Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches to sell Leonardo exhibit painting March 22
Palm Beach patron of the arts Arthur Bradley Campbell owned this rare copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Leda and the Swan.’ The 9- by 6-inch painting has an $80,000-$120,000 estimate.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – “We have a wonderful painting,” said Brian Kogan of Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches, describing a small painting that was exhibited at the Swiss National Museum a decade ago in Leonardo da Vinci – Scientist, Inventor, Artist. It will be sold at Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches’ auction March 22.
LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet Live bidding.
The rare painting is likely a copy of the famous lost Leonardo painting Leda and the Swan, done by a pupil circa 1510-1515. It is oil or tempera on paper applied to a 9- by 6-inch wood panel. On the back are three fragmentary wax seals and a strip of paper with an 18th-century inscription in ink “Leonardo da Vinci.”
The painting has very good provenance and documentation, said Kogan. Carlo Pedretti, a professor from the Armand Hammer Center for Leonardo Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, researched the painting for the exhibition. An illustration of the painting is printed in the exhibition book written by Pedretti. The rare painting was consigned by the heirs of the Arthur Bradley Campbell, a noted patron of the arts and former director of the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach. It has an $80,000-$120,000 estimate.
Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches also has a fine collection of more than 40 ancient Chinese artifacts from a Bay Point Estates property in Miami and an ample amount of furniture, fine art, silver and estate jewelry in the 366-lot auction, which begins at 6 p.m.
Another important painting is Still Life with Bird, Fruit and Vase on a Table Top with a Boat in the Distance by Felix Nussbaum (German, 1904-1944). The 21 1/2- by 14 3/8-inch watercolor on paper is signed and dated 1936, probably when the artist was living in Belgium. He had fled Germany where the National Socialists set fire to his studio and destroyed about 150 of his works. After German troops invaded Belgium in May 1940, Nussbaum hid in a cramped attic in Brussels. He was arrested on June 20, 1944 and deported to Auschwitz, where he was murdered early in August at the age of 39.
For details of the sale call Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches at 561-805-7115.
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
Click here to view Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches, Inc.’s complete catalog.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Felix Nussbaum’s ‘Still Life with Bird, Fruit and Vase on a Table Top with a Boat in the Distance’ is signed and dated 1936, eight years before the German-born painter was killed at Auschwitz. The 21 1/2- by 14 3/8-inch watercolor has a $10,000-$15,000 estimate.
Francis Newton Souza (Indian, 1924-2002) boldly signed and dated this oil on paper laid to board ‘’86.’ His ‘Nude’ measures 26 inches by 18 inches. While some paint loss is noted, the work has a $12,000-$15,000 estimate.
Eleven baguettes and 38 brilliant cut diamonds with a total weight of 5.20 carats are set in this 18K gold cuff. This unique piece is estimated at $15,000-$20,000.
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