Ref.12698
Roy ADZAK (1927 - 1987) (in the taste of), Set of four bronze sconces representing a female face, late 20th century

Set of four bronze wall sconces made at the end of the 20th century, in the taste of Roy Adzak, British painter and sculptor. These four sculpted wall lights represent a female face

Ref.15763
Portrait of a Young Woman by Leopold Franz Kowalski

Léopold-Franz Kowalsky (1856–1931) was a French painter famous for his portraits of young women and pastoral scenes. A student of Henri Lehmann, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1878 and then took classes at the Académie Julian. He made his debut at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1881 and exhibited there until 1914. This portrait of an elegant young woman is striking for its immediacy and frontal perspective. The low wall on which she is leaning and the vegetal background reinforce the model's physical presence. With her body in three-quarter view and her face facing forward, she is posing for the artist but seems ready to get up; her chin is barely resting in her right hand and her left hand is placed on her hip, indicating that she has only just settled down. The treatment of the folds in the sleeve accentuates the presence and materiality of the fabric. With her red hair adorned with a floral headband, the model's features and pale skin are reminiscent of the figures dear to the Pre-Raphaelite painters. Our painting is in excellent condition. The model, whose identity is unknown, is similar to The Badminton Player (Bonhams Skinner Marlborough sale, November 2, 2023, lot 96). Signed lower right: “L. Kowalsky.”

Ref.16067
Antonio Salviati (Vicenza, 1816 – Venice, 1890), attributed to Mosaic portrait of Bernard Palissy

Trained as a lawyer, Antonio Salviati developed a keen interest in glassmaking and mosaic production. In 1859, after contributing to the restoration of the mosaics of St Mark’s Basilica, he founded his first glass and mosaic workshop. In 1866 he established a second company—Salviati & Cie—which he later divided into two distinct branches: glassmaking on the one hand and mosaic production on the other. Salviati was entrusted with major commissions. His firms produced the mosaic glass for the reredos of the high altar at Westminster Abbey (1866–1867), took part in the restoration of the Palatine Chapel in Aachen, executed exterior mosaics for the Opéra Garnier, and contributed to the decoration of the Albert Memorial, inaugurated in 1872. Salviati’s enterprise also became renowned for reviving the traditional glassmaking of Murano. This mosaic portrait depicts the French ceramist Bernard Palissy (1510–1590). Celebrated for his polychrome dishes and basins decorated with animals in relief, Palissy is shown here dressed in 16th-century attire. Rendered in a three-quarter view, he holds in his hands a “rustique figuline,” the term he used to describe his own creations. An eel or serpent can be discerned on the surface of the basin, recalling examples such as MR 2293 or R 231 preserved at the Musée du Louvre. In a similar spirit, Salviati supplied the tesserae for the mosaic portrait of Abraham Lincoln executed by Enrico Podio in 1866, now held in the United States Senate. Public appreciation for the meticulous craftsmanship of mosaicists has been particularly strong in Italy since the 16th century. While the 18th century renewed the fashion for micro-mosaics in precious luxury objects, the 19th century restored mosaic art to its status as a public art form—just as it had long been in Salviati’s native Venice. Through his entrepreneurial spirit, the lawyer-turned-master glassmaker played a central role in the resurgence of mosaic art in Europe between 1866 and 1890.