Carlo Magini
A pair of still lifes: one with meat on a chopping board, a pestle and mortar, a glass of water, a candlestick and vegetables; the other with a bottle, a glass of wine, two cooked eggs in a dish and vegetables
Auction Closed
September 25, 05:46 PM GMT
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 EUR
Lot Details
Description
Carlo Magini
Fano 1720–1806
A pair of still lifes: one with meat on a chopping board, a pestle and mortar, a glass of water, a candlestick and vegetables; the other with a bottle, a glass of wine, two cooked eggs in a dish and vegetables
a pair, both oil on canvas
one unframed: 60.1 x 78.5 cm.; 23⅝ x 30⅞ in.
framed: 89.9 x 109 cm.; 35⅜ x 42⅞ in.
the other unframed: 60.1 x 78.2 cm.; 23⅝ x 30¾ in.
framed: 90.5 x 110.5 cm.; 35⅝ x 43½ in.
(2)
This work is accompanied by an Export License. We suggest contacting shipping.milan@sothebys.com for additional details on procedures and timing.
Compagnoni Floriani Collection, Macerata and Rome;
With Silvano Lodi, Munich;
From whom acquired by Dr Gustav Rau (1922–2002), Zurich, in 1969;
By whose Executors sold ('The Property of the Art Foundation of Doctor Gustav Rau'), London, Christie's, 8 July 2005, lot 99;
Acquired subsequently by the present owner.
Advertisement in Weltkunst, vol. 39, no. 15, 1 August 1969, p. 819, reproduced (only the still life with meat);
L. Dania, 'Nature morte e ritratti inediti di Carlo Magini', in Antichità viva, vol. XV, no. 3, May–June 1976, pp. 23–24, reproduced figs 1 and 2;
L. Salerno, La natura morta italiana 1560–1805, Rome 1984, p. 391, reproduced fig. 120.7 (only the still life with eggs);
P. Zampetti, Carlo Magini, Milan 1990, p. 141, nos 94 and 96, both reproduced (with incorrect measurements for the still life with eggs).
These fine assemblages of food and kitchen utensils are characteristic works by Carlo Magini: one of the leading still-life painters in Italy during the 18th century. Along with his Spanish contemporary Luis Meléndez (1716–1780), Magini elevated the art of depicting simple household objects to a level of sophistication achieved by few artists before him. Indeed, as attested by the present pair of still lifes, the placement of elements within Magini's compositions often appears casual, but is in fact extremely refined. Here, the texture of the raw meat on a chopping board is juxtaposed with that of the cauliflower, while in the other canvas, the reflective surface of the glass bottle contrasts convincingly with that of the copper teapot. Both paintings have been executed with sophisticated economy and it is through such simplicity that the elegance and careful rendering of each object becomes ever more apparent.
Note on Provenance
These paintings were previously owned by Dr Gustav Rau: a German medical doctor, philanthropist and art collector. Rau amassed one of the world's most significant private art collections, which was – according to the New York Times – 'second only in size to the Thyssen-Bronemisza collection in Madrid'.1 When he died in 2002, Rau left his collection to UNICEF. It includes works by Fra Angelico, Lucas Cranach the Elder, El Greco, Canaletto, Thomas Gainsborough, Edvard Munch, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet and Edgar Degas.
1 E. Olson, 'Gustav Rau, 79, Art Collector and Benefactor of Children', in The New York Times, 9 January 2002, section B, p. 8.
You May Also Like
