1 / 2
Premium MILLON
7
-
Giuseppe DE NITTIS (Barletta 1846 - Saint-Germain-en-Laye 18…
See original version (French)
7
-
Giuseppe DE NITTIS (Barletta 1846 - Saint-Germain-en-Laye 18…
See original version (French)
Estimate €8,000 - €12,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Giuseppe DE NITTIS (Barletta 1846 - Saint-Germain-en-Laye 1884)
Swans on the Lake
Oil on panel, one parquet board
25 x 35 cm
It is interesting to note that the panel has been duplicated, as it was originally a double-sided panel with a woman in black, a study for the painting La signora col cane in the Museum of Trieste.
Jean Dieterle was one of the main collectors of Guiseppe de Nittis and according to the catalogue raisonné owned 46 oils by the artist.
Provenance :
Jean Dieterle Collection, Paris
Martin Dieterle Collection
Still in the family
Bibliography :
Mary Pittaluga - Enrico Piceni, Catalogue raisonné de l'Œuvre peint de Giuseppe De Nittis, Milan, 1963, n°55, reproduced
In The Swans on the Lake, Giuseppe De Nittis presents a vision of remarkable atmospheric delicacy. Beyond its plastic qualities, this work stands out for its original and prestigious provenance, testifying to a rare friendship between two leading figures in the art world. It belongs to a group that for a long time remained in a restricted, almost confidential circle, that of Jean Dieterle's family, who had close and sincere ties with Jacques De Nittis, the artist's son.
According to Enrico Piceni, Jean Dieterle cultivated a deep friendship with Jacques De Nittis, which gave the collector access to an exceptional body of work, some of which had remained off the market for over a century. This close relationship explains the breadth of the collection, as Jean Dieterle owned forty-six oil paintings listed in the catalogue raisonné, including Les Cygnes sur le lac, which we are offering for sale on 30 June 2026. As evidence of this privileged relationship, the painting is part of an almost circle, where the transmission of works was based on a commercial logic but also on an exchange founded on trust and intellectual connivance. Indeed, this friendship with Jacques De Nittis enabled Jean Dieterle to acquire a large number of sketches and drawings that may never have left Giuseppe De Nittis's studio.
Thematically, the work probably belongs to De Nittis's London period, a pivotal moment in his career during which he explored the atmospheric effects of the British capital with renewed acuity. The scene subtly evokes the banks of the Thames or the ponds of Saint James's Park, places where the artist could observe swans and other birds moving in diffuse light. The choice of a limited palette, dominated by bluish greys and cold tones, accurately reflects the particularity of the London climate, with its mists and unstable reflections. These nuances, far from being uniform, vibrate under the artist's brush, which modulates the pictorial material with light horizontal and vertical strokes.
The composition, which is extremely economical, is particularly modern. It is based on a subtle balance between presence and reserve. The swans, barely sketched, emerge from a watery space where the contours gradually dissolve. The eye is guided by fine variations in tonality, while the reflections on the water establish a continuity between the sky and the surface of the lake. This dissolution of forms in the atmosphere testifies to De Nittis's attention to optical phenomena, in an approach close to that of the Impressionists, while retaining his own rigorous construction.
The soul of the painting lies precisely in this tension between observation and suggestion. The artist doesn't just describe a motif; he recreates its fleeting, almost meditative sensation. This ability to capture the moment, while giving his work a timeless dimension, places De Nittis in the modernity of his time, alongside the painters of the second half of the nineteenth century who, like Monet, Degas and Manet, sought to renew the ways in which reality was perceived.
As a result, Swans on the Lake stands out as a work that is both intimate and emblematic. Intimate because of its provenance, marked by a history of friendship and family transmission. Emblematic because of its place in the aesthetic research of Giuseppe De Nittis, particularly during his stay in London. As such, it is a precious testimony to the sensitivity of an artist capable of combining meticulous observation and atmospheric poetry, while revealing the extension of a friendship to a family history right up to the present day.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like