Echoes of the Past: Property from an Important Private Collection
A visionary collection built on decades of passion and discernment takes center stage in Philadelphia on November 4 at Freeman's | Hindman. Assembled by a distinguished European collector, it brings together Old Master drawings and paintings of exceptional quality, complemented by 19th- and early 20th-century works from artists whose reputations have stood the test of time-among them Giuseppe De Nittis, Giovanni Boldini, and Federico Zandomeneghi.
TO BE OFFERED NOVEMBER 4 | Girolamo Mazzola, called Parmigianino (Italian, 1503-1540) A Group of Figures standing by a Column, Two Women, one with a Baby, and a Man in the Background | $70,000 - 90,000
With a strong emphasis on Italian art, the collection also includes exceptional French works, such as a delicate pastel by François Le Moyne and a striking portrait of the actress and demimondaine Sarah Bernhardt by Louis-Albert Besnard. The collector's unique sensibility is further revealed in the inclusion of two early cartoons: one for the tomb of the humanist Niccolò Perotti, and another for a magnificent 16th-century Florentine tapestry.
TO BE OFFERED NOVEMBER 4 | Carlo Dolci (Italian, 1616-1686) The Holy Family with God the Father and the Holy Spirit above: a Sacra conversazione | $80,000 - 120,000
A standout of the Echoes of the Past sale is a diminutive, exquisitely rendered oil on copper Sacra Conversazione by Carlo Dolci, dating to around 1630, when the artist was still in his youth. Exceptionally rare, the painting has remained in private hands for the past twenty years. It is a significant early work that shows the influence of Dolci's master, Jacopo Vignali. Its unusual composition presents the mature Christ between the Virgin and Saint Joseph, with the Holy Spirit and God the Father above-uniting the Terrestrial and Celestial Trinities. This theological interpretation reflects Dolci's intellectual depth even at a young age.
Also featured is a newly discovered drawing by Parmigianino, depicting a group of women gathered near a column. Once known only through an etching by Francesco Rosaspina, the drawing is now identified as an original work from Parmigianino's Roman period. It is closely related to his Marriage of the Virgin (École des Beaux-Arts), Christ Healing the Sick (Angers), and The Worship of Jupiter (British Museum), and is inspired by Raphael's Vatican frescoes.
TO BE OFFERED OCTOBER 20 | Fernand Léger (French, 1881-1955) Le Combattant (Design for the Cover of Fortune Magazine), 1942 | $100,000 - 150,000
Among the 20th-century highlights to be offered in the October 28 auction of Impressionist and Modern Art are works on paper by Henry Moore and Auguste Rodin. Foremost among them is Fernand Léger's original 1942 design for the cover of Fortune magazine, the influential American business magazine renowned for its innovative, boldly illustrated covers. Executed during Leger's wartime exile in New York, this dynamic gouache captures the renewed creative vitality the artist found in America. Against sweeping rays of yellow, red, and blue-hallmarks of his distinctive palette-Léger arranges monumental oil derricks, industrial structures, and the colossal head of a man gazing directly at the viewer. His bold, unflinching stare serves as a silent witness to humanity's grave reckoning with the escalating global tensions of the era.
VIEWING: October 25-November 1
32 East 67th St, New York, NY