Giovanni Fattori

(Italian, 1825-1908)

Bosco alle Cascine, c. 1880s

watercolor and graphite on paper

signed Giovanni Fattori, titled, and inscribed (verso)

7 1/2 x 13 inches.

Property from a Private Collection, Taos, New Mexico

We would like to thank Marco Bertoli for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.

Provenance:

Mario Galli, Florence, Italy

Exhibited:

Milan, Galleria Carini, Mostra vendita di dipinit dell'800, January 28 - February 14, 1954, no. 24, pl. 5

New York, Stair Sainty Matthiesen, The Macchiaioli, Tuscan Painters of Sunlight, March 14 - April 20, 1984, no. 36, pp. 98-99, illus.

Lot essay:

The Cascine is one the largest Florentine parks and was an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the artist. Fattori painted en plein air several different views of the shaded avenues of leafy trees, capturing the atmosphere as the light and the seasons change. An extraordinary production made over several years includes the artworks Bosco alle Cascine, 1870-1880, (Alessandro Magnelli Collection); Le Cascine, 1865-1875 (Mario Galli Collection); and Le vecchia Cascine, 1865-1875 (Luigi Spinelli Collection). Similar compositions to the present watercolor include Alberi alle Cascine, 1860-1870 (Adolfo Santarini Collection) and the Viale alle Cascine, 1870-1875. In these latter works, the painter focuses on the study of trees made through "spots" of different shades of green. Above all he focuses on the chiaroscuro of the light that filters through the branches of the trees, recreating their rustling and airy sensation.

An inscription on the verso of the present watercolor bears witness to its undoubted pedigree, translating as: “In the Collection Mario Galli approves Giovanni Malesci.” A Florentine sculptor, Mario Galli (1877-1946) collected paintings by the greatest Macchiaioli painters, from Signorini to Borrani, from Abbati to D'Ancona, and he became one of the most important collectors of Giovanni Fattori. Giovanni Malesci was a pupil of Giovanni Fattori from 1903 to 1908. As one of the artist’s greatest supporters and connoisseurs, Malesci’s 1961 catalogue raisonné on the Livorno painter remains to this day the fundamental reference text for Fattori's work.

Framed: 14 x 19 1/4 inches.
Not examined out of frame; minor deposits of surface dirt and dust on framing materials; two hinge remnants on verso of upper right and left corners; scattered staining along verso of upper edge; localized area of small brown stains on verso of lower center; pigments appear fresh overall. Additional images available upon request.

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Joseph Stanfield

Senior Vice President, Director, Fine Art

[email protected]312.280.1212

As the head of Hindman’s Fine Art Department, Mr. Stanfield is instrumental in bringing in major consignments from private collectors, estates, dealers and institutions. He has led the department to dozens of auction records, with a particular focus on Chicago Modernism. Mr. Stanfield has played an integral role in the development of the American & European and Post War & Contemporary Art categories, with the most successful year for the department in company history coming in 2021. He also oversaw a house record for total sales for a week of Fine Art auctions in May 2022. Mr. Stanfield is also the lead auctioneer for the Fine Art sales at Hindman. Prior to returning to Hindman in 2019, he was at Toomey & Co. for eight years, where he oversaw important collections including the estate of Candice B. Groot, the collection of Governor Jim Thompson, and the estate of Robert E. Beck. Mr. Stanfield earned a BA from the University of Kansas where he studied Art History.

American & European Art

Bosco alle Cascine, c. 1880s

American & European Art

Bosco alle Cascine, c. 1880s

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