Rezia throws herself after Huon into the sea by Henry Fuseli, estimate SFr400,000-600,000 at Artcurial, Beurret, Bailly, Widmer.
The sale of three of his dramatic motifs at Artcurial, Beurret, Bailly, Widmer on March 13 in Basel is expected to cause something of a stir.
Fuseli was famous for his choice of dramatic subjects often with supernatural connections. The three 2ft x 18in (61 x 45cm) canvases were executed in 1804-05 and belong to a group of 10 paintings that Fuseli created for illustrations to the epic saga Oberon by the German romantic poet Christoph Martin Weiland.
It was first published in 1780 and Fuseli’s illustrations appeared in the second English edition of 1805. Many of the motifs became popular as engravings.
Eight of the original paintings, including the three works now on offer, were bought by Benjamin Sharpe, a naval captain and member of a banking family, for his mansion at Hanwell Park in Middlesex.
The auction paintings later came into the possession of a Swiss collector and have passed by descent to the vendor.
They depict key scenes from the story of the romance between the French knight Huon and Rezia, the daughter of the Khalif of Baghdad. In 1804, Fuseli received 120 guineas from the publisher Cadell and Davies. He wrote that he had made “a bargain not very advantageous to myself”, in light of the fact that the engravers were paid 18 guineas per plate.
One can imagine how astonished the artist would be by today’s prices: Leading the field is Rezia throws herself after Huon into the sea with a guide of SFr400,000-600,000.
For the scene Disguised as a gardener, Huon meets the Sultana Almansaris the estimate is SFr200,000-300,000, as it is for Huon and Rezia united.
