A SPANISH PARCEL-GILT AND GREEN-PAINTED MIRROR

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REMEMBERING CLAUDIO BRAVO I first met Claudio Bravo at the Galería Vandrés, Madrid, where we both held exhibitions. At the time I was still a student at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, Madrid, while Claudio was already established as a renowned international artist. I still treasure that exhibition catalogue which illustrates his works and their impeccable realism. His paintings had such a unique purity of colour, the like of which I had never seen before. They were like rays of light amongst what was, at the time in Spain, a very dull artistic environment. Claudio became interested in my drawings and kindly shared opinions on my paintings as well. I was training in oil during that period—a training which required years of practice. He found my palette somewhat confusing and offered me the opportunity to paint with him in his studio over the summer months - which of course I gladly accepted.Claudio had just moved to Tangier after spending eleven years in Madrid painting the leading figures of Spanish society, so I travelled to Morocco and from that very generous first invitation to be a student in a master's workshop, grew a lifelong friendship. In all that time my great admiration for him never ceased. Claudio lived a life entirely dedicated to the arts, with painting being his particular focus. He lived to paint and always surrounded himself with beauty—a beauty which was reflected in his houses, gardens and the objects with which he surrounded himself.Whenever I visited him, or when we travelled together, we would spend hours conversing about the various new projects that he was concentrating on at the time. He always completely immersed himself in his work and exuded such passion and knowledge. His taste was based on his classical training. It was exquisite and refined, constantly bubbling to the surface and was further influenced by his extensive knowledge, which he continued to acquire through lectures, travel, and museum and gallery visits, as well as the purchasing of sculpture and works of art. He was a true ‘Renaissance man’ and his homes were like living museums. They resonated with a spiritual atmosphere created by the exquisite detail of every object as well as its intrinsic beauty. Each object’s placement, proportion, and interaction with other works of art was a reflection of his spatial sense and awareness of order. He was a man of taste with an intuitive eye – with years of practice, yet with an innate spontaneity. Claudio’s passion for art drove him to surround himself with objects of great beauty. Drawn from a wide variety of cultures and origins, they included paintings, drawings, prints, bronzes and ceramics, as well as Greek and Roman sculptures, marbles, kilims, Chinese paintings, jade, books and much more.Each object in this sale catalogue allows one to appreciation Claudio’s varied and refined taste. They reflect the memory of a truly unique artist. Rafael Cidoncha

A SPANISH PARCEL-GILT AND GREEN-PAINTED MIRROR

18TH/19TH CENTURY

Details

A SPANISH PARCEL-GILT AND GREEN-PAINTED MIRROR
18TH/19TH CENTURY
The later plate within a berried leaf and scrolled acanthus frame, originally a picture frame
49 x 41 ½ in. (124.5 x 105.5 cm.)

Special notice

These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction. Specified lots (sold and unsold) marked with a filled square not collected from Christie’s by 5.00 pm on the day of the sale will, at our option, be removed to Cadogan Tate. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Cadogan Tate Ltd. All collections will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.

Sale room notice

Please note that the date should read late 19th century, not as stated in the printed catalogue

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