT.com

[email protected]