HERMITAGE FINE ART
OLD MASTERS, 19TH CENTURY TO CONTEMPORARY ART & DESIGN OBJECTS.
MANUSCRIPTS & PHOTOGRAPHS SALES
on 16-17 June 2021

Hermitage Fine Art is delighted to announce that its catalogues are live on the auction house’s website and online platforms. The sales will take place on 16th and 17th of June from the prestigious Hotel Fairmont in Monte-Carlo.

June 16: Russian Art (catalogue coming soon).
June 17: Old Masters.
June 17: 19th Century to Contemporary Art and Design Objects.
June 17: Manuscripts, Autographs and Photographs.

The global audience will be able to bid on the spot (upon reservation), on the phone and live on online platforms Drouot, The Saleroom, Bidspirit and Invaluable. It will also be possible to register absentee bids on online platforms (including Auction.fr) or by sending an e-mail to the auction house.

The Fine Art collection will feature lots coming from private collections never shown on auctions before and will include a selection of important Old Master paintings such as the oil on canvas by Antonio Carracci (1583-1618) representing one of the famous Aesop's fables “The father, his son and their donkey” (lot 504); “Susanna and the Elders” executed by one of the painters from the Circle of Luca Giordano (1634–1705) (lot 505); the Neoclassical watercolour “Narcissus looking into the water” from the Circle of Jacob Philipp Hackert (1737–1807), renowned due to his works for the Russian Empress Catherine the Great (lot 514) or the fine and rare 18th Century Roman micro-mosaic representing a Still life with fruits (lot 502).
Fine Art - Old Masters
LUCA GIORDANO (1634 – 1705), CIRCLE OF
Susanna and the Elders
Oil on canvas
173 x 123 cm

Luca Giordano was an Italian late-Baroque painter. Born in Naples, Luca Giordano studied in Rome, Parma and Venice and developed an elaborate Baroque style fusing Venetian and Roman influences. From 1692 to 1702 Giordano served as court painter to King Charles II of Spain decorating, among other important works, the ceilings of the Escorial, the Cathedral of Toledo, and the Buen Retiro in Madrid.
Considered the leading Neapolitan painter of the 17th century, his work influenced many other artists in Italy, and he had many pupils and followers. His paintings express the drama of religious and mytholo- gical subjects in large-scale canvases and frescoes.

The present grand scale painting is a representation of a biblical narrative from chapter 13 of the Book of Daniel: two elderly men are shown spying on a young married woman named Susanna. Susanna was taking a bath in her garden when the two elders came in. The elders spied on Susanna and then demanded sexual favors from her, which she refused. To take revenge, the men decided to ruin Susanna’s reputation and falsely accused her of adultery - a crime which was punishable by stoning. The young Daniel decided to help Susanna, he questioned the elders separately, and observed that details in the two elders’ stories did not match up. Their conflicting stories revealed the falsehood of their testimony, thus clearing Susanna’s name.

The subject was relatively common in European art from the 16th century with Susanna exemplifying the virtues of modesty and fidelity. In practice however, it allowed artists the opportunity to display their skill in the depiction of female nudes, often for the pleasure of their male patrons.

Provenance: Private collection, Italy



The section of 19th Century Art and Modern Art will present French, Italian, Flemish, Spanish, and Argentinian paintings, like the Belle Epoque view of “Paris, Porte St. Denis” of by Elie Anatole Pavil, Odessa born painter inspired by Degas and Renoir; three lots by the Polish-born Henryk Gotlib, very important for the development of British modern art, or a Seated Nude by the Lithuanian-French artist Pinchus Kremegne. The sale will also see the launch of a vast selection of remarkable XX century and contemporary artists like the French Pierre Ino (Russian born Petr Vychegzhanin, stepson of Chekhonin) with an example of his creative compositions tackling the realm of imagination (lot 587), or the Spanish Ignasi Vidal with his cheerful Concert Juvénile au Café de Flore (lot 586). The critically acclaimed contemporary artist Eric Massholder (B. 1960) will be among the highlights. His triptych entitled “Space Union” creates a unique world where human forms meet alien figures, his pastels fascinate with strong, graphic lines, bold colours and sensuous forms, “When fire makes water” exemplifies his sense of experimentation and fun (lots 591 to 595).
ANTONIO CARRACCI (1583 – 1618)
The father, his son and their donkey
A FINE ROMAN MICRO-MOSAIC PLAQUE DEPICTING AN APPLE, GRAPES AND A PEACH
Italy, Rome, 18th century
A series of limited-edition prints will complete this sale featuring names like Alfons Mucha, Salvador Dali, Peter Behrens, André Masson, Jean Cocteau, Jeremy Taburchi, André Verdet, Ernando Venanzi, Wassily Kandinsky, Fernandez Arman and more.
PETER BEHRENS (1868 – 1940)
The Kiss (Der Kuss)
ANDRÉ MASSON (1896-1987)
Odalisque
WASSILY KANDINSKY (1866-1944)
Comètes
Decorative Objects will feature among others an Art Nouveau bronze table lamp modelled after Loie Fuller’s famous Serpentine Dance by Raoul Larche (lot 623), a pair of Neoclassical style blue lapis lazuli vases, a Louis XVI style gueridon (lot 619), a XIX century cup carrying the portrait of the Spanish king Ferdinand VII (lot 620), design chair sets by Finn Juhl and Edward Wormley (lots 629 and 830).
FRANCOIS-RAOUL LARCHE (1860-1912)
ART NOUVEAU GILT-BRONZE «DANSEUSE LOIE FULLER A DEUX LUMIERES» LAMP
SIOT - DECAUVILLE, circa 1900
A CUP WITH A PORTRAIT OF FERDINAND VII (1784-1833), THE KING OF SPAIN
Factory of Dagoty, Paris, latter part of 1810s
LOUIS XVI STYLE GUERIDON
MAHOGANY VENEER AND GILDED BRONZE, AFTER ADAM WEISWELER.
Paris. XIXth century, circa 1850
The Manuscripts, Autographs and Photographs section will include a selection of names going from the XVII to the XXI century. Two exceptional lots dedicated to Charlie Chaplin (762-763): a portrait photograph with dedication and a signed postcard. Letters and manuscripts by, Gustave Eiffel (734), the Count of Cagliostro (714), Guy de Maupassant (739), Che Guevara (765), Salvador Dali (777, 778), Mark Twain (744), Pablo Picasso (812 to 815) and more are waiting for the best offer. They will be accompanied by signed photographs of well-known personalities like Ginger Rogers (848), Marcel Cerdans (852), Maria Callas (851) and of famous singers by Mimmo Chianura like Sting and Bob Dylan (766 to 771).
SALVADOR DALI (1904-1989)
Autograph letter signed ‘Salvador Dalí’ and a letter dictated to his wife Gala with autograph additions, illustrated with original drawings [Del Monte (California) ca. 1941-1942], to Léonide MASSINE.
CHARLES SPENCER CHAPLIN, KNOWN AS CHARLIE CHAPLIN (1889-1977)
Portrait photograph with personal dedication
Also see our Private Sales