S
otheby’s is delighted to present this December’s edition of Old Master Sculpture & Works of Art, which features two collections of bronze sculpture formed by prominent members of the art world: Baroque bronzes from the collection of the late Philip Hewat-Jaboor, led by a superb Meleager by Giuseppe Piamontini, and Grand Tour bronzes from the contemporary art gallery Karsten Schubert London.
Further highlights include an exceptionally fine 14th-century Corpus Christi and an astonishing 17th-century microcarving with the Last Judgement.
“I’ve never believed personally in the difference between contemporary works of art and traditional works of art. To me objects are either good or bad, beautiful or ugly, whatever their age or origin. Connoisseurship, beauty and taste are really what one should be looking for. I know they’re very old-fashioned words, but they underpin the whole ethos of what we do.”
Philip Hewat-Jaboor (1953-2022) was a collector, connoisseur, scholar and art adviser, who was admired as a man of great style, elegance and kindness. His love of art was born from the influence of his grandfather and uncle, stimulated during his time at Sotheby’s in the 1970s and flowered in successive incarnations that encouraged so many friends to appreciate beauty and craftsmanship all around them. It is an honour for Sotheby’s to offer a small section of the intimate and sophisticated collection that he built with such devotion and passion. Philip was perhaps above all a ‘works of art’ man, and a special part of this love was the select group of bronzes he collected, which are presented in this auction.
In June 2019 Philip contributed to a series of interviews on Sothebys.com called ‘The Piece That Started My Collection’. You are invited to read the full interview HERE.
The Grand Tours of Italy in the 18th century sparked a demand for souvenirs in the form of bronze reductions of the most celebrated ancient marbles and monuments in Rome. Among the leading founders were Giacomo and Giovanni Zoffoli, whose works are represented in this fine collection of Grand Tour bronzes from the renowned contemporary art gallery Karsten Schubert London.
