Johannesburg August Auction - Digital Catalogue

Decorative Arts | 51

96 97

96 97
AFTER CLAUDE MICHEL CLODION
(FRENCH 1738 - 1814): A BRONZE FIGURAL SCULPTURE
A ‘BACCHANALIA’ BRONZE SCULPTURE GROUP
Depicts two dancing nymphs with a satyr eating Depicting a male figure bound with rope
grapes. Signed to base and dated 1762, around left wrist and right upper arm,
58cm high raised on circular stepped base
R 8 000 - R 12 000 61cm high excluding base

52 | Decorative Arts R 5 000 - R 8 000

98 100 100

A SOLINGEN GOLD PLATED CUTLERY SET 99 A BOHEMIAN-STYLE CUT GLASS VASE
Emerald green cut to clear
Comprising: 12 knives, 12 forks, 12 fish knives, A GEORGE II ROCOCO CARVED GILTWOOD 40cm high
12 fish forks, 12 bread knives, 12 soup spoons, AND GESSO WALL MIRROR
12 dessert spoons, 12 teaspoons and Open carved with ‘C’ scroll, acanthus R 3 000 - R 6 000
12 cake forks (108) and floral swags
102cm high, 64cm wide
R 4 000 - R 6 000
R 10 000 - R 15 000

Decorative Arts | 53

101

AN OAK GATE LEG TABLE,
LATE 18TH/EARLY 19TH CENTURY

The hinged oval top above a plain
frieze, on turned and baluster
supports, on block and baluster feet,
joined by a box stretcher
70cm high, 91cm wide, 77cm deep

R 2 000 - R 4 000

101 102

103 A GEORGE III MAHOGANY
54 | Furniture CORNER CUPBOARD

The outswept moulded cornice
above a plain frieze, canted corners,
above an astragal-glazed door
enclosing two shelves, plain apron, on
square-section tapering legs joined
by a shelf stretcher,
stringing throughout, distress
188cm high, 74cm wide, 55cm deep

R 3 000 - R 5 000

103

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY
DEMI-LUNE TABLE

The reeded top above a
plain frieze, on reeded,
tapering square-section legs
76cm high, 121cm wide, 53cm deep

R 2 500 - R 3 500

102

104
A GEORGE III MAHOGANY BUREAU BOOKCASE
In two parts, the outswept pediment above
a plain frieze, a pair of astragal glazed doors
enclosing three shelves below, the lower
section with a fall-front enclosing drawers
and compartments, in sizes, above four long
graduating drawers, on bracket feet
212cm high, 90cm wide, 44cm deep
R 15 000 - R 18 000

Furniture | 55

105

105 106 107

A GEORGE III FLAME MAHOGANY A REGENCY MAHOGANY TWIN PEDESTAL A SET OF SIX REGENCY MAHOGANY
CHEST OF DRAWERS EXTENDING DINING TABLE DINING CHAIRS

The bow fronted top above two short Each reeded D-end with drop in extension Comprising: a pair of carvers and four side chairs,
cockbeaded drawers above three long leaf on a turned tapering column, on three each curved top rail above a pierced mid-rail
graduating cockbeaded drawers, shaped apron, outwsept legs terminating in hairy-paw feet, centred by a vacant rectangular cartouche, stuff-
on splayed bracket feet, distress on castors over seat, the carvers on tapering square-section
107cm high, 107cm wide, 51 cm deep 92cm high, 92cm wide, 181cm long fully extended legs joined by a box stretcher, the side chairs on
turned tapering legs
R 5 000 - R 7 000 R 4 000 - R 6 000
R 3 000 - R 5 000

107

56 | Furniture

108 109

108 A WILLIAM IV MAHOGANY PEMBROKE TABLE
110
The hinged rectangular top above a frieze drawer,
on scrolling arm supports, faceted baluster
column, on four scrolling outswept feet,
on castors
75cm high, 69cm wide, 50cm deep

R 3 000 - R 5 000

109

A VICTORIAN OAK SIDE TABLE

The square moulded top above a shaped frieze,
raised on turned supports, on turned tapering
feet, joined by a box stretcher
54cm high, 42cm wide, 42cm deep

R 2 000 - R 3 000

110

A VICTORIAN WALNUT AND INLAID
MUSIC CABINET

The rectangular top above a plain frieze,
a glazed door below enclosing three shelves,
on a plinth base, on castors
90cm high, 53cm wide, 28cm deep

R 3 500 - R 5 500

111

A VICTORIAN WALNUT SUTHERLAND TABLE

The hinged moulded oval top above a plain frieze
on turned tapering supports, on carved outswept
feet, joined by a turned stretcher, on castors
67cm high, 95cm wide, 70cm deep

R 3 000 - R 5 000

111

Furniture | 57

112

A WARD’S IMPROVED RECUMBENT CHAIR, LONDON 1880-1900

The padded back and hinged sides above a stuff-over seat, adjustable leg extension,
on turned, tapering legs, joined by a three-quarter box stretcher, on two large front wheels
and two rear castors, with manufacturer’s label inscribed WARD, manufacturer,
246 Tottenham Ct. Road, London, and numbered 7401

R 15 000 - R 20 000

58 | Furniture

113

A MAHOGANY BOOKCASE

The outswept cornice above an egg-and-dart and dentil frieze, three glazed doors below enclosing
shelves and separated by fluted columns, three panelled doors below, on a plinth base
210 cm high, 260cm wide, 47cm deep

R 45 000 - R 55 000

Furniture | 59

114

114 115

A CAPE YELLOWWOOD PEGTOP TABLE, A SET OF SIX SWEDISH BEECHWOOD
LATE 18TH/EARLY 19TH CENTURY ‘GRACELL’ CHAIRS, DESIGNED BY
YNGVE EKSTROM FOR GEMLA, 1950s
The inlaid rectangular top centred with a
wind rose above a plain frieze, on notched Each curved top rail above two curved mid-rails,
square-section tapering legs, on block feet, stuff-over seat, on turned tapering legs joined
joined by side stretchers by a three-quarter stretcher, with manufacturer’s
67cm high, 106cm long, 80cm deep label (6)

R 10 000 - R 15 000 R 8 000 - R 12 000

60 | Furniture

116 116
117 A REPRODUCTION LC2 SETTEE DESIGNED
118 BY LE CORBUSIER, PIERRE JEANNERET AND
CHARLOTTE PERIAND IN 1928
The padded back and sides above a loose seat
cushion within a tubular steel frame, on tubular legs
170cm long

R 5 000 - R 8 000

117
A REPRODUCTION LC2 CHAIR DESIGNED BY
LE CORBUSIER, PIERRE JEANNERET AND
CHARLOTTE PERIAND IN 1928
The padded back and sides above a loose seat
cushion within a tubular steel frame, on tubular legs

R 2 000 - R 3 000

118
A REPRODUCTION LC2 SETTEE DESIGNED
BY LE CORBUSIER, PIERRE JEANNERET AND
CHARLOTTE PERIAND IN 1928
The padded back and sides above a loose seat
cushion within a tubular steel frame,
on tubular legs, distress
170cm long

R 4 000 - R 7 000

119
A LEATHER UPHOLSTERED WINGBACK
ARMCHAIR AND OTTOMAN
The padded back and sides above a loose seat
cushion, close-nailed arms, on restrained cabriole
legs, and an ottoman en suite

R 8 000 - R 12 000

NO LOTS 120 - 130

Furniture | 61

62

Session 3

Monday | 26 August | 7pm

Lots 131 - 210
Collectable Cars

Fine Art

63

131
A 1965 MERCEDES-BENZ 280S
Black, with red leather interior, manual, some
books and manuals, spare wheel, jack and wheel
spanner
R 90 000 - R 120 000

132
A 1963 MERCEDES-BENZ WIII 220SE COUPE
White, with red leather interior, automatic, original
radio, spare wheel and tools
R 550 000 - R 750 000

64 | Collectable Cars

133
A 1956 MERCEDES-BENZ 180D PONTON PICK UP
Stone grey, with red interior, 1790cc four-cylinder single overhead cam diesel engine,
four speed manual synchromesh gearbox, registered and licensed
This is one of the original 17 Ponton pick-ups originally commissioned by Daimler-Benz
and coach built by Sweiss Technic Nicol of Windhoek as a test marketing tool in the
Union of South Africa
R 875 000 - R 925 000

Collectable Cars | 65

134

A 1981 MGB ROADSTER

Red, with a black retractable
soft top and black interior, rubber
bumpers, rostyle wheels, tonneau
cover, spare wheel and tools

R 160 000 - R 180 000

135
A 1973 ROLLS ROYCE SILVER
SHADOW
Two tone silver over grey, burgundy
leather interior, rear fixed picnic
tables and original fixed silver skin
floor mats, jack and spare tyre
R 325 000 - R 350 000

66 | Collectable Cars

1396520M0ASEGRATTII

The Maserati 3500 GTi is a 2-door coupé manufactured
between 1957 and 1964. It is an iconic vehicle for the
company.

During its early existence Maserati was focused
on motorsports, with many Grand Prix and racing
triumphs ranging pre- and post-Second World War,
but by 1958 the company had begun to experience
financial difficulties and announced the cessation of its
factory racing programme and began development of
their first road car: the 3500 GT.

The main developments that led to the 3500 GT were
carried out in 1956-57, with the first public viewing being
held at the Geneva Motor Show of 1957. Eighteen cars
were built that year, using their signature superleggera
technique of hand-forming aluminium panels over a
steel tubular frame. The 3500 GTi was then introduced
at the Salon International de l’Auto of 1960, and in
1961 became the first fuel-injected Italian production
car, and the company’s first vehicle dedicated to use
on the road, rather than the track. The combination of
performance and comfort attracted a range of wealthy
buyers, particularly film stars and royalty, and remains
a significant moment in the history of Maserati, and a
timeless and highly-desirable vehicle.

Collectable Cars | 67

136
A 1962 MASERATI 3500 GTI
Silver, with black leather upholstery, 3485cc DOHC inline six-cylinder
aluminium Maserati racing engine, 220bhp, two spark plugs per cylinder,
five speed manual, Borrani mag wheels, original working Voxon radio,
registered and licensed
R 2 600 000 - R 3 000 000

68 | Collectable Cars

137

A 1962 BENTLEY S2 SEDAN

In old English white with navy blue Connolly hide interior and burl walnut
woodwork. Fitted with rear picnic tables, air conditioning, automatic
gearbox, adjustable rear ride control, electric windows and power steering
as well as a period correct AM/FM radio. The S2 / Cloud 2 cars marked
the dawn of a new era for Rolls Royce / Bentley with the introduction of
the 6.3l L series V8 motor. Engine: 90 degree V8, ohv, aluminium alloy
block. Capacity: 6,230 cc. Gearbox: GM derived 4 speed automatic.
Registered and licensed.

R 800 000 - R 850 000

NO LOTS 138 - 140

Collectable Cars | 69

141

FRANCIS BACON - RECENT PAINTINGS, 1967,
MARLBOROUGH GALLERY CATALOGUE,
SIGNED BY THE ARTIST

Marlborough Fine Art, Ltd.
Gifted by the artist. For the exhibition:
Marlborough Fine Art Gallery, Bond Street,
London, March to April 1967. Contains an essay
by Michel Leiris and excerpts from interviews with
the artist and David Sylvester in May 1966,

R 7 000 - R 10 000

70 | Fine Art

142

FRANCIS BACON - GRAND PALAIS PARIS, 1971-
72, EXHIBITION CATALOGUE

Gifted by the artist. For the exhibition: Paris,
Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, 26 October
1971 - 10 January 1972; Dusseldorf, Kunsthalle, 7
March - 7 May 1972

R 1 500 - R 3 000

Fine Art | 71

143 143

144 144 Gregoire Johannes Boonzaier
72 | Fine Art (South African 1909 - 2005)

ARUM LILIES

hand-coloured linocut, signed and dated 1979
in pencil in the margin
sheet size: 26 by 35cm

R 3 000 - R 5 000

144

Gregoire Johannes Boonzaier
(South African 1909 - 2005)

SUNFLOWERS and OLD MAN WITH HAT,
two in the lot

linocut, each signed in pencil in the margin,
SUNFLOWERS dated 1978
sheet size: 28,5 by 35,5cm and 29,5 by 36cm

R 3 000 - R 5 000

145

Gregoire Johannes Boonzaier
(South African 1909 - 2005)

CRAYFISH AND SHELL

linocut, signed and dated 1979
in pencil in the margin
sheet size: 37 by 28cm

ILLUSTRATED ON OPPOSITE PAGE

R 1 000 - R 3 000

146

Gregoire Johannes Boonzaier
(South African 1909 - 2005)

MAN ON A DONKEY WAGON, TWO DONKEYS
AND A WAGON and PORTRAIT OF A MAN WITH
A HAT, three in the lot

linocut, each signed with pencil in the margin,
MAN ON A DONKEY WAGON and TWO
DONKEYS AND A WAGON dated 1978
sheet size: 24,5 by 33cm, 36 by 28cm and
14,7 by 22,5cm

ILLUSTRATED ON OPPOSITE PAGE

R 3 000 - R 5 000

145 146

146 146
Fine Art | 73

“Consider Judas. He is both victim and culprit. Whether he betrayed God or was betrayed by God into a
diabolical role flickers always behind the minds of those who seek to recognise or to deny the divinity of
Christ. For the disinterested agnostic the problem has its academic attraction too. Can one tolerate the
idea of a god who uses his tools immorally? This is perhaps sophistry. At some time or other the person
contemplating Judas, contemplating the unwritten complexity of the gospel according to this man, seeks
to free him from the condemnation of two thousand years. Perhaps his purgatory, like that of Richard III
and Mary Magdalen, is to be unjustly judged by the generations which succeed him. Perhaps his reparation
was made when he prefigured and parodied the expansive eloquence of Christ’s crucifixion by his own
private dependence from a rope. Perhaps. It is impossible to express the prospect of Judas’ redemption in
words without sounding contentious, casuistic or sentimental. Only pictures and poetry can do it. These
media do not need the scholarly dotting of i’s and the crossing of t’s. They enter at once into metaphor
and have their own authority.”
- Judith Mason

Charlton, J. Freemantle, B. Isaac, S. and Cullen, P. (eds.) Judith Mason: A Prospect of Icons, Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg, 2008, p. 125

74 | Fine Art

147
Judith Mason
(South African 1938 - 2016)
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JUDAS
signed and inscribed ‘Variation 18 ed. of 40’ in pencil on the final page, ten sheet leporello,
drawing incorporating photolithography, lithography, oil and collage, with additional lithograph and
title page in solander box, printed and published by Bruce Attwood at the Broederstroom Press, 1982,
bound by Peter Carstens
leporello: 40 by 325cm; additional work and title page sheet size: 40 by 32cm
EXHIBITED
Another example from this edition was exhibited at The Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg,
Judith Mason: A Prospect of Icons, 2 October to 6 December 2008.
LITERATURE
Charlton, J. Freemantle, B. Isaac, S. and Cullen, P. (eds.) Judith Mason: A Prospect of Icons,
Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg, another example from the edition illustrated on p. 117
R 15 000 - R 20 000

Fine Art | 75

148 148
Walter Whall Battiss
149 (South African 1906 - 1982)
76 | Fine Art BLUE BUCK AND TWO PEOPLE
silkscreen, signed and inscribed Printer's Proof
2/5 in pencil in the margin
sheet size: 45 by 64cm, unframed
R 5 000 - R 8 000

149
Walter Whall Battiss
(South African 1906 - 1982)
BIRD FLIGHT and MR ICARUS, I PRESUME
screenprint, each signed, titled and numbered
75/125 in pencil in the margin
sheet size: 30 by 42cm, unframed
LITERATURE
Siebrits, W. Walter Battiss: I Invented Myself,
The Ampersand Foundation, Johannesburg, 2016,
another example from the edition illustrated on
p. 212
R 8 000 - R 12 000

150 150
151 Walter Whall Battiss
(South African 1906 - 1982)
MATALA
signed, dated 14.6.92 and inscribed with the title
watercolour on paper
31 by 50,5cm, unframed
R 20 000 - R 30 000

151
Lionel Smit
(South African 1982 - )
PORTRAIT WITH LAYERS
signed and dated 2011, inscribed with
A.P in pencil in the margin
collaged digital print
sheet size: 45 by 29cm
R 6 000 - R 9 000

Fine Art | 77

152 153

152 153

John Ndevasia Muafangejo John Ndevasia Muafangejo
(Namibian 1943 - 1987) (Namibian 1943 - 1987)

ADAM AND EVE KUANYA MA WEDDING

linocut, signed, dated 1968 and numbered 54/100 linocut, signed, dated 1970 and numbered 82/100
in pencil in the margin; signed in the plate in pencil in the margin
sheet size: 66,5 by 54cm sheet size: 25,5 by 34cm

R 7 000 - R 10 000 R 5 000 - R 8 000

John Ndevasia Muafangejo was born in 1943, in Ovamboland, on the border of Namibia and Angola. Muafangejo is seen as Namibia’s foremost artist, best-
known as a printmaker acclaimed for his unique style and subject matter. He was trained at Rorke’s Drift between 1967 and 1969, where he studied under
Azaria Mbatha. Notable pupils whose time at the centre coincided with Muafangejo include, Cyprian Shilakoe and Vuminkosi Zulu.

Muafangejo was one of very few artists to portray his home region as more than a topographical study. While his work maintained an indigenous, African
feeling throughout, his images often course with a humanist sensitivity and explore human relationships and social roles. His visual language is bold and
unambiguous, creating literal and figurative stories through his use of black and white images. Narratives in his works often play out in a comic-like fashion,
with characters dispersed in a two-dimensional manner, occupying shallow space. In addition, he regularly uses text to further extend the work’s graphic
story-telling nature, marrying text and image.

Muafangejo’s deeply religious upbringing is also mirrored in many of his works. Works such as Adam and Eve portray well-known biblical stories and
imagery, reimagined and reapplied to his own life and environment in Ovamboland. Christian mythology is seen through an African lens. Cultural nuances
are depicted through the inclusion of traditional stories and symbols, as well as material cultural objects such as clothing, animals, drums, masks and
headdresses. Muafangejo created scenes which translated into a unique amalgamation of culture and history, where the border between his immediate
reality and religious beliefs is blurred. The artist’s religious themes and subjects seem to act as autobiographic tools, allowing the objectivity of common
narratives to mediate his personal experiences, so as to transcend the merely anecdotal and form a fascinating, personal and cultural mythology and vision.
– AC

De Jager, E.J. Africa Insight: Namibian artist John Muafangejo (1948-1987) vol 20, issue 1, 1990. p 40-43.
Proud, H (ed). Dolby, J. Revisions: expanding the narrative of South African art, 2006. Unisa Press: Cape Town, p 210-215.

78 | Fine Art

154
John Ndevasia Muafangejo
(Namibian 1943 - 1987)
THE VALUE OF WATER
linocut, signed, dated 1972 and numbered 35/100
in pencil in the margin
sheet size: 35,5 by 40,5cm
R 6 000 - R 9 000

154
155
Walter Whall Battiss
(South African 1906 - 1982)
NUDES
signed
ink on paper
21 by 17cm
R 6 000 - R 9 000

155
Fine Art | 79

156
Jacob Hendrik Pierneef
(South African 1886 - 1957)
TREES WITH DISTANT HILLS
signed
pastel on paper
65,5 by 48cm
PROVENANCE
Gifted by the artist to J.F.W. Grosskopf, author of Henrik Pierneef: The Man and His Work, thence by descent
R 80 000 - R 120 000

80 | Fine Art

Fine Art | 81

158 158
157
Nils Severin Andersen
Ruth Prowse (South African 1897 - 1972)
(South African 1883 - 1967)
MEIRINGSPOORT PASS MOUNTAINOUS LANDSCAPE
signed with the artist's initials
oil on canvas signed
30 by 36cm oil on board
59,5 by 44,5cm
R 20 000 - R 30 000
R 4 000 - R 7 000
82 | Fine Art

159
Adriaan Hendrik Boshoff
(South African 1935 - 2007)

LANDSCAPE WITH FARMHOUSE

signed
oil on canvas
59 by 89cm

R 150 000 - R 200 000

Fine Art | 83

160
Errol Stephen Boyley
(South African 1918 - 2007)
MUSSEL COLLECTORS AT LOW TIDE
signed
oil on canvas
91 by 65,5cm
R 30 000 - R 50 000

84 | Fine Art

161

Frans David Oerder
(South African 1867 - 1944)

FISHERMAN'S JOURNEY HOME

signed and inscribed 'Aan de grootmoeder
ter herinnering van de geboorte van Tom'
oil on canvas
54 by 36cm

R 60 000 - R 90 000

Fine Art | 85

162

Edoardo Villa
(South African 1915 - 2011)

SCULPTURAL PLAQUE

signed
bronze
plaque: 16,5 by 15,5; mount: 35,5 by 35cm

R 15 000 - R 20 000

86 | Fine Art

163
Gerard de Leeuw
(South African 1912 - 1985)
ELIZABETH DE LEEUW
signed and dated 39
bronze
height: 28cm (excluding base)
R 10 000 - R 15 000

Fine Art | 87

88 | Fine Art

Anton van Wouw’s De Vogelaar is a scarce and important sculpture. Created in the 1880s, it is one of the
very earliest examples of van Wouw’s creative work, rather than being a representational commission
like many of the sculptor’s early recorded works, and is one of the sculptor’s earliest known sculptures in
South Africa. Cast at an unknown Dutch foundry in the 1880s, the work depicts a young boy dressed in
clogs, cap, cravat and blazer, with an upraised right arm. The figure of the boy is bolted to the base by two
screws visible from beneath, showing that the work was cast in two parts and joined at the foundry. Duffy
has noted that “[the urchin] stands with a stick in an uplifted right hand and whistles to lure small birds
to the glue-covered stick in order to catch them”. This type of subject was a popular sculptural thematic
trend in Europe in the 1880s.

The known examples of De Vogelaar show that there are two variations within the work: those that have
a T-shaped stick upon which a bird would sit, and those that have a forked, Y-shaped stick without the
captured bird. Unfortunately, as is the case this casting, it is relatively common in van Wouw’s smaller
works that smaller pieces are missing (such as the arrows of The Bushmen Hunter), and many of the
examples of De Vogelaar castings have lost their bird, if not their stick, too, as was seen in other works
examined in comparative studies with this casting.

There are thought to be six castings of De Vogelaar – four in permanent collections: the University
of Pretoria collection, the Nedbank Corporate collection, the Historich Museum, Rotterdam, and the
Mahlambandlopfu/Ditsong Museum. This work offered is the fifth, while the whereabouts of the sixth are
currently unknown. It is highly unlikely that this work will appear again on auction in the foreseeable future
having last appeared on the open market in South Africa at the Stephan Welz and Co. auction of May 1995.

This insight into van Wouw’s earliest career is fascinating, allowing one to perceive the artist’s handling of
form and subject in the figure of De Vogelaar and providing an early insight into the artist’s time in Europe
before his arrival in South Africa in 1890, through what Duffy describes as the work clearly showing “how
the dominant impressionistic sculptural style of that period [the late 1800s] influenced the young sculptor”.
- LC

With thanks to G. de Kamper, C. de Klerk and the University of Pretoria Art Archives.

Duffy, A.E. Anton van Wouw: The Smaller Works, Protea Book House, Pretoria, 2008. p. 16-18, 211, 216
Duffy, A.E. de Kamper, G. Mosako, D. Anton van Wouw (1862-1945), University of Pretoria, 2010. p. 4
Stephan Welz and Co. Johannesburg. Monday 8 May 1995, lot 252

Fine Art | 89

164

Anton van Wouw
(South African 1862 - 1945)

DE VOGELAAR

signed
bronze
height: 42cm

R 800 000 - R 1 200 000

90 | Fine Art

Fine Art | 91

165 165
David Hockney
166 (British 1937 - )
TWO HEADS
etching, signed and numbered 46/100
in pencil in the margin
sheet size: 36 by 30,5cm

R 9 000 - R 12 000

166
Deborah Margaret Bell
(South African 1957 - )
SEER
drypoint with hand-colouring, signed, dated 2010,
titled and inscribed P.P 2/3 in pencil in the margin
sheet size: 54 by 39,5cm
LITERATURE
White J. Deborah Bell's Alchemy, David Krut Publishing,
Johannesburg, 2010, another example from the edition
illustrated on p.27

R 12 000 - R 18 000

167
Deborah Margaret Bell
(South African 1957 - )
MASSIF
drypoint with hand-colouring, signed, dated 2010,
titled and inscribed P.P 2/3 in pencil in the margin
sheet size: 53,5 by 39,5cm
LITERATURE
White J. Deborah Bell's Alchemy, David Krut Publishing,
Johannesburg, 2010, another example from the edition
illustrated on p.27

R 12 000 - R 18 000

167

92 | Fine Art

168
Lionel Smit
(South African 1982 - )
MALE FIGURE IN GREY AND BLACK
signed and dated 2001
oil on canvas
45,5 by 61cm, unframed
R 15 000 - R 20 000

168
169
Anton Karstel
(South African 1968 - )
FOUR-LEGGED FIGURE
signed on reverse
oil on canvas
59,5 by 44,5cm
R 8 000 - R 10 000

169
Fine Art | 93

170 171

170 Lucky Madlo Sibiya
(South African 1942 - 1999)
David Phoshoko Mogano
(South African 1932 - 2000) ABSTRACT COMPOSITION

TOWNSHIP SCENE signed
carved, incised and painted wood panel
signed and dated 1983 86 by 47,5cm
watercolour
80,5 by 62cm R 30 000 - R 50 000

R 8 000 - R 12 000

94 | Fine Art

172

Francis Bacon
(Irish 1909 - 1992)

UNTITLED (FIGURE BENEATH
LIGHTBULB)

signed in ink, inscribed H.C.
in pencil in the margin
offset lithograph laid down
on board
sheet size: 79,5 by 60,5cm

R 50 000 - R 80 000

Fine Art | 95

174

173 175 175

173 174 Lionel Smit
Titta Fasciotti (South African 1982 - )
(South African 1927 - 1993) Titta Fasciotti
PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG WOMAN (South African 1927 - 1993) PORTRAIT OF A GIRL
signed and dated 76
oil on canvas laid down on board FIVE FIGURES signed and dated 2001
39,5 by 29cm oil on board
R 15 000 - R 20 000 signed and dated 79 40 by 20cm. unframed
oil on board
96 | Fine Art 35,5 by 25cm R 8 000 - R 12 000

R 10 000 - R 15 000

Fine Art | 97

176

Walter Whall Battiss
(South African 1906 - 1982)

FRUIT AND FLOWER SELLERS, GRANDE
COMORO

signed, titled on the reverse
oil on canvas
51 by 41cm

R 600 000 - R 900 000

Throughout his life Walter Battiss was a frequent traveller to the various countries and islands of the world. These places presented diverse realities and
identities which fascinated the artist. Battiss believed that it was his personal challenge to translate these particular identities into images and symbols. A
vast majority of Battiss’s paintings of this era are figurative, including the “abstract” works which function as stylised references of reality, rather than being
directly referential. Battiss did not use paint as a medium “subservient to the illusion of form”1 but rather as a medium that was able to transform his vision,
imagination and memory into Art. As stated by Marion Arnold “[Battiss] used paint to externalise his private repertoire of visual observations and ideas.” 2

Battiss had moved away from naturalist methods in his paintings by early 1938 and it was through his interest and reference to South African petroglyphs
and graffiti that he “became aware of the textural qualities of paint”3 The artist began to experiment with the tactile surface of paint through his application
of thick paint onto the canvas and into which he, much like the Khoisan rock artists, whose work he had documented, scraped, incised, engraved and drew
by making use of a palette-knife as a means of recreating a smooth slab with the occasional roughened areas into which he worked. Battiss’s interest in the
linear and stylised quality of the Bushmen forms influenced him to use the end of a paintbrush as a sgraffito tool which allowed him to scratch through the
paint surface to expose a lower layer of a contrasting colour, and build forms with paint which he modified with a more liquid paint and brush. Battiss initially
worked wet paint lightly into dry, however, in his later works he overlaid wet onto wet.

By the late 1950s and 1960s, a period of great productivity, Battiss visited various African, Middle Eastern and European countries and cities. African
figures from his travels had come to dominate much subject matter of many of Battiss’s oils. These expeditions exposed him to many diverse cultures and
environments, causing a significant shift in the iconography and colour palettes of his works. Battiss used colour as a tool to create optical movement and
to generate rhythm. During this period he “illustrated what he had seen, imagined and remembered”4 and created a body of work that is characterised by
calligraphic symbols, vivid colours, dense texture and sgraffito line.

In 1964 Battiss travelled up the Eastern coast of Africa, visiting Zanzibar, Mombasa, Lamu and the Bajuni Islands. These exotic destinations would prove to
be extremely stimulating for Battiss. These works also often include predominantly blue backgrounds and base colours, linked to Battiss’s fascination with
the clear, blue skies of the exotic African countries he visited. Fruit and Flower Sellers in Grande Comoro illustrates the dynamic culture that he came into
contact with on his travels, depicting figures draped in traditional clothing, adorned with vibrant patterns often mimicking the forms of the exotic fruit and
flowers they are selling. A building in the background of the work appears to emerge from an African-afternoon mirage, resembling the traditional mosques
that are often the backdrops to the old towns and market squares of islands like Grand Comoro and remained a continuous source of inspiration to Battiss.
- AC & AF

1 - Page 55 in Confronting Paintings, in Walter Battiss, edited by Macnamara M. & Skawran
2 - ibid
3 - Page 19 in Introduction, in Walter Battiss, edited by Macnamara M. & Skawran
4 - Page 62 in Confronting Paintings, in Walter Battiss, edited by Macnamara M. & Skawran

Arnold, M. Confronting Paintings, in Walter Battiss, edited by Macnamara M. and Skawran, K. AD. Donker, Johannesburg, 1985, pg 55-74
Skawran, K. Introduction, in Walter Battis, edited by Macnamara M. and Skawran, K. AD. Donker, Johannesburg, 1985, pg 11-19
Siebrits, W. 4. The Sixties: The Explorer in East Africa, Southern Arabia and Greece, in Walter Battiss: “I invented myself”, edited by Siebrits, W. 2016. The Ampersand Foundation, Johannesburg, pg 56-77

98 | Fine Art

Fine Art | 99

177 177
Errol Stephen Boyley
178 (South African 1918 - 2007)
CATTLE AT THE WATER'S EDGE
signed
oil on canvas
66 by 90,5cm
R 40 000 - R 60 000

178
Errol Stephen Boyley
(South African 1918 - 2007)
VIEW OVER A DAM
signed
oil on canvas
65,5 by 91cm
R 40 000 - R 60 000

179
Tinus de Jongh
(South African 1885 - 1942)
HOUSE BENEATH MOUNTAINS
signed
oil on canvas
31,5 by 47cm
R 20 000 - R 30 000

179

100 | Fine Art