拍品 38
  • 38

GEORGE FREDERIC WATTS, O.M., R.A. | The Titans

估價
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
招標截止

描述

  • Attributed to George Frederic Watts, O.M., R.A.
  • The Titans
  • oil on canvas
  • 71 by 113cm., 28 by 44in.

來源

The collection of the artist and bequeathed to his adopted daughter Lilian Chapman in 1905, and thence by descent until 1979;
Sotheby’s, Belgravia, 11 December 1979, lot 29;
London, The Fine Art Society, where purchased by the present owner

Condition

This picture is lined - the lining is providing a stable support. The paint surface is clean with no signs of craquelure. Ready to hang. UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT There are minor flecked retouchings which appear to have been made to infill craquelure and have been well executed. There are retouchings along the right edge of the canvas. The picture is contained in a 'Watts style' gilt frame.
"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."

拍品資料及來源

‘These powerful titans typified the mountains formed during the making of the earth, while the graceful chain of flying figures represents the passage of time.’ Mark Bills and Barbara Bryant, G.F. Watts - Victorian Visionary, 2008, p.190

 

According to the artist’s wife ‘the giant figures… were suggested to him when looking at the cracks and stains on the dirty plaster of a wall. He saw the whole composition mentally, and carried it out years afterwards.’ He began the first version of The Titans (Watts Gallery, Compton) in 1869 and worked upon it until 1875 when it was exhibited in Manchester. A smaller version was among Watts’ most treasured possessions and was given by his widow to the Fitzwilliam Museum in 1916. A version painted in the 1890s was sold to a collector in Liverpool, James Smith (Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool).

During the 1870s and 1880s Watts used the composition and subject of The Titans as the basis for the portion on the right side of a large painting entitled Chaos  (versions at Tate and Watts Gallery, Compton) depicting the primordial creation of the earth as related in Hesiod’s Theogony and Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

The powerful musculature of the figures of the Titans reflects Watts’ study of the Parthenon marbles, particularly the reclining figure of Dionysus. The massive proportions and contours of the nude bodies create the slopes and peaks of huge mountains.