Unknown Italian Artist: Fishing the Whip - Bay of Naples- Two Nude Boys in a Fishing Boat - circa 1890-1900

*

This fun little painting of two nude boys fishing in the Bay of Naples will be on its way into my collection in a week or so. Last week I saw it listed in the current "Arts and Antiques" auction catalog of Auktionshaus Dannenburg, Berlin, DE at a reasonable starting price, so I programmed my bid and this afternoon I bought it at auction. I think what really caught my eye was that playful subject matter of boys being boys and that interesting 19th century wave frame. I love the soft pastels of the Italian light captured in oils by the artist. Way off on the horizon you can see Vesuvius making an ash of itself and on the coastline, the bulwark of Castel dell'Ovo. What a beautiful idyllic little composition of the male form in a natural landscape by an accomplished artist. Chances are it will need a good cleaning, something I can do myself. When it arrives, I will photograph it and post more detailed illustrations for you.

Addendum: (Jan. 10, 2013) Well this has become a minor ordeal. The Auction House mis-stated the shipping costs (way too low) and I had to make arrangements with a Worldwide Carrier to ship the painting from Berlin. The package finally made it out of the Auction House doors this afternoon and should be in my hands next week. I will be very cautious about buying from an Auction house in Europe from now on. With VAT (As high as 19%), Auction House buyers fees (as high as 24% of the hammer price), bloated shipping costs, and  bank funds transfer fees here in the US (35 bucks if they do the exchange rate calculation first), it just is not cost effective to buy at Auction these days. Did I mention the lousy exchange rate?  Thanks fearless leader Obama! Do not get me started on that Marxist Douche Nozzle!  I may just stick with European eBay sites and forget the Auction House circuit unless the artwork is really worth the effort. Life is a big beach and then you die....

-----------------------------------------------

Title: Fishing the Whip - Bay of Naples

Artist: Unknown Italian Artist

Medium: Oils on Canvas

Size: 63 cm x 38 cm

Dated: circa 1890-1900