C. W. Eckersberg (b. Blåkrog near Aabenraa 1783, d. Copenhagen 1853)
Purchased by AROS in February 2017
“Castel St. Angelo.” View of the Tiber from Trastevere outside the Ospedale di S. Spirito. 1819. Unsigned. Oil on canvas. 38×56 cm.
KURSIV TEKST Emil Hannover, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of C. W. Eckersberg no. 229, owned by court Bille-Brahe, Hvedholm. The painting is a counterpart to Emil Hannover's no. 246 (“Monte Aventino”, 1819) also owned by count Bille-Brahe, Hvedholm.
In his diary Eckersberg writes about the counterpart “Monte Aventino” (in Danish): 21 August 1819: Received 100 Rdl from Count Bille Brahe for the prospect of “Monte Aventino” in Rome.
Literature: Ph. Weilbach, “Maleren Eckersbergs levned og værker”, 1872, p. 227, listed just after the counterpart “Monte Aventino”, both owned by Count Bille Brahe, Hvedholm.
Provenance: Count Preben Bille-Brahe-Selby's estate auction, Winkel & Magnussen 112, 1932 no. 12, reproduced p. 5 - the counterpart was sold at the same auction. Painter Peter Hougaard and his wife Laura Hougaard née la Cour, first time married to Dinesen, Rungstedgaard. Doctor Frands Hougaard's collection. Danish private collection, purchased Bruun Rasmussen auction 795, 2008 no. 16 reproduced p. 31.
Eckersberg stayed in Rome from 1813 to 1816. The present painting is from 1819, after he had returned to Copenhagen and it is very close to a painting (Hannover no. 183) from the same location painted in Rome about 1815 (The National Gallery of Denmark, KMS 1346). The latter is the counterpart of Hannover's no. 182, painted in Rome at the same time and also from the river Tiber, here, however, with the collapsed Ponte Rotto in the foreground and the Aventine Hill in the background (The National Gallery of Denmark, KMS 2093).
In other words Bille-Brahe commisioned Eckersberg to paint two other versions of the two prospects from the Tiber. Bille Brahe's “Monte Aventino” painting is relatively true to the original, which is only slightly changed in the figure group in the foreground. In the present painting of “Castel St. Angelo” Eckersberg has incorporated more folklore and anecdotal content than in the painting in the National Gallery. A young Italian woman is washing clothes in the fountain “Fontana della Barchetta” to the left. Her attention is directed to the couple in the foreground of the painting, who in true southern style are having an argument with a lot of gestures.
Condition report on request.
Please note: The item is subject to the Anti-Money Laundering Act. In the event of a hammer price of DKK 50,000 or more, including buyer’s premium, the buyer must submit a copy of a valid photo ID and proof of address in order to collect the item.
Paintings & drawings, 28 February 2017