Luigi Conconi (Italian, 1852-1917) Il vale delle Erme (The Path of the Hermae) or Il Profeta (The Prophet) Oil on canvas 24-1/2 x 36-1/2 inches (62.2 x 92.7 cm) 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, September 21, 1994. EXHIBITED: The Gilgore Collection, Naples, Florida, "The Winds of Change, The Milanese Avant-Garde 1860-1900," 2003, no. 51. LITERATURE: G. Ginex, "Luigi Conconi. Works in the Gilgore Collection," The Gilgore Collection, Winds of Change, The Milanese Avant Garde 1860-1908, exh. cat., Naples, Florida, 2003, p. 125. Painted circa 1910, the present work's alternative title, Il profeta, suggests a possible reading of Luigi Conconi's enigmatic composition. The seemingly unending rows of statue-like figures seated in the lotus position suggest an Eastern source of inspiration. Jainism, a religion related to Buddhism, follows principles of self-discipline and liberation from the material world. Jain temples throughout India house long rows of stone statues of the Tirthankara, the "perfect ones," among whom Jina, the "Great Hero" or "Prophet," developed teachings aimed at breaking the cycle of reincarnation and achieving Nirvana. In the present work, the sculptural figures may be Tirthankara pointing out to the faithful the way to the temple along the Path of the Hermae. Such Eastern philosophical ideas were popular in artistic and literary circles in Italy in the early 1900s, their tenets particularly appealing to Symbolist painters (Ginex, p. 125). HID12401132022 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

The Gilgore Collection, Naples, Florida, "The Winds of Change, The Milanese Avant-Garde 1860-1900," 2003, no. 51.

Interart Cultural Exchange, New York; Acquired by the present owner from the above, September 21, 1994.

Strip-lined.
Under UV: varnish fluoresces green unevenly with some drip formations. 3" abrasion to lower left, with loss to varnish.
Framed Dimensions 32.75 X 45 Inches