Giuseppe De Nittis

Giuseppe de Nittis (Italian, 1846-1884) Giorno di nebbia a Londra (Foggy day in London) signed 'De Nittis' (lower left) oil on panel 13 x 10 in. (33.5 x 26.5 cm.) Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 24 November 1982, lot 39. Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 17 November 2005, lot 89. with Clarke Galleries, Stowe, Vermont. Acquired from the above by the present owner. PROPERTY FROM A FLORIDA COLLECTION On 24 June 1875, the young Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo: 'A few days ago we received a painting by De Nittis, a view of London in the rain with Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament. Every morning and every evening I used to cross Westminster Bridge and I know what it is like when the sun fades behind the Abbey and Parliament, or in the early morning in winter with snow or in fog. Looking at the painting, I felt I loved London very much' (quoted in C. Beltramo, ed., Giuseppe De Nittis, exh. cat., Milan, 1990, p. 39). Although working for the dealer Goupil in Paris at the time, van Gogh had previously worked in his employer's London gallery. Van Gogh's comments bear strong witness to De Nittis' ability to evoke a powerful sense of atmosphere and shimmering movement, features that are also plainly evident in the present work. By depopulating the lower half of his composition of traffic, De Nittis has here exaggerated the reflective qualities of the rain on the street, turning it into a virtual lake that reflects the traffic and looming buildings above. The painting is, in fact, highly reminiscent of Claude Monet's later paintings of London. De Nittis, however, had more than a wish to explore ethereal visual effects: like James Tissot and Constantin Guys, he was very much what Charles Baudelaire would have described as a 'painter of modern life', a facet of his work that is obvious in his depictions of fashionable society. Even here, the row of hansom cabs and figures dancing silently but quickly across the centre of the composition hints gently at the hustle and bustle of activity that underpins city life. Like his French Impressionist contemporaries, De Nittis had rebelled against academic teaching methods in his native Italy. He settled permanently in Paris in 1868, where he developed close relationships with artists who shared his beliefs, such as Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet and Gustave Caillebotte. Although the younger generations of Impressionists considered De Nittis to be too conservative, he struck a balance between the avant-garde and popular taste that brought him enormous commercial success both in London and Paris. This work was authenticated by Enrico Piceni in July 1982.

Giuseppe de Nittis (Barletta 1846–1884 St. Germain) The Pond in the Bois de Boulogne, on the reverse a landscape study, c. 1875, signed De Nittis, oil on panel, 27 x 35 cm, framed, (W) Literature: Enrico Piceni, De Nittis, L’’’’uomo e l’’’’opera, Busto Arsizio 1979, plate 56. Catalogue Finarte no. 384, 1981, no. 236. Enrico Piceni, De Nittis, Catalogo generale dell’’’’opera, Busto Arsizio 1982, Vol. II, no. 127. Piero Dini, Giuseppe Luigi Marini, De Nittis, La vita, i documenti, le opere dipinte, Turin 1990, Vol. II, plate. 584. Provenance: Private collection, Lonate Pozzolo; European private collection.

Giuseppe De Nittis (Italian, 1846-1884) Place de la Madeleine signed 'De Nittis' (lower left) watercolour on paper 13 x 10 5/8 in. (33 x 27 cm.) Emilio Ceretti, Milan. Private collection, Milan. PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE ITALIAN COLLECTION E. Piceni, De Nittis, Milan, 1955, p. 170. M. Pittalunga, E. Piceni, De Nittis, Milan, 1963, no. 424 (illustrated). P. Dini, G. L. Marini, De Nittis. La vita, i documenti, le opere dipinte, Turin, 1990, p. 404, no. 689 (illustrated).

Giuseppe De Nittis (Italian, 1846-1884) Portrait of a Gentleman on a Parisian Boulevard signed 'De Nittis' (lower right) oil on panel 16¼ x 10½ in. (41.3 x 26.7 cm.) Painted circa 1875-1880. Private collection, New York, 1950s. THE PROPERTY OF A NEW YORK ESTATE A smartly-dressed gentleman stands on a bustling Parisian boulevard. With his left arm akimbo and his right hand resting on his cane, he exudes a quiet confidence and composure as he nonchalantly meets the viewer's gaze. Around him, the modern city swirls with horse-drawn carriages and well-heeled men, women and children all painted with loose brushstrokes, heightening the sense of movement on the busy street. In contrast to his dizzying surroundings, the gentleman appears as a pillar of calm and precision with every aspect of him clearly defined from the sheen of his coat buttons and top hat to his carefully modeled face and hands. This juxtaposition of the highly finished central figure with a broadly rendered background is seen in many of De Nittis' portraits such as his depiction of his wife and son in the Pinacoteca Giuseppe de Nittis (fig. 1). The sketchy, seemingly spontaneous quality of his work is of course suggestive of the Impressionists with whom De Nittis shared close ties. Indeed, by the time De Nittis painted the present portrait, he had already exhibited at the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874 and he counted among his friends many of the group's leading members such as Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet. The subject of the present painting could possibly be a young member of the Morbilli family. Edmondo Morbilli married Degas' sister Teresa, and the man pictured could be a distant relative of the French master. Francesca Dini has also suggested that De Nittis may have had Degas' Henri Rouart in front of his Factory in mind when he painted the present painting. Contemporaneous portraits, both feature well-dressed men in top hats silhouetted against urban landscapes carefully integrated with their surroundings, this young man and Henri Rouart appear as successful denizens of the modern age. By the mid-1870s, De Nittis was himself a well-respected member of Parisian society, having received both popular and critical acclaim. He had earned the support of Paris' most sought-after dealer Adolphe Goupil and his home had become a renowned meeting place for Saturday evening soirées that attracted the period's most avant-garde artists. In 1878, De Nittis won a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris as well as the Légion d'honneur. Shortly thereafter, De Nittis became the first contemporary Italian painter to be collected by a Parisian museum when the Musée du Luxembourg acquired his La Place du Carrousel: Ruins of the Tuileries. We are grateful to Francesca Dini for confirming the authenticity of this painting and for her assistance in the preparation of this catalogue entry. This work will be included in her forthcoming supplement to the catalogue raisonné on Giuseppe De Nittis. (fig. 1) Giuseppe De Nittis, La signora De Nittis col figlio, Museo Pinacoteca Comunale G. De Nittis, Barletta.

Giuseppe de Nittis (Italian, 1846-1884) La casa del maestro a Saint Germain signed 'De Nittis' (lower right) oil on panel 32.2 x 46.1cm (12 11/16 x 181/8in). Request Condition Report Footnote: PROVENANCE: With Bottega d'Arte, Livorno Montecatini T., titled as Parigi-Saint Germain '; Private collection, Italy LITERATURE: Mary Pittaluga - Enrico Piceni, De Nittis , 1963, ill.pl.608, titled as La villa ; Giulio Bolaffi, Catalogo Bolaffi della pittura Italianadell'Ottocento n.5 , 1974, ill. p.141. The present lot is recorded in the Enrico Piceni's Foundation underno.162. The work is inscribed 'Conosco da molti anni questo bel paesaggiodi de Nittis che penso rappresenti i dintorni della casa delpittore a Saint-Germain. Fresco e rapido di pennelata questopaesaggio verra' pubblicato nella monografia sul Maestro da meultimata in collaborazione con Mary Pittaluga/In fede/EnricoPiceni/1962' on reverse This lot is to be sold with the two books mentioned in theliterature. Born in 1846 in Barletta, a small town in southern Italy, Giuseppede Nittis studied at the Instituto delle Belle Arti in Naples underGiuseppe Mancinelli. He exhibited in Florence with the Macchiaiolibecoming friends with Telemaco Signorini, and moved to Paris in1867 where he remained for the rest of his career. His home inParis was to become a favorite gathering place for writers andItalian artists such as Giovanni Boldini and FredericoZandomeneghi. After studying under Jean-Léon Gérome at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts,de Nittis started producing genre paintings for the Art dealerGoupil. He first exhibited at the Salon in 1869 and continued to doso throughout his career. In 1874, de Nittis was invited by Edgar Degas to exhibit with theImpressionists, and in the present lot we can see the influence ofthe plein air techniques of that group. According to EnricoPiceni, the work depicts the house and garden of the artist and hiswife Leontine in Saint-Germain en Laye. As with his 1874 work Colazione in giardino (Barletta Museum), here the artistuses vivid and rapid brushstrokes. The exceptional effect of lightcreates a powerful sense of warmth and the play of the sun on thegarden and the use of greens and purples are typical from thatperiod.