A luminous maritime painting by the Russian master Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky will headline the Old Master Paintings sale at Bonhams in Paris next month.
The work, View of Capri, will be offered at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr on 21 April with an estimate of €250,000–€350,000.
Painted in 1899, the work presents a calm Mediterranean shoreline looking towards the island of Capri on the horizon.
A small fishing boat sits moored in clear water close to the beach. In the foreground, a couple rest on the shore beside baskets, adding human scale to the expansive seascape.
The wide sky and still sea dominate the composition. Distant sailing vessels sit near the horizon beneath soft cloud.
“Ivan Aivazovsky occupies a distinguished place in art history as the first Russian marine painter and as one of the most significant European masters of the genre,” said Daria Khristova, Director of the Russian Department at Bonhams.
She added that the artist’s childhood by the sea shaped his career. “He became an outstanding interpreter of maritime subjects and is widely regarded as the pre-eminent master of seascapes.”
The Capri painting uses soft gradations of blue and pearl tones to convey still water and clear Mediterranean light.
A vast sky dominates the canvas, shifting from cool blues overhead to warmer golden hues on the horizon. Small shoreline figures emphasise the scale of the seascape and the expanse of open water.
Bonhams said the work will appear alongside other European paintings from private collections in the Paris sale.
