Sir Alfred Munnings (1878–1959) is considered one of England’s most eminent historical artists, known for his skillful depictions of horses and riders as well as his bucolic vignettes of the Suffolk countryside. A champion of traditional painting modes, Munnings was President of the Royal Academy of Arts and a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. Highly awarded during his lifetime and still praised today, his work from 1910 Young Shepherd in Mendham is an excellent example of his work and style. With an estimate of £300,000 to £500,000, the painting is one of the gems of the next Spring sale of works of art and antiques at the Sloane Street auction.
Scheduled for the afternoon of April 27, 2023, Sloane Street Auctions’ spring sale showcases an incredible range of art and antiques, from old and modern British painting to selections of Indian art and antiques , Islamic and Asian from prestigious private collections. With lots on display and registration open from April 13 to 27, the sale is a veritable showcase of rare and important lots from around the world. In addition to Munnings exquisite workmanship, here are some of the highlights of the sale.
Attributed to Giovanni Paolo Panini
Saint Paul Shaking the Viper in the Island of Malta, with the Temple of Saturn and the Colonnade of Saint Peter (around 1735)
East. £50,000 to £80,000
Attributed to Giovanni Paolo Panini, Saint Paul Shaking the Viper in the Island of Malta, with the Temple of Saturn and the Colonnade of Saint Peter (circa 1735). Courtesy of Sloane Street Auctions, London.
Italian vedutisti painter, or “painter of sight”, Giovanni Paolo Panini was an artist and architect who worked mainly in Rome in the 18th century. His pioneering use of perspective – no doubt inspired by his experience in architecture – resulted in work that influenced both his contemporaries and subsequent generations of genre painters as an Old Master. His most acclaimed works include interior views of the Pantheon as well as picture galleries, which have featured at vedutisti paint perspectives that go beyond the field of vision of the human eye. According to the catalog entry for this masterpiece, the painting illustrates “The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 28, verses 1-6. Paul, on his way to stand trial in Rome, is shipwrecked in Malta with other prisoners.
Niccolò Codazzi
An architectural quirk (nd)
East. £20,000 to £30,000
Niccolò Codazzi, An architectural quirk (nd). Courtesy of Sloane Street Auctions, London.
Another Italian masterpiece at auction, Niccolò Codazzi An architectural quirk is a prime example of whimo style of painting. Caprice the painting refers to compositions that focus on an architectural fantasy. Combining fictional architectural components with elements of archaeological ruins, the caprice the painting conveys an idealized landscape loaded with symbolism and imagination. Niccolò Codazzi was an Italian painter who specialized in this specific type of painting and was active in Rome, Paris and Genoa in the 17th century. At some point in his career, he was commissioned by King Louis XIV of France to create architecturally-oriented landscapes for the Palace of Versailles. This lot illustrates Codazzi’s imaginative skill and mastery of light and shadow.
Henri Gaudier-Brzeska
Seated Female Nude (1913)
East. £3,000 to £5,000
Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Seated Female Nude (1913). Courtesy of Sloane Street Auctions, London.
Henri Gaudier-Brzeska was a French painter and sculptor who worked mainly in the early 20th century. A self-taught artist, his work is recognized for its crude and direct style. The present graphite on paper nude work by Gaudier-Brzeska comes from an extensive collection of nude studies held by a single owner as part of the Spring Sale, including works by other well-known artists such as Louise Nevelson, Francis Newton Souza, Pietro Annigoni, and Ivon Hitchens, among others. Gaudier-Brzeska, both the current nude drawing and her work as a whole, are significant in that they were developed at the time and in the context of early French avant-gardes.
Krishnaji Howlaji Ara
Untitled (nude) (nd)
East. £6,000 to £8,000
Krishnaji Howlaji Ara, Untitled (nude) (nd). Courtesy of Sloane Street Auctions, London.
Indian artist Krishnaji Howlaji Ara, commonly referred to as KH Ara, was a 20th century painter who is widely regarded as the first contemporary artist in India to focus his work almost exclusively on the female nude. A member of the Bombay-based group of progressive artists, Ara’s practice was critically divisive at the time, as he was known for not working from references and she exemplified a more expressionist style rather than putting the emphasis on precision. One of a pair of nudes – current batch partner is also titled Untitled (Nude)-As part of the upcoming sale, this watercolor on paper highlights Ara’s penchant for whimsical composition and ethereal colors.
Anis Kapoor
Untitled (1988)
East. £20,000 to £30,000
Anish Kapoor, Untitled (1988). Courtesy of Sloane Street Auctions, London.
Representing more contemporary works of art in the sale, British-Indian artist Anish Kapoor has become world famous for his conceptual art and large-scale installation work. The recipient of such prestigious awards as the Premio Duemila Prize and the Turner Prize, Kapoor’s practice frequently references states of being and ideas around matter and non-matter. One of his most famous works, Cloud Gate (2006), draws on material reflection to address perceptions of presence. These efforts extend to his works on paper, as in the present lot, which evokes through a combination of representational and abstract means the transformation of matter.
Sloane Street Auctions Spring sale of works of art and antiques will take place on April 27 at 2 p.m. at the Cadogan Hotel, 75 Sloane Street, SW1X 9SG.
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