ROLF ARMSTRONG "THE ENCHANTRESS" STUNNING ORIGINAL PIN-UP PAINTING.
Item Description
Huge, impressive and ornate 68.25x88.25x2.25" deep wooden frame contains original oil on canvas painting by legendary American pin-up artist Rolf Armstrong (1889-1960). Painted in 1927, "The Enchantress" is one in a series of four famous Art Deco-styled oil paintings created by Rolf Armstrong for the Brown & Bigelow calendar company between 1925 and 1929. The other paintings in this series were entitled "The Song of India, Arabian Nights" and "Carmen." Armstrong created these magnificent erotic masterworks after his return from Paris, likely inspired by the Parisian salon movement. Huge canvas measures 60x80". Painting depicts a spell-binding, near life-size nude brunette posing on a bridge, her body partially enrobed in a sheer, pearl-bordered drape. Though discreetly posed, the sheerness of the fabric leaves little to the imagination, w/the model's bare breasts clearly visible. The model holds a large decorative platter over her shoulder, which is illustrated w/various Ancient Egyptian motifs including winged scarabs and chimeras w/lion's bodies, eagle's wings, and human heads). The platter features a central scene depicting a Pharaoh hunting a lion from a chariot. A ram-headed sphinx is visible in bkg. of bridge, w/a palm frond in right foreground. A distant shore village is seen at the base of a mountainous ridge in the distant bkg., its lights almost appearing to twinkle in the night sky. The painting has been boldly signed at lower right by Armstrong, his distinctive signature measuring 11" wide. Armstrong's importance to pin-up art was aptly summed up by Janet Dobson and Michael Wooldridge in their 2001 book "Pin-Up Dreams: The Glamour Art Of Rolf Armstrong" where they state "Rolf Armstrong's First Calendar Pin-Up, "Dream Girl" (1919), Set The Tone And Defined The Vision Of Ideal Feminine Beauty For The Next Four Decades. His Extraordinary Success And Prolific Career Garnered Him Praise And Fame Of The Sort Normally Reserved For More Public Figures. One Account Tells Of The Thundering Applause That Met His Appearance At A Conference In St. Paul, Minnesota, In 1943; He Also Gained The Praise And Admiration Of Such Famous Figures As Norman Rockwell And James Cagney." Armstrong's art has appeared on countless calendars, magazines and national advertising campaigns of the 1920s through the 1940s and beyond. The painting's original canvas has been re-stretched and re-varnished, stabilizing the crackelure visible in the upper left corner. There are scattered creases to the paint layer as a result of previous folding and UV light reveals moderate in-painting scattered throughout bkg. and minimally on figure. The model's face displays well w/one small area of strengthening along the right side of the nose. Additionally there is a 7" long diagonal streak of artifacting in the upper right bkg. area, likely a result of a scratch to the back of the canvas. Aside from this, the issues noted are mainly only noticeable upon close inspection and painting still displays wonderfully. We tried to do this piece justice by running it full page in the catalog, but the true impact of this painting is only fully realized when viewed in person. The size and detail are simply amazing. This painting sold for $59,750 at Heritage Auctions in 2010. It is only back on the market due to the passing of the collector who acquired it then. In the short time since it was last offered, high end pin-up art, especially pieces by Armstrong, have continued to increase in value. This is a rare opportunity to acquire such a truly unique piece of work, a stunning original from an artist widely considered to be the godfather of American pin-up illustration.
