Lot 261
MANNER OF BENJAMIN ZOBEL (GERMAN 1762-1831)
SAND PICTURE OF TWO PIGS IN A STY
Auction: 20 November 2019 from 10:00 GMT
Description
in a glazed giltwood frame
Dimensions
29.5 x 37cm
Footnote
Note: Benjamin Zobel was a British-German painter, who developed the technique of marmotinto, otherwise known as sand painting. It was based on the Japanese craft of bonseki (tray painting), and was at the height of its popularity in England at the end of the 18th century. In 1783, George III hosted a dinner party where a display of unfixed coloured sands, sugar and marble dust was arranged on the table below a glass surface, by Zobel. So enchanted was the king that Zobel found ways of incorporating sand into his other work, which continued to prove popular with members of the Royal household including the Duke of York. Examples of Zobel's work are included in the Memmingen city museum archives in Germany, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and Dundurn Castle, Hamilton, Ontario.