17th Jul, 2017 17:00
Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art
111
Anton van Wouw (Netherlands 1862-1945)
The Bushman Hunter
bronze
Artwork date: 1943
Signature details: signed and dated and inscribed ‘G. Massa Roma’
Literature: Cohen, M.J. (1938). Anton van Wouw. Sculptor of South African Life. Johannesburg: Radford Adlington, p.36. Duffey, A.E. (1981). Anton van Wouw 1862–1945 en die Van Wouwhuis, Pretoria Butterworth & Co., another example from this edition illustrated on p.10. Duffey, A.E. (2008). Anton van Wouw. The Smaller Works. Pretoria: Protea Book House, another example from this edition illustrated on pp.36–38. Du Toit, M.L. (1933). Anton van Wouw, In Suid-Afrikaanse Kunstenaars. Deel 1. Kaapstad: Nasionale Pers, pp.21–25. Keet, A.D. (1981). Briewe van Anton van Wouw aan A.D. Keet. Goodwood: Nasionale Boekdrukkery Steyn, N. n.d. Anton van Wouw. Pretoria: Van Eeden’s, p 44.
Sold for R738,920
Estimated at R500,000 - R700,000
bronze
Artwork date: 1943
Signature details: signed and dated and inscribed ‘G. Massa Roma’
Literature: Cohen, M.J. (1938). Anton van Wouw. Sculptor of South African Life. Johannesburg: Radford Adlington, p.36. Duffey, A.E. (1981). Anton van Wouw 1862–1945 en die Van Wouwhuis, Pretoria Butterworth & Co., another example from this edition illustrated on p.10. Duffey, A.E. (2008). Anton van Wouw. The Smaller Works. Pretoria: Protea Book House, another example from this edition illustrated on pp.36–38. Du Toit, M.L. (1933). Anton van Wouw, In Suid-Afrikaanse Kunstenaars. Deel 1. Kaapstad: Nasionale Pers, pp.21–25. Keet, A.D. (1981). Briewe van Anton van Wouw aan A.D. Keet. Goodwood: Nasionale Boekdrukkery Steyn, N. n.d. Anton van Wouw. Pretoria: Van Eeden’s, p 44.
(1)
48 x 28 x 19.5 cm
Notes:
Anton van Wouw worked in Pretoria throughout the Anglo-Boer War. Towards the end of 1900, while Pretoria was still under British occupation, Van Wouw, with the Director of the National Museum in Pretoria, Dr Herman Breyer and George Leith, visited the the farm of Mrs. Pretorius in the Marico district, where he met Korhaan, one of the Bushmen who lived there.In 1901 Korhaan posed for a large bust for Van Wouw and later that year, Korhaan was also the model for his sculpture of a Bushman Hunter. Van Wouw based the posture of this figure on Rodin's bronze sculpture John the Baptist Preaching (1878–1880), which he had seen at an exhibition in Rotterdam in July 1899. Van Wouw worked for ten months to perfect this sculpture, which shows an almost naked Bushman hunter armed with bow and arrow in a pose of taut expectancy.The Bushman Hunter is an extremely fine example of Van Wouw's peerless skill in rendering the finest of details. Although all castings are signed "A van Wouw 1902" in a cursive handwriting on the base, the first bronze castings were only made after 1907 in Italy. Most of these early Italian castings have a foundry mark "Foundry G Massa Roma" or “Fond. G. Nisini. Roma” on the base.This sculpture is one of the most popular of all Van Wouw's smaller works, and a number of castings were made during the sculptor’s life. At least 25 early Italian castings are known to exist and several posthumous castings were made after 1945.
Alexander Duffey
Sources:
Leith, B. 1964. A Chapter from the Life of George Leith. Somerset West, pp. 29-30
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Auction: Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art, 17th Jul, 2017
Aspire Art Auctions’ second Johannesburg sale offered a selection of some of the best works produced by local and international artists available on the local market. Offerings included Cameroonian-born, Belgium-based, Pascale Marthine Tayou, Chilean, Eugenio Dittborn, and South Africans, William Kentridge, Kendell Geers, Louis Maqhubela, Cecil Skotnes, Maggie Laubser, Irma Stern, and Mohau Modisakeng, amongst others.
The sale was led by an international auction record of R1 200 320 achieved for a drawing, Children under Apartheid, by exiled South African artist Dumile Feni, as well as the successful sale of top international lot Golden Mask by renowned performance artist Marina Abramović.
Viewing
Friday 14 July 2017 | 10 am – 7 pm
Saturday 15 July 2017 | 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday 16 July 2017 | 10 am – 4 pm
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