This section will be available this Autumn.
Harold t’Kint de Roodenbeke
Jane Graverol (Brussels 1905-1984 Fontainebleau) Femme Libérée, 1949 Oil on canvas 60 x 73 cm Signed and dated 'Jane Graverol 1949' Provenance: collection of his friend and artist Tom Gutt Literature: Xavier Canonne, Le surréalisme en Belgique: 1924-2000, Fonds Mercator, 2006; Le surréalisme en Belgique, Bozar Books, Fonds Mercator, 2024 Exhibitions: Le surréalisme en Belgique, Musée de Mons, March-August 2007; Histoire de ne pas rire, Bozar, Brussels, February-June 2024, ill. p. 221 Created in 1949, the year Jane Graverol met René Magritte, this work is an important example of the artist’s exploration of female identity and confinement. Graverol depicts herself inside a cage. The image reflects on women’s position in the mid-20th century, when social expectations strongly limited women’s independence. Yet, the open door suggests the possibility of emancipation and a desire to break away from prescribed roles. The painting was also repeatedly selected by the press to illustrate coverage of the Bozar exhibition. This artwork embodies something larger: the tension between the restrictions of an era and a woman’s desire to claim a space of her own. Full press references available on request.
La Galerie URBAN
Maurice Denis (Granville 1870-1943 Saint-Germain-en-Laye) Bucolique d’Automne or L’Heureux Verger Pouldu, 1906 Oil on canvas 82 x 117 cm Signed and dated lower left 'MAVRICE DENIS 1906' This work is accompanied by the certificate of authenticity and it will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist under n° 906.0016 Provenance: Baron Eberhard von Bodenhausen, Berlin (acquired from the artist, 1906-1908); Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (1908-1919); Miss Edwards (1919); Brooklyn Museum, New York (1927); Galerie Philippe Reichenbach, Paris; Walter P. Chrysler Jr., New York (1960); Stuart Pivar, New York (2004-2021); private collection, Switzerland Exhibitions: Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris, Grand Palais, 15 April-30 June 1906, p. 19, n° 389 (ill.); Fünfzehnten Ausstellung der Berliner Secession, Berlin, spring 1908, n° 46; Internationale Kunstschau, Vienna, Gebäude der Secession, May-October 1909, n° 15; Nus, Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, 17-28 May 1910, n° 30; Ausstellung Französischer Kunst des 18., 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts, Leipzig, Leipziger Kunstverein, October-November 1910, n° 55; Internationale Kunstausstellung der Münchener Secession, Munich, Kgl. Kunstausstellungsgebäude am Königsplatz, 16 May-31 October 1911, n° 36; Exposition d'Art contemporain, Paris, Galerie Manzi-Joyant, 12-31 October 1912, n° 44; Ausstellung französischer Kunst, Zurich, Zürcher Kunsthaus, 16 February-26 March 1913, n° 93; A XIX. Szàzad nagy francia mesterei, Budapest, Ernst-Muzeum, September 1913, n° 78; Le Paysage du Midi, Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, 8-16 June 1914, n° 26; Exposition de peinture, série C, Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, 19-30 June 1916, n° 13; French Paintings 1789-1929 from the collection of Walter P. Chrysler Jr., Dayton Art Institute, 25 March-22 May 1960, p. 102, n° 94 (ill.)
Herwig Simons Fine Arts
Door lock with Christ and the Twelve Apostles 17th-century Provenance: former private collection, Belgium Finely crafted 17th-century door lock, featuring an elaborate openwork design depicting Christ and the Twelve Apostles. The lock retains its original key and the lock is in good working order. A fascinating example of 17th-century decorative ironwork, combining historical significance religious iconography, and intricate craftsmanship.
De Wit Fine Tapestries
Large leaf verdure with wild boar Southern Netherlands, possibly Oudenaarde, 16th century Tapestry, wool and silk 265 x 370 cm This Large leaf lerdure with wild boar depicts an idealised view of nature. The vegetation is in bloom and various animals are roaming through the crops. Whilst tapestries of this type often survive in fragments, this piece is complete and contains all the typical, characteristic elements. The piece is in very good condition, with strong contrasting colours that emphasise the illusion of vibrant nature. Whereas we often see oval or circular balustrades in tapestries of this kind, which frame the natural scene behind them, the picture plane here is sharply interrupted by a straight balustrade. A gallery is formed which attempts to keep the viewer at a distance, but it cannot hold back the foliage, and some of the vegetation and animals pass beyond the frame and escape from the border.
Waddington Custot
Jean Hélion (Couterne, Rives-d'Andaine 1904–1987 Paris) Homme au chapeau, 1943 Oil on canvas 58.1 x 43.1 cm Signed and dated on reverse ‘Hélion va 43’ This work is recorded in the online catalogue raisonné de l’oeuvre peint de Jean Hélion, no. 876 (http://www.helion-cat-rais.com/moteur/pop.php?id=1216) Provenance: John Ashbery, New York (directly from the artist); Connaught Brown, London Exhibitions: ‘Jean Hélion’, Spencer A. Samuels & Co., Ltd, New York, 7 April–22 May 1976, catalogue no. 8 (repro. In b&w); ‘Works from the Collection of John Ashbery’, Kasmin Gallery, New York, 1 November–22 December 2018; ‘Regards croisés’, Waddington Custot, Paris, 11 June–26 September 2026
Galerie bei der Albertina ▪ Zetter
Johann Lötz Witwe, Klostermühle and Gustave Serrurier-Bovy (attributed to) Table Lamp, around 1900 Metal with hammered décor, square-shaped lampshade, twelve square-shaped glasses, in blue and violet, with melted splashes in silver-yellow, iricised, by Johann Lötz Witwe, Klostermühle, single light, electrification renewed H 55 cm, D 25 cm Gustave Serrurier-Bovy was one of the most acclaimed architects and designers of Belgian art nouveau, next to Victor Horta or Henry van de Velde. After a trip to London in 1884, he was strongly influenced by the British Arts and Crafts movement, as well as by William Morris and John Ruskin. His asymmetrical and organic furniture and lighting designs alternated between curvilinear, plant-inspired motifs and a highly functional, almost industrial simplicity that is considered a precursor to modern industrial design. As with objects designed by Josef Hoffmann or Adolf Loos, this lamp combines an architectural composition with functional finesse and a uniquely modern aesthetic. Around 1900 Lötz Witwe maintained an extensive international distribution network of sample warehouses - including one located directly in Brussels. While Serrurier-Bovy provided the structural designs (often made of wood or metal), Lötz Witwe contributed the brilliance of color and materials. This makes the lamp a good example for the international exchange happening in the design world from the late 19th century onwards and the extension of art nouveau ideas. Lamps in this style with the original glass inlays are extremely rare on the market. Works by Serrurier-Bovy are on display at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among other places.
Desmet Fine Art
Pietro Simoni da Barga (Florence, active 1574-1588) (Attributed) A fallen man-A Titan Florence, circa 1570-1590 Bronze, All’Antica patina H 11 x W 20 x D 12 cm Art Loss Register: S00213873 Provenance: probably Cardinal Ferdinando de ’Medici, later Grand Duke Ferdinando I of Tuscany (1549-1609); Hugo Finaly (1844-1915); Madame Jenny Finaly (1850-1938); Villa Landau Finaly, Florence, by 1916; private collection, UK; private collection, The Netherlands Published: G. de Nicola, 'Notes on the Museo Nazionale of Florence-II', in: The Burlington Magazine, (December 1916, Vol. XXIX), pp. 368-69 In the second half of the 16th century, Cardinal Ferdinando de’ Medici was one of the most renowned collectors in Rome. He created one of the greatest collections of Antiquities for his villa on the Pincian hill in Rome. When certain highly acclaimed sculptures ended up in the papal collection or other important collections which he couldn’t acquire, he contented himself with having copies made. These weren’t full-size copies, but rather fine statuettes on a reduced scale, intended for his studiolo. His passion for antiquity is mirrored in the collection of small bronzes he had. He kept in his service an artist called Pietro da Barga; a sculptor known to us only by the references in cardinal Ferdinando’s inventory. One of the main characteristics of his bronzes is the green all’antica patina he used to resemble the surface of the newly discovered ancient Roman bronze statues. Not only did he make reduced copies of ancient roman sculpture, he also used famed Renaissance models like Giambologna’s Mars or Michelangelo’s standing Christ.
Epoque Fine Jewels
René Lalique (Ay 1860-1945 Paris) Art Nouveau dragonfly brooch Paris, circa 1903 18 k yellow gold, 'plique-à-jour' enamel and polychrome enamel, old mine cut diamonds, citrine and pearls 11.6 x 4.4 cm Signed Lalique Accompanied by its original fitted case marked R. Lalique, 40, Cours-la-Reine, Paris, monogrammed 'E.A.' An important Art Nouveau dragonfly brooch by René Lalique, in 18-karat gold, designed as two opposing dragonflies with delicate wings of translucent plique-à-jour enamel, accented with old mine-cut diamonds. At the centre, the dragonflies clasp a cushion-shaped orange citrine, their bodies and legs enhanced with polychrome enamel. Graduated pearls trace the extremities of the wings, lending the composition a graceful sense of movement and lightness, characteristic of Lalique’s jewellery at the height of the Art Nouveau period.
Stern Pissarro Gallery
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Limoges 1841-1919 Cagnes-sur-Mer) Coco mangeant sa soupe, 1905 Oil on canvas 46.3 x 37.9 cm Signed lower right 'Renoir' Provenance: Ambroise Vollard, Paris; private collection, Zurich, circa 1930; Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego, March 1942 (on loan from a private collection); Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, Los Angeles, 1943-1949; Van Diemen-Lilienfeld Galleries, New York, 1953; Chapin and Mary Alexander Riley, Malibu/Worcester, acquired in 1953; Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts (inventory n° 1991.238) (one third gifted in 1992 and a second third gifted in 1997) Literature: Principales acquisitions des musées en 1992, Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 1993, p. 65; Guy-Patrice Dauberville and Michel Dauberville, Renoir: Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, vol. IV, 1903-1910, n° 3415, p. 435 Exhibitions: Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Vincent van Gogh en zijn Tijdgenooten, 1930, n° 269; San Diego, Fine Arts Gallery, 1942; Los Angeles, Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, Renoir (1841-1919), 1943, n° 5; Los Angeles, Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, A Superb Exhibition: Modern French Masters, 1949, p. 5 (travelled to New York, Barbizon Plaza Hotel); Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Renoir: Intimidad, 18 October 2016-22 January 2017, p. 149 (travelled to Bilbao, Museo de Gellas Artes de Bilbao, 7 February-15 May 2017) Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Coco mangeant sa soupe (1905) is an intimate portrait of the artist’s youngest son, Claude, known as Coco, aged four, painted at Cagnes-sur-Mer in the South of France. Built from soft, flowing brushstrokes in warm oranges, pinks and reds, it shows Renoir’s late style at its most affectionate. The painting was exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, in Vincent van Gogh en zijn Tijdgenooten (1930) and at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Renoir: Intimidad (2016–17). Its provenance includes Ambroise Vollard and the Worcester Art Museum. A tender, closely observed portrayal of family life, it offers an intimate glimpse into the final chapter of Renoir’s career.
Univers du Bronze
Rembrandt Bugatti (Milan 1884-1916 Paris) Deux antilopes Goudou or 'Deux Amis', circa 1911 Bronze, dark brown patina H 23.1 x L 43.2 x D 11.9 cm Signed 'R. Bugatti' Original cast and edition by 'A.-A. Hébrard cire perdue Paris' (seal and inscribed in the wax 'Fondu en 1925'), engraved '(13)' Edition cast in 1925
Verdini Antiques
Enrico Podio (Active 1840-1890 between Rome and Venice) Micromosaic centre table, 1873 Polychrome micromosaic, patinated, cast and chased bronze H 100 x Ø 125 cm Signed and dated 'Enrico Podio fecit' and 'Venezia 1873' This exceptional table is one of the most ambitious expressions of nineteenth-century Venetian micromosaic. Its distinction lies in the rare combination of monumental scale, extraordinary technical refinement, documented authorship and a fully integrated sculptural bronze base. Micromosaic is more often associated with small cabinet objects. Here, Enrico Podio expands the technique to a table, transforming a traditionally intimate art into a commanding architectural statement. The head of Medusa is modelled through minute glass tesserae with subtle changes of flesh tone, shadow, hair and serpent scales. The optical blending approaches the effects of painting while remaining unmistakably mosaic. The inscriptions 'ENRICO PODIO FECIT' and 'VENEZIA 1873' give the work unusual documentary precision, securely identifying the maker, place and date and anchoring the table within the mature Venetian revival of mosaic art. The patinated, cast and chased bronze pedestal is conceived as an integral part of the design. Its classical heads, masks, architectural members and zoomorphic details create a powerful counterpoint to the brilliant colour of the micromosaic top. The synthesis of rarity, scale, technical mastery, documented authorship and visual impact places this table among the most impressive examples of nineteenth-century Italian decorative arts.
LUDORFF
Gerhard Richter (Dresden, 1932) Fuji 839-108, 1996 Oil on alucobond 29 x 37 cm Signed and numbered '839-108' on the reverse Certificate of authenticity issued by Hubertus Butin, Berlin 2010 Provenance: Galerie Hubertus Melsheimer, Cologne (2011); Galerie Ludorff, Dusseldorf (2013); private collection, Hesse (on permanent loan to the Mönchehaus Museum Goslar) Literature: Galerie Ludorff, 'Neuerwerbungen Frühjahr 2024', Dusseldorf 2024, p. 100; Galerie Ludorff, 'Gerhard Richter', Dusseldorf 2013, p. 51; Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen (ed.), 'Gerhard Richter mit dem Catalogue Raisonné 1993-2004', Dusseldorf 2005, n° 839-108; Hubertus Butin/Stefan Gronert, 'Gerhard Richter. Editionen 1965-2004. Catalogue Raisonné', Ostfildern-Ruit 2004, n° 89 Exhibitions: Galerie Ludorff, 'Neuerwerbungen Frühjahr 2024', Dusseldorf 2024; Galerie Ludorff, 'Gerhard Richter. Abstrakte Bilder', Dusseldorf 2013 Gerhard Richter has been exploring abstraction in depth since the late 1960s. In the late 1990s, he developed the ‘Fuji’ series. As part of this series, Richter no longer applies paint to canvas, but to Alucobond, an aluminium composite panel. This highly durable panel with a smooth surface allows for the creation of particularly delicate colour structures. Richter applies the three colours that form the basis of the painting - a vibrant red, a rich green and a warm yellow-orange - to the substrate in three horizontal bands. Using a squeegee, a painting tool resembling a narrow plastic strip, the artist applies the white oil paint and draws it across the coloured surface in thin layers from the top to the bottom edge of the picture. The white paint blends with the tones of the background. This technique creates a highly complex, delicate structure on the panel, characterised by great painterly subtlety. Viewed from top to bottom, red, green and white alternate with one another. The orange, also used by Richter, is now only partially visible in the right-hand half of the composition. As the application of paint with a squeegee can only be controlled to a limited extent, the principle of chance comes into play. The title ‘Fuji’ allows for interpretation on two different levels, namely, ‘[…] the conical volcano on the island of Honshu, which, as Japan’s sacred mountain, is the country’s national symbol, and the Japanese film and photography manufacturer of the same name, whose products are also widely available in Germany. As a photographer, Richter sometimes uses Fuji film; furthermore, in 1991 he spent two weeks travelling through Japan, during which he saw the famous mountain. Some of the paintings, with their streaky, at times almost graphic structural elements, do indeed bear a distant resemblance to old-master Japanese or Chinese landscape depictions.' The background to the creation of the ‘Fuji’ paintings lies in the approach made to the artist by Helmut Friedel, director of the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus. Richter’s ‘Atlas’ - a collection of photographs, sketches, documents and reference materials by the artist - was to be acquired for the Lenbachhaus collection. To finance the purchase, Richter agreed to paint a series of oil paintings for the museum. The proceeds from the sale of these ‘Fuji’ paintings played a key role in enabling the museum to acquire the ‘Atlas’ collection of documents. Much like the works in the ‘Green-Blue-Red’ series, the appearance of each individual painting in the ‘Fuji Edition’ varies considerably, as they were painted in portrait rather than landscape format. Furthermore, the varying degrees to which the base colours had dried by the time the white layer was applied result in the colours blending in ever-changing ways. Whilst some ‘Fujis’, with their extremely delicate colour blends, invite the viewer to discover their detailed textures, others, in stark contrast, exude a particularly strong sense of self-assurance. Although the ‘Fujis’ comprise a series of 110 works conceived along the same lines, each one is unique and wonderfully illustrates the principle of Gerhard Richter’s abstract painting, which treads the fine line between conceptual work and the principle of chance.
Brun Fine Art
James Cox (London 1723-1800 Watford) and Charles Magniac (Bedford 1786-1824 Paris) Coffer, circa 1760 Gilt bronze and glass painted in imitation of agate, pearls and precious stones 15.8 x 24.5 x 19 cm Engraved 'C3' on the inside front edge Expertise by Enrico Colle Literature: E. Colle, Enrico Colle, Brueghel: the Spirit of Collecting. Paintings. Sculptures. Wonders., Milan, 2026, pp. 294-299 Exhibitions: Brun Fine Art and De Jonckheere, Brueghel: the Spirit of Collecting. Paintings. Sculptures. Wonders., Milan, 2026
Rueb Modern and Contemporary Art
Jan Sluijters ('s-Hertogenbosch 1881-1957 Amsterdam) Greet van Kooten with headband, 1910 Oil on canvas 35.5 x 42 cm Signed and dated Provenance: Salomon Beffie collection, Amsterdam; Willem Beffie collection, New York; Galerie van Voorst van Beest, The Hague; Reens collection, Amsterdam; A.J. van Hillegondsberg collection, Blaricum; private collection, Amsterdam Literature: online catalogue raisonné Jan Sluijters - www.rkd.nl/images/100130 Exhibition: The Hague, Pulchri Studio, Paintings, drawings and pointes-sèches of Jan Sluijters and Lodewijk, Schelfhout, 3 July-25 July 1915, n° 40 After winning the prestigious Prix de Rome, Jan Sluijters received a grant that enabled him to travel to Rome and later to Paris. There, he encountered Fauvism, an avant-garde movement that emerged in the early 20th century. The Fauves revolutionised the use of colour, applying vivid, unmixed colours directly to the canvas. Their bold approach challenged artistic conventions and initially provoked criticism. The art critic Louis Vauxcelles famously nicknamed them les fauves (“the wild beasts”). Together with Piet Mondrian and Leo Gestel, Sluijters became one of the leading representatives of Dutch Luminism, a movement that developed around 1909 and embraced the expressive power of light and intense colour. Painted in 1910, Greet van Kooten with Headband is an early example of Sluijters’s exploration of this vibrant new style. Its striking colours reflect the influence of Fauvism, while demonstrating his own distinctive approach to colour and light. Greet van Kooten was Sluijters’s favourite model; she later became his wife in 1913.
Galerie Flak
U’u Club Marquesas Islands, Polynesia, 18th or 19th century Carved wood and fibers H 138.5 cm Provenance: David Petty collection, London; Pierre-Richard Royer collection, Paris; Alexandre Bernand collection, Paris; private collection, acquired from the above in September 2016 Exhibition: TEFAF 2024, Maastricht, Serge Schoffel, catalogue T3, p. 28
Galeria Jordi Pascual
Fernand Léger (Argentan 1881-1955 Gif-sur-Yvette) Paysage animé, 1937 Oil on canvas 92.1 x 60 cm Provenance: Galerie Simon, Paris; Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris; Kunsthalle Bern; Marlborough Gallery, London; Saidenberg Gallery, New York; Michelle Rosenfeld Gallery, New York; Nierendorf Gallery, New York; Samuel Berger, New York; private collection Literature: Cooper, Douglas, Fernand Léger et le nouvel espace, Lund Humphries / Éditions des Trois Collines, 1949, p. 130; Bauquier, Georges, Fernand Léger: Catalogue raisonné 1932-1937, 1996, pp. 238-39, fig. 938 Exhibitions: San Francisco Museum of Art, Art of Our Time, 1935-1945, 1945, cat. p. 33, fig. 39; Marlborough Gallery, London, Selected European Masters of the 19th and 20th Centuries, 1973, cat. pp. 78-79, fig. 39; Stad Mechelen, Cultureel Centrum, Belgium, Fernand Léger, 1979, fig. 60; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Caracas, Fernand Léger, 1982, cat. p. 74, fig. 46; Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, Fernand Léger: The Later Years, 1987-1988, cat. p. 19, fig. 21; Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart. Fernand Léger: Zeichnungen, Bilder, Zyklen, 1930-1955, 1988, cat. p. 190, fig. 21; Michelle Rosenfeld Gallery, Léger: America’s Culture, 1998, cat. fig. 18; Fundació Joan Miró, Fernand Léger, 2002, cat. p. 129; Marlborough Fine Art, London, Jacques Lipchitz and the School of Paris, 2023
LUDORFF
Serge Poliakoff (Moscow 1900-1969 Paris) Composition abstraite, circa 1956 Oil on canvas 130 x 89 cm Signed lower left The authenticity of this work is confirmed by Alexis Poliakoff and is registered in the Archives Serge Poliakoff, Paris, under n° 95604 Provenance: Etta & Otto Stangl collection, Munich (1971); on permanent loan to Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlung, Munich (1971-2001); Stangl collection estate, Munich (2001-2003); Sotheby's, London (auction 6 Februrary 2003, lot 21); Galerie Bernard Cats, Brussels; Willy d'Huysser Gallery, Brussels (2003); private collection Belgium; Frans Jacob Fine Art, Amsterdam; Galerie Interart, Geneva (2016); Galerie Pascal Lansberg, Paris (2024); private collection Hesse Literature: Alexis Poliakoff, 'Serge Poliakoff-Catalogue Raisonné', vol. II, 1955-1958, Paris 2010, n° 56-63; Connaissance des Arts (Hg.), 'Connaissance des Arts', n° 609, October 2003, p. 137; Marchiori, Giuseppe (Hg.), 'Serge Poliakoff. témoignages et textes critiques, Les Presses de la Connaissance', Paris, 1976, p. 62 Exhibitions: 'Documenta III', 27 June-5 October 1964, Kassel; 'Serge Poliakoff-Rétrospective', traveling exhibition: Kestner-Gesellschaft, Städtische Kunsthalle Bremen, Museum am Ostwall, Overbeck-Gesellschaft, Haus der Städtische Kunstsammlungen Bonn, Württembergischer Kunstverein, Städtisches Museum Trier, 1963-1964; Kunstverein für das Rheinland, 'Serge Poliakoff', 14 November-14 December 1958, Düsseldorf; Kunstverein Hamburg, 'Serge Poliakoff', 12 April-18 May 1958, Hamburg; Moderne Galerie Otto Stangl, 'Serge Poliakoff', 9 August-20 September 1957, Munich
Caretto & Occhinegro
Jan Provoost (Mons 1465-1529 Bruges) Crucifixion with a view of the city of Bruges, circa 1512-1515 Oil on panel 31.5 x 25 cm Expertise by Peter van den Brink Active primarily in Bruges between the late 15th and early 16th centuries, Provoost centered his art on a formidable capacity for aesthetic synthesis, marked by highly intellectual nuances and an unmistakable solemn style capable of blending diverse influences, from Van Eyck to Antonello da Messina. A shining example of this is this small Calvary, where three modernly minimalist figures are arranged with skillful geometry against a meticulously detailed view of the city of Bruges stretching out behind them. While Provoost explored this subject in other versions, always incorporating detailed cities in the background, none features such a precise and topographical view of Bruges. Indeed, one can readily recognize the belfry of the Church of Our Lady, the now-lost architectural structure of the Jerusalem Chapel of Bruges (still intact at the time), and the tower of the city's town hall.
Harold t’Kint de Roodenbeke
Pol Bury (La Louvière 1922-2005 Paris) L’étourdie, 1945 Oil on canvas 60 x 70 cm Signed lower right and dated 1945 This work is listed in the catalogue raisonné of the Pol Bury paintings under n° PO 46 Provenance: collection C. Matisse, La Louvière; sale Horta, Brussels, 12 October 2009, lot 208; private collection, Liège Literature: José Vovelle, 'Le surréalisme en Belgique', Brussels, André De Rache éditeur, 1972, p. 248, ill. p. 308; Viviane Baras-Flament, 'Pol Bury, 2014', bibliographical reference, 1974, ill. pl III; Philippe Roberts-Jones, Naissance et triomphe du surréalisme en Wallonie', 1975, ill. p. 297; Robert Hoozee, Piet Boyens, Inge Henneman, Monique Tahon-Vanroose, Helke Lauwaert, Serge Goyens de Heusch, Ronny Gobyn, 'L’art moderne en Belgique 1900-1945', Antwerp, Fonds Mercator, 1992, ill. p. 312; Rosemarie E. Pahlke, 'Pol Bury', Ghent, Crédit communal, 1994, pp. 102-103, cat 45-6, ill. p. 103; Histoire de ne pas rire, le surréalisme en Belgique, Bozar et Fonds Mercator, 2024, ill. p. 152 Exhibitions: Galerie Lou Cosyn, Brussels, Pol Bury, Juin 1946, n° 9; Musée des Beaux Arts de Liège, 'L’apport Wallon au surréalisme', October-November 1955, ill. n° 4; La Louvière, 'Introduction au surréalisme en Belgique, community hall, April-May 1969, n° 8; Kunstverein Hamburg, 'René Magritte et le surréalisme en Belgique', January-March 1982, n° 3, ill. p. 229; Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Rome, April-July 1982; Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, September-December 1982; Château de Waroux, Alleur, 'Pol Bury, du surréalisme aux ramollissements', April-June 2010; Château de Waroux, Alleur, 'De Dali à Magritte, l’aventure surréaliste', March-July 2011 Pol Bury, an artist and sculptor known worldwide for his kinetic works, began his career in the late 1930s. He met the poet Achille Chavée, who introduced him to the Hainaut Surrealist Group: ‘Rupture’. He also spent time with René Magritte, whom he admired. He contributed to the journal 'L’invention collective', launched by Raoul Ubac and René Magritte around 1940. His surrealist works, in the spirit of his mentor Magritte, were exhibited in 1945 at the International Exhibition of Surrealism at the Galerie des éditions la Boétie in Brussels. This work is one of the most iconic of his Surrealist period.
Costermans
Louis XV writing table Paris, Louis XV period, circa 1750 Ormolu-mounted tulipwood, satinwood, amaranth, and red leather H 66 x W 55 x D 37 cm Stamped I·P·LATZ Jean-Pierre Latz (Cologne 1686-1754 Paris) was titled as favoured craftsman to the king This small folding table stands at the very top of the social hierarchy of objects: beneath its top, a sliding shelf reveals a writing desk upholstered in red leather, whilst a side drawer conceals an inkwell. This transformation mechanism is remarkably discreet, requiring the cabinetmaker to collaborate with a mechanic and a locksmith. On the top, a lyre adorned with a ribbon – a rare motif on small pieces of furniture from this period – reflects the era’s taste for the arts. It is reminiscent of the writing table commissioned for the Marquise de Pompadour, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This table is the work of Jean-Pierre Latz, who came to Paris from Cologne in 1719 and became the King’s favoured cabinetmaker. Inventive and daring, he cast and chiselled his own bronze fittings in defiance of the regulations, and counted Frederick II of Prussia, Augustus III of Poland and the eldest daughter of Louis XV amongst his clients. Furniture bearing his signature is rare.
Galerie Raf Van Severen
Jean Brusselmans (Brussels 1884-1953 Dilbeek) Decor for Erwartung, 1936 Mixed media on paper 60 x 90 cm Label at the back; Erwartung; Decor pour 'Erwartung', d’Arnold Schoenberg, 1936; Décor pour le 4e acte Literature: Paul Haesaerts, Jean Brusselmans, 1939, p. 67; Robert L. Delevoy, Jean Brusselmans: CR établi par Mme G. Brys-Schatan, 1972, 421.IV
N. Vrouyr
Etablissements veuve Guillon et fils, Belgium Before 1925 Warp and weft, cellulose, pile, wool 460 x 370 cm Numbered at the back Literature: Arthur De Rudder, International exhibition of modern decorative and industrial arts (Paris, 1925): official catalogue of the belgian section Exhibition: International exhibition of modern decorative and industrial arts, Paris, 1925, Belgian Pavilion, gallery of complete interiors, dining room by the Maison Gustave and Edouard Blondel The Guillon company The firm Établissements Veuve Guillon et fils was founded on 20 November 1924 by Célina Penez and her two sons, Alexandre and Charles Guillon, with its registered office at 69 avenue de la Toison d’Or in Brussels. The company operated factories in Brussels, Hemiksem (Sichem) and Herselt and specialised in carpets, including coconut-fibre rugs. Paris 1925 The carpet was exhibited in the dining room furnished by Maison Gustave & Edouard Blondel at the Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes (Paris, 28 April–October/November 1925), in the 'Galerie des ensembles complets' of the Belgian Pavilion. Designed by Victor Horta, the pavilion comprised three large halls: a monumental hall with a fifteen-metre-high domed roof, the Constant Montald Hall, and Philippe Wolfers’ official dining room, complemented by six smaller rooms. The Blondel dining room was one of the eight Belgian “ensembles complets” (complete room interiors), alongside those by, for example, Van de Voorde, Hamesse, Risel and Au Bon Marché.
Desmet Fine Art
Odoardo Fantacchiotti (Rome 1809-1877 Florence) Musidora, Firenze, 1859 Inspired by James Thomson’s poem ‘Summer’, originally published in 1727 Marble H 167.6 x W 49 x D 49 cm Plinth: H 95.3 x D 63 cm (at base) Total height: 262.9 cm Signed 'Per commis del meritis / ... / Odoardo Fantachiotti / Scolpiva in Firenze / l'anno 1859 Art Loss Register: S00258863 Provenance: commissioned by August Belmont (1813-1890) USA; Randall family, Clarendon Court (Newport, USA) Literature: Ricordi fotografici degli artisti contemporanei in Toscana: ‘La Musidora’(Firenze-1858); V. Lia Bernini, G. Moradei, Odoardo Fantacchiotti scultore (1811-1877): atti delle giornate di studio nel bicentenario della nascita 1811-2011, (Toscana 2021), Volume 227, pp. 37-41 Other verions: 1862, for Baron Belper, Edward Strutt (Israele collection); 1865, for the King of Portugal (Lisbon Palacio Nacional da Ajuda)
Univers du Bronze
Auguste Rodin (Paris 1840-1917 Meudon) Saint John the Baptist preaching, cast in 1899 Bronze, richly dark brown patina H 19.6 x W 12.5 x D 5.3 cm Reduction n° 3 (1/10 of original size) Signed Rodin and marked 'Thiebaut frères, Fumière et Gavignot Successeurs' Edition of 4 (in this size) Provenance: Knoedler and Co collection; sale Sotheby’s New York (6 October 1989) Lifetime cast signed 'Rodin', old cast and edition by Thiébaut with the engraved mark 'Thiebaut frères, Fumière et Gavignot Successeurs' (purchase of the funds and Thiébaut rights by Fumière et Gavignot in 1898). This example is probably the first, maybe the second of an edition of 4 cast in 1899 (prime account from 4 February to 9 December 1899), stamped '200' under the base (sale price 200 frs?) and engraved '4' (number of casts?)