Gothic To Romantic | Fine Continental and British Collections | March 7, 2024
Thu, Mar 7, 2024 10:00AM EST
Live Auction
Lot 178
Rare and Important Group of Six Mythological Scenes by Luca Giordano
Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000
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, 1634-1705)
Mars and Venus; The Death of Lucretia; Pan and Syrinx; Olindo and Sophronia; Hercules, Nessus, and Deianira; and Diana and Endymion, each oil on copper, 6-1/2 x 6-3/8 in.; fine matching Italian style stippled and gilt wood panel frames, hand made by Lowy, New York, stamped, 10-1/8 x 10-1/8 x 1 in.
Provenance: Suida-Manning Collection, New York, by 1964: Private Collection until 2007; with Robert Simon Fine Art, New York, purchased in 2007 for $300,000 (lot accompanied by documents provided to Dr. Davie from Robert Simon, a redacted request for a transfer of funds for payment, with labels verso); The Estate of Dr. J. Clayton Davie and Family
Note: In documents supplied to Dr. Davie, Robert Simon states, "This set of six small copper panels is a remarkable testimony to Luca Giordano's versatility and virtuosity. While justly celebrated for his grand compositions, here the artist has rethought themes he treated in larger formats and adapted them to an intimate scale. Without sacrificing thematic and expressive elements, Giordano organizes his compositions rationally and legibly, giving greater prominence to the protagonists while describing them with bravura brushwork refined to the scale of miniatures. While Giordano painted on copper, particularly during his sojourn in Spain, this set is unique in its diminutive size, evidently the smallest fully realized project of the artist."
A cabinet on stand by the artist's workshop, dated circa 1670, is inset with miniature painted panels. It is an extraordinary piece created in Naples and held by the Dubrovnik Cultural History Museum. See: https://www.dumus.hr/en/cultural-history-museum/collections/furniture-collection/
Exhibited: Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, Memphis, Tennessee, April 1964, no. 5 (Mars and Venus)
Literature: Michael Milkovich, Luca Giordano in America: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints, A loan exhibition, April 1964, Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, Memphis, Tennessee. catalog pp. 8, 32, 39.
Condition
some slight creases at corners, "Venus" removed from frame and with minor abrasions to edges and limited retouch, archivally framed with museum glass and resting on a felted rabbet; frames with some minor abrasions
Available payment options
Suida-Manning Collection, New York, by 1964: Private Collection until 2007; with Robert Simon Fine Art, New York, purchased in 2007 for $300,000 (lot accompanied by documents provided to Dr. Davie from Robert Simon, a redacted request for a transfer of funds for payment, with labels verso); The Estate of Dr. J. Clayton Davie and Family
