Made between 1652 and 1657 according to the expert Pablo Hereza, it goes up for bids for 250,000 euros at the meeting on June 24 and 25
If it is always a joy when a painting by the Sevillian comes to the market Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1618-1682), it is even more so when it comes to this type of works of contrasted quality, so characteristic of his hand, with a crowned saint on a dark, almost tenebrist background, and with her gaze towards the sky while holding the sword with the palm of martyrdom: Saint Catherine of Alexandria (O/L, 121 x 91 cm; lot 614).
The Ansorena catalog file recalls that Murillo “represented the learned saint of Alexandria on more than one occasion. Known are his works from his youth from the Mie Prefectural Art Museum in Mie-Ken (Japan; see), which belonged to the Duke of Híjar and went to the Luis Felipe de Orleans collection, or the one that was in the church of Santa Catalina in Seville and after a long journey through different European collections, he returned to Spain to be part of the Focus Abengoa Collection [adquirida hace un par de años por la Junta para el Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla, ver y ver]. The painting presented here, from a private collection in Madrid, must be related by its technique and composition with the painting preserved in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow (see and see), identified with the missing specimen from the Robert collection Langton Douglas. Pablo Hereza, the specialist in Sevillian, after studying it, will publish it in his Corpus Murillo. Paintings and drawings. Hagiography (pending publication), with number H-110.
Regarding the 250,000 euros at the start of the bidding, it is not easy to find an attractive price that also includes the wishes of the owners. In this sense, we must remember that last February, for its San Lorenzo, c. 1655 (O/L, 82 Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist as a child (O/L, 78.3 x 94 cm; see). In October 2023, however, Artcurial Paris auctioned off its Saint John the Evangelist (O/L, 103 x 83 cm; see), which had gone up for bidding with an estimate of 300,000 to 400,000 euros. Shortly before, in June 2022, Aguttes Neuilly-sur-Seine, awarded its Christ as good Shepherd (O/L, 165 x 112 cm; see), with the same estimate as the previous one.
Shortly before, an unpublished canvas by the Valencian will go up for bidding for 18,000 euros Vicente Castelló, Expulsion of the time merchants (O/L, 140 x 180 cm; 612). Brother-in-law of Juan Ribalta and son-in-law of the well-known Francisco Ribalta, the work shows the Bassanesque debts through Pedro Orrente. Studied by Víctor Marco in his thesis (Baroque painting in Valencia, 1600-1737, CEEH, Madrid, 2021, pp. 166-173), places him in the last period, with the Riberas already dead, when he takes charge of the important workshop. And he relates them to those that belonged to the former collection of the Count of Parcent, currently in the Museum of Fine Arts of Bilbao: Adoration of the shepherds (look and The martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria (see). The exit, 18,000 euros.
Also interesting, although to a lesser extent for Hispanic collectors, will be the Architectural whim with vanitas (O/L, 91 x 134 cm; 611), from the Venetian Francesco Avianifor which 30,000 euros are requested.
From the 19th century, I find the charcoal and clarion drawing on paper particularly interesting. Mariano Benlliure: spring song, 1894 (63 x 147 cm; 530), related to the well-marked room with the sarcophagus of the mausoleum of the tenor Julián Gayarre (1891-1895; see) and to the allegory of music on the frieze of the music room of the Bauer palace (1895-1898; see and see). Dedicated to his friend José Rico Cejudo, and with the congratulations of Lucrecia Enseñar Benlliure, it goes up for bids for 5,000 euros, which should rise and perhaps even the State will be tempted to acquire…
From the 20th century, two works by Antoni Tapies and one of Eduardo Urculo. From Catalan, a fabric from 1964 is offered, Small gray with embossed top (55 x 33 cm; 226), from that sober, material moment, where it plays with the textures as perceived in the upper part. Purchased in June 2000 at Christie’s London for 30,550 GBP (49,002 euros; see), it is now offered, 24 years later, for 70,000 euros. From his hand also a good role, Great chair, 1966 (Tm/paper, Agustí II, 1574, 114.5 x 57 cm; 225), from the well-known Martha Jackson Gallery, in New York, where it was exhibited in 1968. The asking price is 34,000 euros, slightly below the 35,000 euros paid in May 2021 at Christie’s Amsterdam (see). The other, a monumental piece by the Biscayan Urculusdirectly commissioned by Lucía Bosé: The angel of travelers, 1995 (O/L, 290 x 209 cm; 231). It goes up for bids for 50,000 euros, some distance from the 42,000 euros offered in Segre in July 2023 by 19301999 (A/linen, 150 x 150 cm; see) and the 32,000 per Rain over Dublin1995 (A/L, 162 x 140 cm; see), in the same room in September 2023. Now smaller, it is interesting Verbal memory. Language. Verbal expression2001 (TM and collage/paper, 90 x 100 cm; 210), from Jaume Plensafor 9,000 euros, which will increase. Daniel Diaz @Invertinart
