Estimate
€ 500 - 800
Aggiudicato
Current bid Starting bid
€ 330
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At auction on Wednesday 18 June 2025 at 16:00
Information
Gelatin silver print, rephotograph from original print
cm 28,5 x 37,5 (cm 26 x 35 picture) | 11.2 x 14.7 in. (10.2 x 13.7 in. picture)
Photographer's signature from the original on the image with photographer's credit stamp on the verso
Gaetano D'Agata (Aci Sant'Antonio, Catania 1883 - Taormina 1949) has always been a decidedly unusual author: although he carried out his work in his famous studio located in the center of Taormina, the town he chose after marrying a local girl, he traveled to Spain, Ireland, India and the United States where, in New York, he opened even if only for a short time a studio. Above all, he achieved economic success with genre scenes (the classic characters wearing traditional clothes or exhibiting their crafts) and Sicilian landscapes, all subjects aimed at tourists and destined to appear on postcards. He also devoted himself with dedication to the male nude.
Even though some scientific evidence is lacking, it appears that D'Agata was for some time an assistant to Wilhelm von Gloeden. It remains a fact that, for obvious reasons of proximity, he must have known the German photographer's work well, but while he does not appear interested in following in his footsteps on the theme of landscape, it is to that of the male nude that he takes decisive inspiration. As should always be, one should never directly compare the authors with each other, but in this case it is inevitable to do so because if in the two male nudes shot from behind placed against a rock the reference to von Gloeden can be imagined, in “Caino” we are in front of the repetition of the same famous shot taken by the German photographer in 1898 with the only variation of having the sea instead of the mountain as background. On the other hand, it should be considered that von Gloeden had already practiced a reproposition, that of Hyppolite Flandrin's painting made in 1836 and exhibited since 1855 in the Louvre with a title “Giovane uomo nudo” that does not allude to Cain.
cm 28,5 x 37,5 (cm 26 x 35 picture) | 11.2 x 14.7 in. (10.2 x 13.7 in. picture)
Photographer's signature from the original on the image with photographer's credit stamp on the verso
Gaetano D'Agata (Aci Sant'Antonio, Catania 1883 - Taormina 1949) has always been a decidedly unusual author: although he carried out his work in his famous studio located in the center of Taormina, the town he chose after marrying a local girl, he traveled to Spain, Ireland, India and the United States where, in New York, he opened even if only for a short time a studio. Above all, he achieved economic success with genre scenes (the classic characters wearing traditional clothes or exhibiting their crafts) and Sicilian landscapes, all subjects aimed at tourists and destined to appear on postcards. He also devoted himself with dedication to the male nude.
Even though some scientific evidence is lacking, it appears that D'Agata was for some time an assistant to Wilhelm von Gloeden. It remains a fact that, for obvious reasons of proximity, he must have known the German photographer's work well, but while he does not appear interested in following in his footsteps on the theme of landscape, it is to that of the male nude that he takes decisive inspiration. As should always be, one should never directly compare the authors with each other, but in this case it is inevitable to do so because if in the two male nudes shot from behind placed against a rock the reference to von Gloeden can be imagined, in “Caino” we are in front of the repetition of the same famous shot taken by the German photographer in 1898 with the only variation of having the sea instead of the mountain as background. On the other hand, it should be considered that von Gloeden had already practiced a reproposition, that of Hyppolite Flandrin's painting made in 1836 and exhibited since 1855 in the Louvre with a title “Giovane uomo nudo” that does not allude to Cain.
Contact
Condition report
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The department will provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Please note that what Finarte declares with respect to the state of conservation of the objects corresponds only to a qualified opinion and that we are not professional conservators or restorers.
We urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. We always suggest prospective buyers to inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition during the exhibition days as indicated in the catalog.
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