A collection of fresh-to-market studio works by the French artist Alfred de Curzon (1820-95), consigned for sale by the artist’s family, will go under the hammer at Winchester saleroom Bellmans on January 22-24.
The 36-lot group comprises oils, watercolour and pencil drawings in a range of genres from landscape and portraiture to topography and religion. Included is this 3ft 3in x 2ft 1in (99 x 64cm) oil on canvas, Women at the well: Autour d’un Puits a Amalfi, guided at £4000-6000.
De Curzon was born in in Moulinet in 1820 and began his artistic training in 1840 at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Winning a bursary, he travelled to Rome six years later and began a life touring Italy and Greece.
This ‘laser rifle’ above was created for the 1979 futuristic James Bond film Moonraker.
One of only a few surviving laser rifle props, it has been consigned by the son of Brian Bailey, who worked as production accountant with the film’s producer ‘Cubby’ Broccoli at Pinewood Studios and is named in the end credits.
The 20in (51cm) long gun features a telescopic sight with a rotating grid metal trigger guard and rotating right-and left-hand mechanisms above the handle.
Dudley saleroom Aston’s in the West Midlands will offer the lot at £4000-6000 on January 17.
astonsauctioneers.co.uk or see this item on thesaleroom.com
This canvas fragment above forms part of Francis Bacon’s (1909-92) ‘destroyed canvases’ from c.1985.
The painting, which appears to show a pool of flesh spread across a black background, was first obtained by a young art graduate and artist working at the time for Chelsea Art Stores. He served Bacon when he came into the shop between 1984-87.
Bacon slashed and mutilated pictures he was not satisfied with and would return some of the destroyed canvases to the shop to be re-stretched. It was from one of these the vendor saved this particular section ‘as a souvenir’.
Surrey auction house Ewbank’s will offer the work in its Contemporary Art and Modern British Paintings sale in Guildford on January 17, estimated at £15,000-20,000. The lot was submitted to the Estate of Francis Bacon for authentication in 2006 and is sold with a letter confirming its authenticity from the Francis Bacon Committee.
ewbankauctions.co.uk or see this item on thesaleroom.com
