Vincenzo Gemito (Italian, 1852-1929) Self-portrait Watercolor, gouache, and ink heightened with black and white chalk on paper 26 x 16-1/2 inches (66.0 x 41.9 cm) Signed lower right: V. Gemito Property from the Dr. Sheldon G. and Irma H. Gilgore Collection of Italian Art 1850-1925 PROVENANCE: Interart Cultural Exchange, New York; Acquired from the above, October 3, 1994. EXHIBITED: The Gilgore Collection, Naples, Florida, "A Chisel and a Brush, Vincenzo Gemito 1852-1929, Antonio Mancini, 1852-1930," The Gilgore Collection, 2000, no. 16. Vincenzo Gemito executed several self-portraits in various media. The present work depicts the artist with his sculpture of Il pescatorello (Civica Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Milan) in the background. Set in a spare interior, the artist's long white beard and pensive pose promote his self-image as a craftsman deeply devoted to his art, with parallels to images of saints, such as Saint Mark in the fresco by Pinturicchio in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome (1488–1491) (A Chisel and a Brush, exh. cat., p. 64). Such portraits are fitting reflections of an artist known for his intensely naturalistic and psychologically vivid sculptures, which broke from academic conventions to capture the immediacy of everyday life in Naples. His work helped redefine late nineteenth-century Italian sculpture, anticipating modern approaches to realism and expressive surface. HID12401132022 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

The Gilgore Collection, Naples, Florida, "A Chisel and a Brush, Vincenzo Gemito 1852-1929, Antonio Mancini, 1852-1930," The Gilgore Collection, 2000, no. 16.

Interart Cultural Exchange, New York; Acquired by the present owner from the above, October 3, 1994.

Mild toning and losses to extreme edges of sheet, masked by mat. Framed under glass, hinged along top edge.
Framed Dimensions 33.75 X 25 Inches