Hermenegildo Anglada-Camarasa

Sale: Christie's, New York, 16 October 1991, lot 174
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

The panel has been cradled, and is flat and even. As visible in the catalogue illustration, there are two horizontal hairline cracks nearer the edges of the composition: one in the ground from the lower part of the left edge (circa 8cm), with some associated small spots of paint flaking; and a second minor surface crack (circa 7cm) from the right edge including in the shoulder of the figure in blue. There is some intermittent frame rubbing along the left and right framing edges. Ultra-violet light reveals some minor scattered signs of retouching, notably minor strokes along the right framing edge, a spot below the artist's signature and some other scattered spots. The painting is otherwise in good condition and ready to hang. Presented in a decorative gilt frame with floral motifs. The colours are vivid and somewhat deeper in reality than in the catalogue illustration.
"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."

Painted early during Anglada's first stay in Mallorca from 1914-36, the present work reflects the artist's lasting interest in the themes of Flamenco unfolding under arbours in open landscapes. Anglada first explored the theme as early as 1901 in Danza española (Saint Petersburg, Hermitage Museum).

Plaintive yet passionate, earthy yet full of grace, the Spanish gitana has been all but synonymous with Spain since her kinsfolk first landed on Iberia's shores in the fifteenth century from as far afield as India. The Spanish came to revere but also fear gypsies because of their nomadic way of life and the freedoms it seemed to allow. For some three hundred years, they were persecuted, their settlements broken up, their language and rituals denied them. Yet, paradoxically, the hardship they endured nurtured a whole subculture most nobly embodied by dance and the flamenco.

By the nineteenth century, Spain had embraced Gypsy myth and lore. The Romantics were in awe of the gypsies for their otherworldliness and seeming ability to commune with nature, while the following generation of artists and writers, driven by patriotism in the wake of Spain's colonial losses, venerated the gypsy as the quintessential icon of Spanish identity. Nonell, Zuloaga, and Solana were among Anglada's contemporaries who endowed the gitana with a gravitas, at times playful, at times austere, that linked her inextricably with Spain's psyche.