Unknown Artist.... Late 19th Century. The Three Graces

Well, I can assure you that when you start fishing around in storage drawers you never know what will turn up. This small drawing was lurking in a drawer in my map case and I stumbled on it this morning. It is unsigned and the artist is unknown but it is from the late 19th century. The "Three Graces" has always been one of my favorite legends. The number of Graces (Charis) vary throughout the history of art and in ancient Greek literature there were alledged to be three: Aglaia (Brightness - Elegance), Euphrosyne (Joyfulness - Mirth), and Thalia (Bloom - Youth and Beauty). In ancient Rome they were known as the Gratiae. They were said to be the daughters of Zeus and Hera, Zeus and Eunomia, or Helios and Aegle, a daughter of Zeus. Take your pick. Their major role in mythology was to attend the other Olympians, particularily during feasts and dances. Art history is full of various renditions of the subject matter in every medium imaginable. It seems as though everybody and his uncle has their own interpretation of The Three Graces!

Karl Ludwig Nagel (1898-1959) Study of a Nude Youth Excercising

This small drawing came into my collection last year and was placed in a drawer until I rediscover it a few days ago.It is a small study of a nude youth excercising. Pencil on paper from 1916. The German painter Karl Ludwig Nagel was born in Mannheim in 1898 and worked, among others, in Weinheim an der Bergstrasse and later in Bonn am Rhein, where he died in 1959. Enjoy.

Ferdinando De Luca (Italian Artist - Late 19th - Early 20th Century) - Young Italian Scugnizzi - (Street Urchin) - with his Catch

This beautiful monumental bronze (measuring 34 innches in height) recently arrived into my collection from a Gallery in London, UK. The owner told me it was bought during a trip to Taormina, Sicily, Italy several years ago for his personal collection and now it was time to pass it along to a new owner. The bronze is of a young boy or scugnizzi (street urchin) holding his catch. It reminds me of the sculptures of Vincenzo Gemito, Ferdinando Vichi, and Annibale De lotto. De Luca was a classical artist known for producing sculptures of small bronze busts, depicting "street urchins", fishermen, classical figures. and commoners with realistic features. Unfortunately there is scant biographical information, including the dates of his birth and death, floating around but there are numerous examples of his other works. Enjoy!

Here are a few examples of his other works:

Unknown Danish Artist… Nude Boy Posed as Cupid . Dated October 1849

The delicately executed mid-19th century study of a nude youth posed as an archer and/or study for Cupid is on it's way into my collection from Denmark. The drawing is dated "October 1849" but, unfortunately" is not signed by the artist. Enjoy. ---------------