Shapiro Auctions' upcoming auction on 25 July features a wide range of exceptional art and antiques, from a fresh-to-the-market Joseph Henry Sharp still life (paired with a historic Spanish Colonial chest), to a superb painting of the Neapolitan coast by the Russian artist Konstantin Gorbatov, to Chinese white jade carvings.
This oil on canvas painting is by the celebrated American painter of the West, and founding member of the Taos Society of Artist, Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953). The painting, A Prehistoric Bowl - Excavated Near the Pueblo of Zuni, New Mexico, is sold together with the same Spanish Colonial wooden chest, which is depicted in the painting. In Sharp’s own hand, written on the verso of the painting, is the inscription "A Prehistoric Bowl – Excavated Near The Pueblo of Zuni, N. Mex. ($500 prize Pasadena Art Inst. 1935). Chest was property of Gov. Bent, 1st Gov. of New Mexico, killed in the battle of Taos in last war of Indians + Gov't Red drapery I bought from the back of a camel (over howda) in Biskra, Africa. -J. H. Sharp. Taos, N. Mex."
Not only is this historically significant chest fresh to the market, but the still life painting itself has been in the family's collection, who acquired the painting and chest from Sharp directly in the 1940s. Governor Bent was killed in the last revolt of the Taos Pueblos against American rule in 1847. Incorporating elements of Spanish colonialism, Native American pottery, and even African rugs, this still life won the Pasadena Art Institute prize of $500, where Sharp lived closer to the end of his life, and is a wonderful opportunity for collectors and institutions to acquire a masterpiece ensemble by one of America’s most famous Western artists.
From the same family collection is a large coastal painting by the important Russian post-impressionist painter Konstantin Ivanovich Gorbatov (1876-1945). Depicting the coast of the Italian resort of Posillipo, near Naples, the painting reverberates with Gorbatov’s vibrant blue and pink colours, and is a perfect exemplification of the love of Russian painters for painting Italian motifs.
A whimsical and delightful painting in the auction takes the form of a painting by the British painter James Holmes RBA (1777-1860). The painting, entitled Unskillful Carver (A Family Conversation Piece), was described in an 1894 critical article by Alfred Thomas Story as “the most elaborate and studied of his works,” and is a rare large genre scene by this painter otherwise known for his miniatures.
Asian works are very well represented in this auction, including three large works by the Vietnamese-French modern artists Le Pho (1907-2001), and Vu Cao Dam (1908-2000), with Findlay gallery provenance. An intricately-carved Chinese white jade figure of Buddha Shakyamuni from the early 18th century is also being offered.
In terms of American art, Shapiro’s 25-July auction does not disappoint, as evidenced not only by the Sharp, but by artists such as Paul Jenkins and Johann Berthelsen. Paul Jenkins (1923-2012), the abstract painter and prominent member of the New York School of artists, is represented in the auction with a large and colourful acrylic on canvas, Phenomena: Rope the Wind, which demonstrates Jenkins' trademark oversized swathes of colour.
Likewise, two snowy scenes of New York (one of City Hall, one of the United Nations) by the very in-demand artist Johann Berthelsen (1883-1972) are little gems of the auction.
A classical New England motif, a covered bridge in the winter, is represented in the auction by the highly collectable artist, often associated with the Rockport School, Emile Albert Gruppe (1896-1978). Undulating with light and shadow, hidden in blues, greys and whites, the panting of a bridge marks the artist as one truly responsive to the landscape around him.
A wonderful Parisian street scene by the Japanese-French figurative painter, and member of a core group of early Japanese-French artists of the 20th century, which also included Saeki, Foujita and Yokote, is included in the auction. It presents one of many opportunities in the auction to buy at more realistic and market-driven prices than the high peaks of recent years.
As Shapiro Auctions has long been known for their specialisation in Russian and Soviet paintings, especially of the 20th century, it should come as no surprise that there are numerous paintings by artists of the former Soviet Union. One of the most famous of these modern artists was Alexander Nikolaevich Samokhvalov (1894-1971), who is represented in the auction with a work he painted closer to the end of his life, in 1970. With a uniquely Soviet atmosphere and feeling to the painting, particularly in its studied physiognomies, and its capturing of public and private spaces as one, the painting, entitled On the Bus, is a masterwork.
The auction will also include numerous signed jewellery pieces, including those by Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Patek Philippe,and Faberge. A strikingly beautiful diamond and white gold Patek Philippe Calatrava model wristwatch is of particular note.
French masters are represented by Maximilien Luce's (French 1858-1941), Paysage au bord de la rivière, 1896. Exhibited in galleries around the world, and sold at multiple prestigious auctions, this work is an important one in Luce’s oeuvre. Dating to 1896, it was painted shortly after Luce's visit to Camille Pissarro in Eragny-sur-Epte near Normandy, where he stayed during the month of September, 1895. It shows Luce at the height of his mastery of luminous impressionistic landscapes, no doubt as deeply affected by the beauty of the countryside as Pissarro, who made Eragny his home until his death in 1903.
As in his most famous paintings, Sheep Dog Guarding his Flock by Eugene Verboeckhoven (1798-1881) displays all of Verboeckhoven’s highly refined skills, from the precision of the sheep and guard dog to the exacting depiction of the landscape. It is this precision that makes this work so memorable, and that makes this artist so unforgettable in Belgian still life painting. Unsurprisingly, the painting has been displayed in multiple prestigious galleries and auction houses across the globe.
A highly important lot for collectors of antique arts is this fire screen by William Hunt Diederich (Austrian 1884-1953). Diederich is perhaps best known for working with wrought iron to create functional art (fire screens, gates, lamps and trivets) with animal imagery. The artist’s tendency towards western design is exemplified by this hand-forged fire screen. The wrought-iron screen features two eagles on a branch, a deviation from the traditional hunting and sporting animal themes seen in many of Diederich’s screens, however, the low relief repoussé eagles elegantly showcase Diederich’s characteristic emphasis on the simplified form in profile.
This painting exemplifies one of Burliuk's most interesting tendencies as a mature artist: his re-imagining of his futurist compositions of the 1910s, for which he was so well known in Russia. Burliuk, ever the humourist, would purposefully date his new futurist compositions with an earlier date. The present work is closely related to an eponymous painting in The National Art Museum of Ukraine, Kyiv. This work comes from the esteemed collection of Ella Jaffe Friedus, a long time collector and friend of Burliuk, who hosted the conference ''A Slap in the Face of Public Taste', dedicated to Burliuk and the Russian Avant-Garde at her Long Island home.
The auction comprises over 25 lots of impressive European ceramics, including a selection of monumental French vases, a number of highly attractive Hungarian Zsolnay pieces, and two important Imperial Russian vases. This lot is a highly demanded and well-preserved set by the leading maker of pâte-sur-pâte designs. Instantly recognisable as Mintons, this trio is sure to appeal to discerning porcelain collectors. The lot is flanked by two other standard-bearers of English porcelain: Wedgwood is represented by a pair of royal blue-ground vases and Royal Crown Derby by an exquisite 1887 Persian style vase.
