- 79
Gustave-Adolphe Mossa
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 EUR
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Description
- Gustave-Adolphe Mossa
- Sea nymph
- Signed and dated on the upper right Gustav Adolf Mossa / Niciensis pinsit 1909 ; titled lower left
- Pencil and watercolor on paper
- 49,5 x 31,5cm
- 19 1/2 by 12 3/8 in.
Provenance
Charlotte-Andrée Naudin-Mossa (artist's wife) Collection
Galerie de Francony, Nice
Purchased from the above by the current owners in the 1960s or 1970s
Galerie de Francony, Nice
Purchased from the above by the current owners in the 1960s or 1970s
Exhibited
Gustav Adolf Mossa, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 1911, n°20
Galerie Martini, Nice, 1927
Galerie Martini, Nice, 1927
Literature
Raymond Bouyer, "Gustav Adolf Mossa, Expositions diverses", Le Bulletin de l'art ancien et moderne, April 22nd 1911, p. 127
Charles de Richter, L'exposition Gustav Adolf Mossa, La France, December 18th 1927, p. 2
Anonyme, Mossa Paintings, Nice exhibit, please visitors, New York Herald, January 4th 1928, p.8
Jean-Roger Soubiran, Les Aquarelles symbolistes et la création plastique symboliste de Gustav Adolf Mossa, Doctorat Thesis, Université d'Aix-en-Provence - Marseille, 1978, p. 577, n°207
Jean-Roger Soubiran, Gustav Adolf Mossa, Nice, 1985, cit. pp. 198-200
Jean-Roger Soubiran, Gustav Adolf Mossa, Catalogue raisonné des oeuvres "symbolistes", Paris, 2010, p. 293, n°A216
Charles de Richter, L'exposition Gustav Adolf Mossa, La France, December 18th 1927, p. 2
Anonyme, Mossa Paintings, Nice exhibit, please visitors, New York Herald, January 4th 1928, p.8
Jean-Roger Soubiran, Les Aquarelles symbolistes et la création plastique symboliste de Gustav Adolf Mossa, Doctorat Thesis, Université d'Aix-en-Provence - Marseille, 1978, p. 577, n°207
Jean-Roger Soubiran, Gustav Adolf Mossa, Nice, 1985, cit. pp. 198-200
Jean-Roger Soubiran, Gustav Adolf Mossa, Catalogue raisonné des oeuvres "symbolistes", Paris, 2010, p. 293, n°A216
Condition
The watercolor has slightly yellowed and faded. A few foxing spots are scattered on the surface, especially on the borders (visible on the visual). A small scratch is visible in the upper right in the sky.
Good overall condition.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
Water nymphs are usually known as guardians of water spots. However, Mossa's water nymph is here drowning a ship full of naked sailors, panicking. Could she be Nemesis, daughter of Ocean according to Pausanias, in charge of divine vengeance ?
In 1908, Mossa marries Charlotte-Andrée Naudin who, from then on, often poses as a model for him, as for this composition. Jean-Roger Soubiran describes the way the artist paints his wife "in a spleen, as if holding back from her inner cunning desires", illustrated in the duality of our composition with the serenity in the nymph's body and the chaos in the lower part.