Salvador Dalí

Loula D. Lasker, New York
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (bequeathed by the above in 1961)
Galerie Charpentier, Paris
Private Collection, Belgium (sale: Sotheby's London, 4th December 1996, lot 203)
Private Collection (purchased at the above sale; and sale: Sotheby's, New York, 8th November 2001, lot 289)
Private Collection (sale: Christie's, New York, 4th November 2004, lot 289)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Executed on cream wove paper laid down on board (the sheet was probably already on the board when the artist executed the work). The board is stable. Taped to another board intermittently along the edges.There are some surface scuffs along the edges and to the upper and lower left corners.There is some studio dirt to the centre of the right edge. Overall this work is in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Created during his prolonged stay in America, Neptune distils a variety of Salvador Dalí’s most enduring motifs into an exquisitely crafted and astonishingly detailed composition. The focal presence of the powerful figure of Neptune, god of the sea, strikingly references Dalí’s career-long fascination with ancient mythology and legend. Bestriding a curious stone structure, part fountain and part ruin, Neptune presides over a waterfall which cascades downwards, apparently originating from the figure himself. Boulders - some inscribed as though denoting the remnants of a long-lost ancient civilisation - tumble from the remains of the structure towards the ground, carried along by the surging force of the water. A disparate group of figures watches their progress, seemingly undaunted by the apparently imminent destruction of the uncanny edifice.

Seeking a safe haven, Dalí had arrived in the United States following the outbreak of WWII in Europe, and remained in the country until 1948. During the course of his stay Dalí’s interests and corresponding sources of creative inspiration became ever more varied, growing to encompass areas as diverse as American comic strips, commercial advertising and even the rapidly developing science behind the splitting of the atom and atomic energy. The artist’s astonishingly individual imagination was also in demand within Hollywood’s ever burgeoning film industry, with Spellbound (1945) and Destino (1945-46) being arguably the most celebrated instances of Dali’s collaborations with film directors. These disparate interests increasingly manifested themselves within the œuvre of this period, with the present work being especially redolent of the impact of film and animation in its astonishing complexity of detail, as well as in the sensation of movement conveyed by the vigorously gesticulating Neptune amidst the cascading torrent. Executed in the same year in which Dalí wrote Fifty Secrets of Magic Craftsmanship, an utterly inimitable artist’s ‘manual’ which referenced many of his esoteric theories and techniques, Neptune stands as a virtuoso display of Dalí’s astounding imagination and breathtaking technique.