Santiago Rusiñol

Acquired by the father of the present owner circa 1960; thence by descent

Granada, Salón del diario, El Defensor de Granada, 1898, no. 13 (as Cipreses dorados, Huerta del Duque de Gor)
Paris, L´Art Nouveau, Les Jardins d'Espagne de Santiago Rusiñol, 1899, no. 1 (as Jardin doré)
Barcelona, Sala Parés, Jardins d´Espanya, 1900
Paris, La Galerie Roquepine, 1945, no. 11 (as Aranjuez-Ciprés dorés)

Jean Lorrain, La Presse, November 1899
Henri Frantz, L´Art Décoratif, 17 February 1900, p. 217 (as La Fontaine des Xipres, Grenade)
La Almudaina, Mallorca, 11 May 1901
Jardins d'Espanya, 1903, illustrated (as Xiprers daurats/Cipreses dorados)
Georges Riat, Art et Decoration, September 1904, p. 95-100
Vittorio Pica, Emporium, XXI, no. 123, March 1905, p. 172 (as Cipresi dorati)
The Studio, XLI, July 1907, p. 101, illustrated (as Les cyprès dorés)
L´Almanach de l´Esquella, 1912, p. 83, illustrated in colour (as Xippres daurats. Granada)
Isabel Coll i Mirabent, Santiago Rusiñol, Barcelona, 1992, p. 103, illustrated
Josep de C. Laplana, Santiago Rusiñol, el pintor, l´home, Barcelona, 1995, p. 255, no. 16.16.
Josep de C. Laplana & Mercedes Palau-Ribes O'Callaghan, La pintura de Santiago Rusiñol. Catàleg sistemàtic, Barcelona, 2004, vol. 3, p. 165, catalogued; vol. 2, p. 119, illustrated

Original canvas. There are a few scattered spots of retouching visible under ultraviolet light, notably to the lower left and right corners, small flecks to the areas of sky, and a spot to the fountain. This work is in overall very good condition, with strong impasto and rich, bright colours. Held in a decorative, cream-painted moulded plaster and wood frame with a name plate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Painted circa 1898, the present work is an early example of both the formal order and exotic forms that attracted Rusiñol to exploring the subject of the garden in his painting. The work featured in Rusiñol's seminal and highly acclaimed exhibition Jardins d'Espagne in the Salon du Champ-de-Mars in Paris in 1899. Following the success of the exhibition, one work was acquired by the French State for the Musée de Luxembourg and another by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  

Like the majority of the works in the Paris exhibition, the present painting celebrates Rusiñol's love of Granada and the light and colour of its gardens. He first discovered the painterly possibilities of Granada during his visit there in September 1887, and returned the year he painted the present work with Miquel Utrillo, Arcadi Mas y Fondevila and Macari Oller. Describing his passion for the city of the Alhambra he said: 'Since I left Granada I have no other idea but to return to it.' 

Rusiñol's burgeoning success enabled him to return again and again to the subject of gardens, and for even longer periods to Andalusia. Travelling far and wide to Gerona, Horta, Cataluña, Valencia, Ibiza, Mallorca, Játiva, La Granja and Aranjuez, Rusiñol recorded the enigmatic forms and rich vegetation of the shrubberies, orchards, flowerbeds and arboretums that he discovered.