From 23-25 April, Austin Auction Gallery will host three sales featuring over 1,400 lots of European fine art, sculptures, bronzes, antiques and jewellery. Many of these items come from the prominent collection of a Dallas businessman who bought heavily in London and in France during the 1990s and early 2000s. With treasures spanning the European continent as well as many centuries, this auction has something for every discerning collector of art history.
The highlight of the sale is this Neoclassical carved white marble sculpture, Le Triomphe D'Ariadne, signed J.B. Clesinger, Rome. Jean-Baptiste Auguste Clesinger (French, 1814-1883) was known for his large-scale marble and bronze sculptures which today can be found in Paris museums like the Musee d'Orsay and the Petit Palais, as well as the Jardin de Luxembourg. The sculpture is dated 1866 and shows Ariadne seated on the back of Dionysus' panther, after her rescue on Naxos, according to Greek mythology. The sculpture was purchased from Origines Architectural Antiquities in France and then brought to Dallas. Editions of the same subject in bronze are found in several museum collections, including the Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, the Musee des Beaux-Arts Jules Cheret, and a Barbedienne cast at the Musee Camille Claudel a Nogent-sur-Seine.
Fans of the master Peter Paul Rubens will be interested in this duo of oil paintings on wood panel, titled The Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt. Painted in the manner of Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640), these artworks were based on the original canvases that were commissioned in 1615 to decorate Schleissheim Palace, the summer residence of the Wittelsbach princes in Bavaria, Germany.
Another incredible work of art is the monumental piece Pretty in Pink, Portrait of Marie Volejnikove With Her Children by Frantisek [Franz] Dvorak (Czech, 1862-1927), measuring, in inches, 78.25 h x 66 w and 111 h x 88 w with frame. Dvorak studied in Prague, Vienna and Munich before embarking to paint in Italy, France and the U.S. where he was very popular with the American audience as a portraitist. He returned to Prague in 1905, when he finally began to gain recognition in his homeland. This work was last sold in 2002 at Christie's.
Here is a pair of Italian Baroque giltwood 'porta palma' garnitures dating to the 18th/19th century. They are made of gesso over carved wood, with remnants of silver gilt finish, and depict an arrangement of flowers including roses, geraniums, tulips. These elegant flowering garnitures show a remarkable level of craftsmanship with the detail of the carved flowers.
This English architectural element portrays the coat of arms of the Incorporation of Lloyd's of London. Lloyd's of London is an insurance company founded in 1686 that started as a maritime insurance market. The coat of arms shows two sea lions flanking the emblem of London (St. George's flag and sword) below a depiction of the H.M.S. La Lutine, a French ship captured by the British in the late 18th century. The company's motto Fidentia (trust) is emblazoned on the bottom.
Discover these European treasures and more at the upcoming three-day sale on 23, 24 and 25 April.