21 Painting, Art for today September 20, 2015 - Clement Haupers, Theo Tobiasse, THOMAS BUSH HARDY, Ernest Albert, Salvador Dalí, William Lee-Hankey, Pierre Bonnard, Louis Icart, Luigi Lucioni, Honoré Daumier, Alastair Barford

Queen Elizabeth II.
Alastair Barford

For his first commission, 28-year-old aspiring painter Alastair Barford received a request that would cause even the most seasoned artists to shake in their boots: a portrait of the queen to mark the occasion of her becoming Britain's longest-reigning monarch on September 9. What's more, he only had about 10 minutes to observe Her Majesty. More

Ernest Albert

Birches and Waterfall

Dimensions:  12 X 16 in (30.48 X 40.64 cm)

Medium:  Oil on board

Signed

Théo Tobiasse (1927-2012)
Nature morte aux fruits
signed 'Theo Tobiasse' (upper right); inscribed 'nature morte aux fruits' (upper left); dated '70' (centre left)
oil on canvas 

50 x 50cm (19 11/16 x 19 11/16in).


THOMAS BUSH HARDY (1842-1897) 
On the Grand Canal, Venice 
Watercolour, 
23.5 x 52.5cm 
Signed and inscribed with title


THOMAS BUSH HARDY (1842-1897) 
On the beach at Katwyk, Guernsey
Dimensions:  9.84 X 15.35 in (25 X 39 cm)
Medium:  Watercolour
Creation Date:  1885
Signed

Clement Haupers

Lake Pepin, Minnesota

Oil on  Board

24" x 28"

American Impressionist

William Lee-Hankey
Outward Bound, Concarneau
Dimensions:  24.21 X 29.33 in (61.5 X 74.5 cm)
Medium:  oil on canvas
Signed

William Lee-Hankey
A way to the well
Dimensions:  12.99 X 21.5 in (33 X 54.6 cm)
Medium:  watercolour
Signed

William Lee-Hankey
Pink
Dimensions:  16.14 X 20.08 in (41 X 51 cm)
Medium:  Oil on canvas
Signed

Salvador Dalí

Aliyah

Dimensions:  20 X 15.75 in (50.8 X 40.01 cm)

Medium:  Color lithograph on Arches paper

Creation Date:  1968

Edition Number:  51/250

Signed

Pierre Bonnard

Les Boulevards

Dimensions:  10.67 X 13.23 in (27.1 X 33.6 cm)

Medium:  Lithograph in colors on China paper

Creation Date:  1900

Edition Number:  from an edition of 100 copies

Signed

Pierre Bonnard
L'Enfant à la Lampe
Dimensions:  16.97 X 22.44 in (43.1 X 57 cm)
Medium:  lithograph in colours
Creation Date:  circa 1897
Edition Number:  edition of 100
Signed

Theo Tobiasse

La lumière des hommes n'est pas éteinte

Dimensions:  19.62 X 26 in (49.85 X 66.04 cm)

Medium:  oil and ink on paper laid down on masonite

Creation Date:  1967

Signed

Theo Tobiasse

Il y a un autobus dans notre cheval

Dimensions:  16 X 20.88 in (40.64 X 53.02 cm)

Medium:  oil and ink on paper laid down on masonite

Creation Date:  1967

Signed


Théo Tobiasse (1927-2012)
L'Enfance de Jacob
Oil and mixed media on canvas
21-1/2 x 18 inches (54.6 x 45.7 cm)
Signed center right: Theo Tobiasse
Titled upper left and on stretcher: L'Enfance de Jacob


Théo Tobiasse (1927-2012)
Diaspora1968
Lithographs with hand-coloring
21-1/4 x 30 inches (54.0 x 76.2 cm) (sheet, largest)
Ed. 95/125
Each signed and numbered in pencil


Théo Tobiasse (1927-2012)
Quels Sont ils ces Rivages
Dimensions:  40 X 27 in (101.6 X 68.58 cm)
Medium:  Lithograph
Creation Date:  Circa 1980
Signed


Théo Tobiasse (1927-2012)
Femme Totem
Dimensions:  32 X 28 in (81.28 X 71.12 cm)
Medium:  Carborundum etching
Creation Date:  1981
Edition Number:  3/25
Signed

Louis Icart

Springtime Promenade

Dimensions:  14.25 X 18.5 in (36.2 X 46.99 cm)

Medium:  color etching

Creation Date:  1948

Signed

Luigi Lucioni

SUMMER LANDSCAPE

Dimensions:  28 X 32 in (71.12 X 81.28 cm)

Medium:  color lithograph

Creation Date:  1940

Honoré Daumier

Les Avocats

Artwork Details

Dimensions:  0.25 X 4 in (0.64 X 10.16 cm)

Medium:  Pen, ink and watercolor on paper; apparently in good condition

Signed

12 Portraits, Some Old Time Beauties - Maria Gunning, Countess of Coventry

Maria Gunning, Countess of Coventry (1733 – 30 September 1760) was a famous London beauty and society hostess during the reign of King George II. Born Maria Gunning in Hemingford Grey, Huntingdonshire, Maria's beginnings were humble. She would go on to become one of the most celebrated beauties of her day.

Jean-Étienne Liotard (1702–1789)

Portrait of Maria Gunning, Countess of Coventry (1733-1760)

(also titled Portrait of a pensive woman on a sofa and Portrait of a young woman in Turkish costume sitting on a couch

Date 1749

Medium pastel on parchment

23.5 × 19 cm (9.3 × 7.5 in)

Museum of Art and History, Geneva

In late 1740 or early 1741, the Gunning family returned to their ancestral home in Ireland, where they divided their time between their home in Roscommon, and a rented house in Dublin. When Maria and her sister Elizabeth came of age, their mother urged them to take up acting in order to earn a living, owing to the family's relative poverty. The Gunning sisters worked for some time in the Dublin theatres, even though acting was not considered a respectable profession as many actresses of that time doubled as courtesans to wealthy benefactors.

The Comtesse de Coventry in Turkish dress

signed by Fleming after Liotard, London

pastel on paper laid down on canvas

74.5 by 62cm.

In October 1748, a ball was held at Dublin Castle by the Viscountess Petersham. The two sisters did not have any dresses for the gathering until the manager of one of the local theatres supplied them with two costumes, those of Lady Macbeth and Juliet. Wearing the costumes, they were presented to the Earl of Harrington, the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Harrington must have been pleased by the meeting as, by 1750, their mother had persuaded him to grant her a pension, which she then used to transport herself, Maria, and Elizabeth, back to their original home in Huntingdon, England. 

Sir Joshua Reynolds

The Comtesse de Coventry

Oil on Canvas

With their attendance at local balls and parties, the beauty of the two girls was much remarked upon. They became well-known celebrities, their fame reaching all the way to London. On 2 December 1750, they were presented at the court of St James. By this time, they were sufficiently famous that the presentation was noted in the London newspapers. 

Hugh Douglas Hamilton

The Comtesse de Coventry

Oil on Canvas

Courtauld Institute of Art, London UK

Maria, who was notoriously tactless, was reported to have made a notable gaffe by telling the elderly George II that the spectacle she would most like to see was a royal funeral. Fortunately the King was highly amused.

Portrait of Maria Gunning Countess of Coventry

made in Paris (during her honeymoon) 

by Quentin de la Tour in 1752

In March 1752, Maria married the 6th Earl of Coventry and became the Countess of Coventry. For their honeymoon, the Earl and Countess traveled around Europe. Maria particularly disliked Paris. The Countess's ignorance of the French language and her husband's decision not to allow her to wear red powder as make-up (which was fashionable in Paris at the time) intensified her dislike of the city and the trip. 

Mary Gunning, Lady Coventry

Maria's popularity and beauty was such, that on her return to London, she was mobbed when she appeared in Hyde Park and was eventually given a guard by the King, led by the Earl of Pembroke. Her husband became involved with then famous courtesan Kitty Fisher, which caused Maria much distress. Maria, also, became involved in at least one affair. 

Nathaniel Hone (24 April 1718 – 14 August 1784)

Kitty Fisher

c. 1765

Oil on canvas, 

29 1/2 in. x 24 1/2 in. (749 mm x 622 mm)

National Portrait Gallery, London

"London" claimed that Kitty Fisher's origins were ''low and mean'' and that by trade she was a milliner. Her origins were, at any rate, obscure -she most probably came from Germany- and she was introduced to Society by an army officer, Ensign (later Lieutenant-General) Anthony George Martin. She swiftly acquired a reputation as a beauty, a wit and a daring horsewoman.

Nathaniel Hone (24 April 1718 – 14 August 1784)

Portrait of Catherine Maria ''Kitty'' Fisher

c. 1760s

Oil on canvas

18th Century

23 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches 60 x 49.5 cm

Her impact on London was plainly considerable, as in the years 1759-1760 a number of satirical broadsheets took her as their theme. The effect of this was such that in March 1759 there appeared in the Public Advertiser an appeal signed C. Fisher against ''the baseness of little scribblers and scurvy malevolence,'' which complains that she has been ''abused in public papers, exposed in print shops.'' 

Nathaniel Hone (24 April 1718 – 14 August 1784)

Portrait of Catherine Maria ''Kitty'' Fisher

c. 1750–1784

Oil on canvas

75.8 x 62.4 cm

Canterbury City Council Museums and Galleries

Some years later she took to a less controversial existence, marrying John Norris, MP for Rye, and devoting herself to rebuilding her husband's fortunes. She died in Bath in 1767 -reputedly from the effects of white lead face-paints- and gave a celebrated instruction to be placed in the coffin wearing her best dress. More

Sir Joshua Reynolds, PRA FRSA (16. Juli 1723 - 23. Februar 1792)

Kitty Fisher

About 1763-64

Oil on canvas

99.1 × 77.5 cm

Bowood House, Wiltshire, United Kingdom

She continued to utilize heavy make-up, simply because it was stylish. Had she paid heed to her husband's actions against her wearing lead-based make-up in Paris for the rest of her days, her death eight years later (at the age of 27) might not have been so early. However, throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, it was fashionable for ladies to have pale white skin and red rouged cheeks and use lead as a basis for their make-up. It was the noxious effects of the lead which caused skin eruptions (which also encouraged ladies to powder their skins more vigorously to mask their blemishes) and eventually blood-poisoning which killed Maria on 30 September 1760. Originally known simply as a beautiful but vain woman, she eventually became known in society circles as a "victim of cosmetics". More

Sir Joshua Reynolds

Barbara (née St John), Countess of Coventry

Oil on Canvas

Faringdon Collection, Buscot Park

James Watson, after Sir Joshua Reynolds

Barbara (née St John), Countess of Coventry

mezzotint, (1764-1765)

20 3/8 in. x 14 3/8 in. (516 mm x 365 mm)

National Portrait Gallery, London

Four years later, her husband remarried to another London beauty, Lady Barbara St John. Ironically, in 1768, Kitty Fisher (the rival of Maria Gunning) also died of poisoning due to cosmetics.

Our Art for this week - Mami Urakawa, Nelson Shanks, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Siamese King, Marc Chagall, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Dalí, Pablo Picasso,

A photo republished by the AP shows ISIS destroying a tomb at the ancient site of Palmyra.

As ISIS and other groups continue to destroy important heritage sites and ancient artifacts, archaeologists and other onlookers continue to scramble to find ways to counter the destruction. The latest effort comes from an organization called the Institute for Digital Archaeology, which will distribute some 10,000 3D cameras in West Asia over the next year, in the hopes of documenting archaeological sites and objects before they’re gone, the Daily Beast reports. More

A black and white reproduction of La famille (1935) – one of the works purported to be up for sale in the coming year. 

Picasso’s ‘inheritance without love’
Pablo Picasso passed away in 1973. The same year, his grandson Pablito (Marina’s brother) died in a hospital after swallowing bleach. Four years later, his former mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter hanged herself, and his second wife, Jacqueline Roque, shot herself in 1986.

Maurice Rheims, an expert appraiser, spent five years determining the status the heirs, and cataloging the 1,885 paintings, 7,089 drawings, 3,222 ceramic works, 17,411 prints and 1,723 plates, 1,228 sculptures, 6,121 lithographs, 453 lithographic stones, 11 tapestries and eight rugs left by the artist.

Although conflicting reports of the distribution have been made, the widow’s share amounted to roughly three-tenths of the art, or $52 million in 1977, after taxes; the three illegitimate children, Maya, Claude and Paloma, were awarded one-tenth, or $18 million worth of art; meanwhile, Marina and Bernard each received one-fifth of the the art, slices valued at $35 million. Additionally, Bernard received the chateau at Boisgeloup in Normandy, while Marina inherited the sumptuous La Californie... More at: The Conversation

Vincent van Gogh, “Wheat Stack Under a Cloudy Sky” (1889)

Vincent van Gogh’s reds have been turning white due to a rare lead mineral in his paint as the missing link. .” Interestingly, it’s a different issue than the recent analysis of the fading of red in Renoir’s “Madame Léon Clapisson” (1883), where the red lake pigment made of cochineal insects was separating.  More at: Hyperallergi

Rembrandt, Susanna and the Elders (1647)

Berlin's Gemäldegalerie announced they've made a shocking discovery about the museum's Rembrandt masterpiece Susanna and the Elders (1647), Focus reports. An X-ray analysis of the oil painting has revealed that the it had at one time undergone extensive alterations.

According to the daily Berliner Morgenpost art restorer Claudia Laurenze-Landsberg, who conducted the analysis, noticed tiny pigments on the canvas that didn't exist in the 17th century. What's more, some parts of the painting were in a style that she didn't recognize as Rembrandt's. She found out that in the 18th century large parts of the painting were simply painted over, and entire sections were washed out using solvents and re-painted in a more modern, light shade. More at: Art Net

The Japanese-born, Florence-based street artist Mami Urakawa was arrested for tampering with road signs in Kyoto and Osaka. She, along with her boyfriend Clet Abraham, transformed some 60 signs between late December and early January. More at: Hyperallergic

Monica Lewinsky Casts a Shadow on Bill Clinton’s Presidential Portrait. Nelson Shanks worked this iconic garment into the portrait subtly: the painting depicts Clinton standing prominently before the mantel in the Oval Office while the dress makes an inconspicuous appearance in the form of a shadow behind him. (Shanks also opted to leave Clinton’s wedding ring out of the painting.) Apparently, the 42nd president’s controversial sexual relationship with a White House intern will persist as a visual and metaphorical blight on his terms in office

Official opening, of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, date probably in 2016. The 5,000-strong workforce is expected to swell to 7,500 over the coming months. “We shall deliver the building at the end of 2015,” its architect Jean Nouvel tells The Art Newspaper.

The crown of the Siamese King offered in 1861 to Napoleon III in the Château de Fontainebleau was stolen in the early hours of Sunday morning, 1 March, along with around 15 other precious artefacts from eastern Asia. More at: The Art Newspaper

A painting by Jean-Leon Gerome of Napoleon III receiving a delegation from the King of Siam in the ballroom at the Chateau de Fontainebleau in 1864.

Marc Chagall (Russian/French, 1887-1985) 'Then the old woman mounted on Ifrit's back' Lithograph, 1948, printed in colours, , on laid, with margins, signed and numbered 23/90 and inscribed 'pl.7' in pencil, printed by Albert Carman, New York, published by Pantheon, Paris, 370 x 280mm (14 1/2 x 11in)(I)

Leonardo da Vinci's self portrait. - Photo: courtesy Muscarelle Museum of Art

Newly Discovered Leonardo da Vinci Portrait on Display at the College of William and Mary

A newly discovered self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci which was unearthed five years ago within the Codex on theFlight of Birds, one of only 20 of da Vinci's remaining codices, which includes both text and 18 sketches of birds, is currently on exhibit at the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The show features over 20 precious drawings in addition to the portrait, including a study for Virgin of the Rocks (1483–1486). Eight works by da Vinci's rival Michelangelo Buonarroti are also on display.

"Leonardo Da Vinci And The Idea Of Beauty" is on display at the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary from February 21–April 5, 2015. It will be on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston from April 15 through June 14, 2015. More at: Art Net & Muscarelle Museum of Art