Ganymede

Details

GEORGE FREDERIC WATTS, O.M., R.A. (BRITISH, 1817-1904)
Ganymede
oil on canvas
24 x 20 in. (61 x 50.8 cm.)

Provenance

Mrs Constantine Ionides.
Kerrison Preston (1884-1974), by 1955, and by descent to the present owner.

Literature

J. Cartwright, 'George Frederic Watts, R.A.', Art Journal, Easter Annual, 1896, p. 3.
R.E.D. Sketchley, Watts, London, 1904, p. 138.
M.H. Spielmann, G.F. Watts, R.A., O.M., as a Great Painter of Portraits: A Lecture, delivered in the Memorial Hall Manchester, 7th June 1905, London, 1905, p. 29.
J.E. Phythian, George Frederick Watts, New York, 1906, p. 70.
Masterpieces of G.F. Watts, London and Glasgow, 1913, p. 59.
M.S. Watts, Catalogue of Portraits by G.F. Watts O.M. R.A., Vol. I, c.1915, p. 62.
M.S. Watts, Catalogue of Portraits by G.F. Watts O.M. R.A., Vol. II, c.1915, p. 175.
M. Bills and B. Bryant, G.F. Watts: Victorian Visionary, New Haven and London, 2008, p. 146.

Exhibited

London, Tate Gallery, George Frederic Watts, O.M., R.A., 1817-1904, Arts Council, 9 December 1954 - 16 January 1955, no. 38, lent by Kerrison Preston.

Special Notice

This lot is offered without reserve.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Alastair Plumb Specialist, Head of Sale, European Art

aplumb@christies.com +44 (0) 20 7752 3298

Lot Essay

According to the entry in Mary Watts's inventory the model for Ganymede was Demetrius Zambaco (1863-1938), the only son of Demetrius Zambaco (1832–1913) and Maria Zambaco (née Cassavetti, 1843–1914). Cassavetti was a niece of Alexander Constantine Ionides, a prominent patron of Watts’s throughout his career. The picture dates from around 1864.

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