Richard Avedon

flush-mounted to linen, signed, numbered, annotated, and stamped on the reverse, 1953, printed in 1981, no. 3 in an edition of 50

Acquired by the present owner from Presentation House Gallery, North Vancouver, Canada, 1983

Richard Avedon: Photographs 1947 - 1977, cover and pl. 161; Observations, p. 27; Woman in the Mirror, p. 79; Evidence, pp. 14 and 160; Great Themes, p. 101

This print, on semi-glossy paper, is in generally excellent condition. Visible in raking light is a faint one-inch linear crease in the lower right quadrant of the image that appears to break the emulsion slightly. On the reverse of the linen mount, there is darkening around the signature and stamps as a result of a window opening in the back mat. There is a light scattering of foxing along the left edge and bottom center of the reverse that does not effect the image, as well as remains of two 2½-inch linen tape hinges at the upper edge.
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.
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The full catalogue information for this lot is as follows:

flush-mounted to linen, signed and numbered '3/50' by the photographer in ink and with his title, copyright, edition, and printing information stamps on the reverse, matted, 1953, printed in 1981, no. 3 in an edition of 50

Richard Avedon made this arresting image of the 26-year-old half-American, half-Neopolitan princess Maria Caracciolo di Castagneto Agnelli in December 1953, a month after she wed Italian industrialist and future Fiat chairman Giovanni Agnelli.

In the darkroom, Avedon accentuated what fashion illustrator Joe Eula called 'the most gorgeous neck in the world.' The portrait that appeared as the lead photograph in an article entitled 'Beauties of Our Time' for Harper's Bazaar in April 1954.  Working with the magazine's legendary art director Alexei Brodovitch, Avedon allowed the image to be flopped for publication.  The caption read,

'Signora Gianni Agnelli, the former Caracciolo:  hers, a dark Italian beauty of a tightly drawn out linear classicism:  her extraordinary, extravagantly colorless looks borne out of the intensely personal atmosphere she creates for herself.'

The accomplished Agnelli, who was educated in Paris, was an assistant to Erwin Blumenfeld in New York early in her varied career, as well as an occasional editor and photographic contributor to Vogue.  In 1973, she created a textile line for Abraham-Zumsteg, for which she was awarded the Resources Council's prestigious 'Roscoe' (the design trade's equivalent of the Oscar) in 1977. An avid gardener, Agnelli has authored a number of books on the subject, also providing many of the photographs.  More recently, she oversaw the opening of the Renzo Piano-designed art gallery, Pinacoteca Giovanni and Marella Agnelli, built on the roof of the famous former Lingotto Fiat factory in Turin, Italy.  

The reserved, patrician tastemaker and socialite is also known for her inclusion in Truman Capote's famous circle of 'swans'—wealthy, stylish, and well-married women friends whose company he adored because they 'had created themselves, as he had done,' and 'had stories to tell' (Gerald Clarke, Capote, pp. 274-75).  According to Capote, Agnelli was 'the European swan numero uno,' the youngest in a group that included Babe Paley, Gloria Guinness, C. Z. Guest, Slim Keith, and Pamela Harriman, among others.  In her autobiography, Washington Post publisher and Capote friend Katharine Graham recounts that the author once told her that if Paley and Agnelli were 'both in Tiffany's window, Marella would be more expensive' (Personal History, p. 393).