Before the bull fight, Sevilla

Details

Gerrit Postma (Dutch, 1819-1894)
Before the bull fight, Sevilla
signed and dated 'G. Postma f/1872' (lower left)
oil on canvas
80 x 170 cm.

Provenance

The Hague, Galerie Internationale, 1961.
Mrs. F.E. van Hulst-van Wulfften Palthe, Aerdenhout.
Anon. Sale, Christie's Amsterdam, 11 February 1988, lot 354.

Exhibited

The Hague, Tentoonstelling van Kunstwerken van Levende Meesters, 1872, p.34, no.259 (nlg. 1200,-): 'When at Sevilla there will be a bullfight in the afternoon, one goes in the morning with some tame bulls, accompanied by their guardians on horseback, to the field where the wild bulls are. The tame bulls, trained for this purpose, mix with the wild ones and together they leave, while grazing, the field. In particular at festivities, the people come along, merrily singing and dancing. Once the wild bulls have left the field, the procession makes way to the place of the fight, even more excited. The landscape painted is near Sevilla and is traversed by the Guadalquivir.'

Special notice

Christie's charge a buyer's premium of 20.825% of the hammer price for lots with values up to NLG 200,000. If the hammer price exceeds the NLG 200,000 then the premium is calculated at 20.825% of the first NLG 200,000 plus 11.9% of any amount in excess of NLG 200,000.

Lot Essay

The genre painter Gerrit Postma was born in Holland in 1819 and received his training from J.A. Kruseman. Like many other artists, Postma went to Spain and Italy (1862-63), taking his inspiration from the Spanish and Italian folk life surrounding him.

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