Vilhelm Hammershøi (b. Copenhagen 1864, d. s.p. 1916)
An academy study after a plaster cast of Antinous. Signed V. H. Charcoal and pencil on paper. Sheet size 48×40 cm. In a 19th century Italian casetta frame.
Executed during Hammershøi's time as a student of Professor Frederik Vermehren 1879–1884 at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
The present drawing should be compared with a similar academy “Study drawing after plaster cast of ancient Greek Aphrodite, torso from c. 500 BC” sold at Bruun Rasmussen auction 698, 2001, lot 1377. It is now in the Danish Art Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr. See Patricia G. Berman, “In Another Light, Danish Painting in the Nineteenth Century”, 2007, p. 226, reproduced p. 224.
Despite being recognized as the ideal of ancient male beauty not much is known about the life of the Greek youth Antinous. Probably born around AD 111, Antinous became the lover of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (AD 76–138) early on and joined him on many travels abroad. Their love story ended tragically when Antinous drowned in the Nile in AD 130 and Hadrian mourned his death intensely. Statues of Antinous were made throughout Hadrian’s Empire, he was deified, and a new city named Antinopolis was founded near the site of his death. Subsequently, Antinous has become a symbol of same-sex love.
Provenance: Purchased from Einar Heuser Kunsthandel, Copenhagen in 1929. Has been in the same Danish private collection from 1929 until 2018.
Condition report on request. Please contact: fine-art@bruun-rasmussen.dk
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 and drawings, 26 November 2019