20th Nov, 2024 19:00
20th Century & Contemporary Art
45
Marguerite Stephens Tapestry Studio (South Africa 20th Century )
Mahana No Atua Aka. Day Of The Gods tapestry, after Gauguin
handwoven tapestry
Artwork date: 2001
Year: inscribed with the artwork title bottom left
Sold for R70,350
Estimated at R40,000 - R60,000
Condition Report
The overall condition is excellent.
Please note, we are not qualified conservators and these reports give our opinion as to the general condition of the works. We advise that bidders view the lots in person to satisfy themselves with the condition of prospective purchases.
handwoven tapestry
Artwork date: 2001
Year: inscribed with the artwork title bottom left
(1)
180.5 x 255.5 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, Johannesburg.
Private collection, London.
ABOUT THE ARTWORK
The Stephens Tapestry Studio found its origins in northern Swaziland (now Eswatini), when Coral Stephens and her husband moved there in the late 1940s. Coral’s friends felt she may be a ‘bored housewife’ and gifted her a weaving loom to pass the time. This gift brought about the beginning of the Stephens' weaving legacy. Together with the help of Sylvia Mantanga, a Xhosa woman trained in weaving by Swedish missionaries in the Eastern Cape, they began creating textiles with the region’s prized mohair.
Coral’s daughter Marguerite was just a child when the family’s weaving business started, and was immersed in mohair, looms, and weaving from an early age. Marguerite’s own career as a tapestry weaver began in the early 1960s, when she and her mother attended an exhibition featuring the works of Cecil Skotnes. One of his woodblocks captured Coral’s attention, and she remarked to Skotnes that it would make a stunning tapestry and that her daughter would be the one to weave it.
Marguerite Stephens took over the running of the studio for more than five decades, collaborating with local and international artists including, Edoardo Villa, Judith Mason and William Kentridge. Today the world-renowned studio is run by the third generation of Stephens women, Marguerite's daughter, Tina Weavind, who took over operations in 2016.
The current lot, undertaken during Marguerite’s time at the helm of the studio, was inspired by renowned French Post-Impressionist, Paul Gauguin’s Mahana no atua (Day of the God), currently in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The unique tapestry was commissioned in 2001 and was woven by Lillian Simelane and Magaret Zulu in the Stephens Tapestry Studio in Eswatini.
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Paul Gauguin (French 1848-1903),
Mahana no atua (Day of the God),1894,
In the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The fusion of Gauguin’s Post-Impressionist vision with Stephens' weaving techniques resulted in a tapestry that not only honoured Gauguin’s original intent but also expanded upon it. The work's texture, combined with its vibrant colour palette, brought a new dimension to the piece, making the woven interpretation feel just as alive and evocative as the original painting.
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Auction: 20th Century & Contemporary Art, 20th Nov, 2024
Currency conversions are based on the exchange rate at the auction's start time and date. Bidders should verify the current exchange rate on the day of the sale. All invoices and payments must be made in South African Rands.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Logistics
While we endeavour to assist our Clients as much as possible, we require artwork(s) to be delivered and/or collected from our premises by the Client. In instances where a Client is unable to deliver or collect artwork(s), Aspire staff is available to assist in this process by outsourcing the services to one of our preferred Service Providers. The cost for this will be for the Client’s account, with an additional Handling Fee of 15% charged on top of the Service Provider’s invoice.
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Small (≤60x90x10 cm): R480
Medium (≤90x120x15 cm): R960
Large (≤120x150x20 cm): R1,440
Over-size: Special quote
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Collection/delivery ≤20km: R400
Collection/delivery 20km>R800≤50km
Collection/delivery >50km: Special quote
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For buyers from outside South Africa, we will keep the artworks you have purchased in storage during the year and then ship all the works you have acquired during the year together, so the shipping costs are reduced. At the end of the annual period, we will source various quotes to get you the best price, and ship all your artworks to your desired address at once.
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