Bonhams to Offer Marie Stillman's Masterpiece 'The Last Sight of Fiammetta' in London Sale
The Facts
Bonhams will offer Marie Stillman's painting 'The Last Sight of Fiammetta' in its 19th Century and British Impressionist Art sale in London on Wednesday 21 September. The work, painted in 1876, has been in the same private collection for more than 50 years and is estimated at £70,000-100,000. It depicts the central character from Giovanni Boccaccio's novel 'Elegia di Madonna Fiammetta' and was inspired by a sonnet translated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The sitter is believed to be Stillman's stepdaughter Lisa, then about 13 years old. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1876 and the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1878.
The Signal
The emergence of Stillman's masterpiece after decades in private hands is a significant event for Pre-Raphaelite collectors and scholars. Stillman was a cherished member of the Pre-Raphaelite circle as a friend, model, and painter, yet only a handful of her works are known. The painting's direct link to Rossetti, who created his own version in 1878 with Stillman as his model, adds historical and provenance value. Bonhams' sale also includes works by Étienne Dinet, Wilhelm Kuhnert, Sir Alfred Munnings, and a Rossetti stained-glass cartoon, offering a broad cross-section of 19th-century British and European art for collectors.
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- Artists: Marie Stillman, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Étienne Dinet, Wilhelm Kuhnert, Sir Alfred Munnings
- People: Peter Rees, Giovanni Boccaccio, Elizabeth Siddal, Fanny Cornforth, Algernon Swinburne, Simeon Solomon, Ernest Gambart, William Morris, Philip Webb, G.F. Bodley, Ford Madox Brown, Edward Burne-Jones
- Auction Houses: Bonhams
- Locations: London
- Prices: £70,000-100,000, £100,000-150,000, £60,000-80,000
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