Guglielmo Innocenti

Lady Martha and Mephisto II

Work on tracing paper

Works on paper

Couple is an original drawing in pencil realized by Gabriele Galantara, the state of preservation of the artwork is good and aged with some white stain from missing color of paper, a...

Albert MAIGNAN (Beaumont-sur-Sarthe, 1845 – Saint-Prix, 1908) Pauline and Severus (Illustration for the Part II, Scene II of Polyeucte) Ink, grey wash Signed lower left 51 x 35 cm Exhibition: French Watercolour Society, 11th exhibition, Galerie Georges Petit, 8, rue de Sèze, Paris. Catalogue number: 125 This classic drawing but tinted with symbolism is an excellent example of the talents of illustrator of Albert Maignan, a facet of his art that he developed significantly from 1883. It is one of five watercolours in “black ivory” created by Maignan to illustrate the Polyeucte from Cornelius, a book specially published by Mame Editions (for which Maignan worked a lot) for the Universal Exhibition of 1889. These watercolours were exhibited in 1889 at the famous Galerie Georges Petit (which hosted the 11th exhibition of the French Water Color Society) under No. 124/125/126/127/128 (Maignan exposed another illustrative drawing for “Boileau” under No. 129). Each drawing illustrating an episode of all five acts of the tragedy. Our work represents the moment when Pauline (daughter of Felix, Roman senator and governor of the province of Armenia) regains his former suitor Severus (a noble Roman general) and explains that she is now married to Polyeucte (a lord of Armenia) and she can see him again. The scene is set in a garden with a small temple of Vesta, where Pauline has filed an offering; the Pauline confidante named Stratonice, stands at his side, while Severus was accompanied by his servant Fabian. The drawing is captioned by Pauline words to Severus: “Yes I love Severus, and not doing as an excuse” The book was printed in 800 copies, containing compositions from Maignan etched by Emile Boivin...