Portrait of Signor Gabriele d'Annunzio (1863-1938)

Details

SIR MAX BEERBOHM (1872-1956)
Portrait of Signor Gabriele d'Annunzio (1863-1938)
signed and dated 'Max / 1912' (lower right) and inscribed 'Signor Gabriele d'Annunzio' (lower left)
pencil and watercolour on paper
14 5⁄8 x 12 1⁄8 in. (37 x 30.5 cm.)
Executed in 1912.

Provenance

with The Leicester Galleries, 1913.
Private Collection, USA.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 10 July 2012, lot 122, where acquired by the late Barry Humphries.

Literature

M. Beerbohm, Fifty Caricatures, New York, 1913, pl. 11.
R. Hart-Davies, A Catalogue of the Caricatures of Max Beerbohm, London, 1972, p. 52, no. 400.

Exhibited

London, The Leicester Galleries, An Exhibition of Cartoons by Max Beerbohm, 1913, no. 41.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Benedict Winter Associate Director, Specialist

Lot Essay

In March 1912, Max wrote to the Italian author Reggie Turner (1869-1938): 'I have done caricatures of Rodin and 'il' d'Annunzio today'.

Gabriele d'Annunzio (1863–1938) was an influential Italian poet, playwright, and nationalist, renowned for his passionate and often controversial works. Known for his sensual style, he wrote both poetry and prose that celebrated beauty, decadence, and the pursuit of individual glory, often blending art with political ideals. His involvement in World War I and later political actions, including the 1919 Fiume Expedition, cemented his reputation as a nationalist figure and a precursor to Fascism in Italy.

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