16th Sep, 2026 12:00
London | Ancient & Modern
27
⊕ DUNCAN GRANT (BRITISH 1885-1978)
VENUS
signed and dated D Grant. 20 lower left
watercolour and pencil on paper
27.5 x 34cm (44 x 58cm framed)
Provenance:
Anthony d'Offay, London,
Acquired from the above by the previous owner
Exhibited:
London, Anthony d'Offay, Duncan Grant - Early Paintings, 1975
The present work is an important preparatory study for the oil painting Venus and Adonis in the Tate collection, and is a fine example of Duncan Grant’s characteristic draughtsmanship. Here he portrays a wistful, doting Venus, who gazes out to the sky, at her recently departed lover, Adonis.
This is a strikingly modern work as Grant reimagines the mythological scene so familiar to Renaissance masters. Rather than using a naturalistic colour palette, he uses just a few sections of rich ochre and umber for the drapery around her body, touches of green and honey on her flesh. This restricted palette adds a sense of both abstraction and the decorative to the scene. This is even more evident in the Tate’s painting where the whole scene is bathed in a warm, pink hue.
A central figure within the Bloomsbury Group, the present work, produced in 1920, comes from an important period of his career, alongside his first solo show at the Paterson-Carfax Gallery in London and already considered to be a rising star of the British avant-garde.
Sold for £3,300
VENUS
signed and dated D Grant. 20 lower left
watercolour and pencil on paper
27.5 x 34cm (44 x 58cm framed)
Provenance:
Anthony d'Offay, London,
Acquired from the above by the previous owner
Exhibited:
London, Anthony d'Offay, Duncan Grant - Early Paintings, 1975
The present work is an important preparatory study for the oil painting Venus and Adonis in the Tate collection, and is a fine example of Duncan Grant’s characteristic draughtsmanship. Here he portrays a wistful, doting Venus, who gazes out to the sky, at her recently departed lover, Adonis.
This is a strikingly modern work as Grant reimagines the mythological scene so familiar to Renaissance masters. Rather than using a naturalistic colour palette, he uses just a few sections of rich ochre and umber for the drapery around her body, touches of green and honey on her flesh. This restricted palette adds a sense of both abstraction and the decorative to the scene. This is even more evident in the Tate’s painting where the whole scene is bathed in a warm, pink hue.
A central figure within the Bloomsbury Group, the present work, produced in 1920, comes from an important period of his career, alongside his first solo show at the Paterson-Carfax Gallery in London and already considered to be a rising star of the British avant-garde.
Auction: London | Ancient & Modern, 16th Sep, 2026
London is a city which has had a greater impact on culture around the world than almost any other, and it has never been more important than now to shine a light on its remarkable citizens and history. From Magna Carta to the television London has, again and again, been the source from which progress has radiated. The present sale takes us from a medieval spur found under Cannon Street station, to a medal minted to commemorate the Millennium, from prints and paintings, to clocks and pistols. This sale is a sensational opportunity to acquire a small piece of this incomparable place. Olympia is a proudly London-based auction house and we are thrilled to be offering the inaugural instalment of this sale.
Viewing
PUBLIC EXHIBITION:
Sunday 13th September: 12pm to 4pm
Monday 14th September: 10am to 8.00pm (Drinks from 5pm)
Tuesday 15th September: 10am to 5pm
