The present work is one of the most striking and frontal composition from the Marken period of Xavier Mellery we have ever seen. A stunning prefiguration of the Symbolism to come in his oeuvre and the one of contemporaries, Khnopff (Mellery’s pupil), Degouve de Nuncques, Delville, Doudelet, Minne, etc. Upon his return from Italy in … Continue reading “Xavier Mellery”

Certainly, one of the most important and key paintings by Ker-Xavier Roussel, and even from his early Nabi years, but with a very strong Symbolism impact. In 1890-92, the mystic philosophy was everywhere discussed in the Nabis circle, through many ways and especially around Denis and Gauguin. Part of this group, Roussel was then strongly … Continue reading “Ker-Xavier Roussel”

The largest print by Armand Seguin, and certainly one of the most impressive ones. As far as we know, we record only four impressions, to which we can add the present one. ‐ A copy from the Roderic O’Conor sale (1956), bought by Pierre Fabius, sold by us to a Private collection, France (in March … Continue reading “Armand Seguin”

established artist. They then jointly decided to look for inspiration overseas, and travelled together to Panama and Martinique in 1887. Specialists wholly agree that the Martinique works by Laval were in a way ahead of those by Gauguin, like his Femme de la Martinique (Musée d’Orsay). Gauguin was literally fascinated by the Laval works, as … Continue reading “Charles Laval”

Designed by the painter Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, this wonderful and very impressive sheet is a very rare survival version of one of his most famous composition that he executed in a painting and a watercolor after 1872. The first painting, A Halt (1872), an oil panel commissioned by Ernest Gambart was destroyed in a fire … Continue reading “Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, O.M.”

This is one of the largest and most powerful pastels ever seen from William Degouve de Nuncques. The symbolist content is so vigorous that it belongs to the heart of the Belgian Symbolist movement, without equivalent about the subject. Being born into a wealthy, aristocratic family, Degouve de Nuncques was able to indulge his interests … Continue reading “William de Degouve de Nuncques”

It is always a rare moment when a work by George Le Brun appears on the market. The artist is one of these confidential symbolist masters who died young and who left behind a small number of works, strongly looked after by collectors and curators worldwide. Le Brun is known as “Le Peintre des Fagnes”, … Continue reading “George Le Brun”

The present sheet is a delightful composition and study by Fernand Khnopff for his forthcoming illustrations of the L’Idée de Justice by Henri Carton de Wiart and to be published only later, in 1909. This opus was the only large one to be intended as a planche hors-texte, unlike the other fifteen little vignettes he … Continue reading “Fernand Khnopff”

The present Small Kneeling Youth is certainly the best marble copy ever made of this famous and key step in the history of sculpture, at the end of the 19th century. On top of that, the provenance is by far one of the best for a piece of Art Nouveau and Wiener Werkstätte: Adolphe Stoclet … Continue reading “George Minne”

A superb and rare example of Victor Hugo inner and romantic projections and worlds put in drawings. The present sheet dates from his most creative period, between 1850 and 1859. At this time, his method became a real “alchemy”: Hugo added to his ink powdered charcoal, coal, soot, even ground coffee, that he rubs, scrapes … Continue reading “Victor Marie Hugo”