Modern + Design Auction | April 11, 2024
Thu, Apr 11, 2024 10:00AM EDT
Lot 513
Amedeo Modigliani, Portrait de Poete Baranowski
Estimate: $20,000 - $25,000
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $100 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $200 |
| $3,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
(Italian, 1884-1920)
Pierre-Edouard Baranowski, circa 1913, signed upper right "Modigliani", pencil on paper, 10-1/4 x 8-1/4 in.; fluted and gilt Whistler type frame, 18-1/2 x 16-1/8 x 1 in.
Provenance: The Zwemmer Gallery, London (typed label verso with title on original wood frame backing), purchased circa 1937 for 18 guineas by Eric Alston Mott before it closed at the onset of WWII; His son, Michael Motte; by descent in family
Exhibited: The Zwemmer Gallery, London, Modigliani: Exhibition on Fifty Drawings, March 4-27, 1937, No. 7, accompanied by an original exhibition brochure
Note: This lot is also accompanied by email correspondence with Darragh O'Donoghue, Archive Curator of the Tate Archive and Library, Tate, Britain, which The Tate holds the Zwemmer archives. O'Donoghue mentions the lack of records prior to 1950 and the fact there is not a stock book or a record of the sale of this exhibited drawing. *While the provenance is tied to a reputable gallery that exhibited many important artists of the 20th century including Modigliani, Picasso and others, and the fact the drawing has been in the same family since the early 1940s or late 30s, it is important to state that this drawing does not appear in the catalogue raisonne by the accepted expert, Ambrosio Ceroni (1965). Two portraits exist in oil by Modigliani of the poet Baranowski, one of which is held by the de Young Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (https://www.famsf.org/artworks/portrait-of-pierre-edouard-baranowski). The other is "No. 7" from the Zwemmer exhibition, a pencil sketch.
Eric Mott was born 7 October 1902 in Stanmore, England, UK and died 28 September 1990 in Wearne Langport Somerset, UK. He collected the contemporary art of his day. This was purchased from the Zwemmer Gallery either during the exhibition or shortly after. Michael and his two brothers were sent to live in the United States during the war. It is possible that Michael may have been aware or attended the exhibition with his parents. He was ten years old in May of 1941. He mentions that this drawing was purchased shortly before the Blitz.
Eric Mott decided to consign the piece to JPL Fine Arts then learned that his son Michael wanted it. So, it was brought back to the States by one of the daughters and repatriated into the family.
Condition
paper toned, taped with archival tape to verso of mat
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The Zwemmer Gallery, London (typed label verso with title on original wood frame backing), purchased circa 1937 for 18 guineas by Eric Alston Mott before it closed at the onset of WWII; His son, Michael Motte; by descent in family
