Fortunino Matania (Italian, 1881-1963), Women and Children First

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European Works of Art

By Bonhams Skinner

Nov 11, 2021 - Nov 18, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-11-11 12:00:00 2021-11-18 19:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : European Works of Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/skinner/european-works-of-art-7827
Our November European Fine Art auction offers over 100 paintings and drawings from the Old Masters through the early 20th century. Bonhams Skinner bidsquare@bonhamsskinner.com

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• Lot Description
  Fortunino Matania (Italian, 1881-1963)
  
  Women and Children First
  Signed and dated "F. Matania P....1912" l.l., inscribed "Auge..." l.r., inscribed "Titanics Untergang" on the stretcher.
  Oil on canvas, 15 1/2 x 23 1/4 in. (39.5 x 59.2 cm), unframed.
  Condition: Lined with some separation of the lining along the lower edge of the reverse, canvas loose on stretcher, right edge detached from stretcher, canvas rippling and deformation, paint losses, area of mold u.c., staining to the reverse.
  
  N.B. Born in Naples, the son of artist Eduardo Matania, Fortunino Matania was noted for his realistic portrayal of World War I trench warfare and a wide range of historical subjects. He was also a leading illustrator for London's newspaper The Sphere, where his career spanned 60 years.
  
  The painting at hand, Women and Children First, appeared as an illustration in The Sphere on the May 4, 1912, printed as a two page spread (pp. 118-119). In the online article "Anatomy of a Boat Deck Portrait Mawkish sentimentality or inspired reconstruction, the Titanic art of Fortunino Matania," author Senan Molony delves deeply into the picture, documenting its accuracy based on eyewitness accounts, and heralding it as the truest depiction of the tragedy, made by a meticulous artist who was not there. Of special significance, the author also notes that the whereabouts of Matania's original painting was unknown. perhaps lost when his studio was bombed during the London Blitz. Since that time, however, it has been rediscovered in Westchester, New York, descended in the family of the current owner.
  
  For coverage in The Sphere, Fortunino Matania created two images of the sinking of the Titanic, one here showing crowds and crew loading a lifeboat and the second showing lifeboats pulling away as the ship descended into the ocean. This compelling work is not just a glossy version of the event offered through the lens of Edwardian mores. Rather its scrupulous accuracy was based upon Matania's "artistic cross-examination" of a crewman, thought to be one of the stewards, from which the artist captured the moment and each figure with an extraordinary eye for detail. A follow-up article in The Sphere noted that, "The scene was vividly impressed on the steward's mind and he was able to correct costume and grouping as the reconstruction proceeded, down to the smallest detail."
  
  Given the clues in the painting, Titanic experts can confirm that we are seeing the aft side of the boat deck, on the port side, and people are boarding Lifeboat 16. Matania recreated the scene as described by the eyewitness, including the assembled characters and the apparently random shoe on the deck. Witnesses described the night sky as dotted with stars, and Matania faithfully recorded the constellations that were visible that night.
  
  For the full article by Senan Molony, please see https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/boat-deck-portrait.html
  
  Encyclopedia Titanica (2003) Anatomy of a Boat Deck Portrait (Titanica!, ref: #1996, published 3 December 2003).

  Condition

  
  
  Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner Inc. shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.
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