Alina Malova

18/10/2026

17/10/2026

Interior in Auderghem, Henri Le Roux, signed and dated 1936.

Oil on canvas
Good condition

A cozy domestic interior in muted brown-gold tones. Filled with a sense of stillness and the warmth of an old house with its time-weathered furniture, these quiet and melancholic interiors form the heart of the artist’s legacy. The artist returned to this subject several times: similar compositions, created in Brussels in the municipality of Auderghem, formed an entire series of his works, which also includes the master’s famous painting housed in the Belgian State Museum (official entry for the painting “Intérieur” at the Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique). The artist’s technique is close to that of late Impressionism.
Artist’s biography:

Henri Le Roux (Henri Louis Philippe Le Roux, 1872–1942) was a Belgian painter, a master of genre scenes, still lifes, and interiors. He received his professional artistic training at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels (Académie royale des beaux-arts de Bruxelles). He exhibited regularly in the major Belgian art salons of his time. The artist’s works are held in Belgian public collections, notably at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels (Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique).

Public collections and museums:
Brussels, Belgium — Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique). A painting by the artist, simply titled “Intérieur,” is officially registered and held in the permanent state collection (the inventory number is listed in the museum’s acquisition reports for the year 1943).

Documented exhibitions
1903 (Brussels) — Exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (Musée Moderne / Hedendaagsche Museum).

1907 (Brussels) — General Exhibition of Fine Arts / Triennial Salon. The artist exhibited under number 309, being registered at the address 31, avenue d’Auderghem, Brussels, and presented a landmark painting of the series — «Intérieur».

1914–1940 (Belgium) — Regular participation in collective exhibitions of the Brussels artists’ association (Cercle d’Art / Les Indépendants).
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Dimensions: 75 x 60 cm
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#1936

16/10/2026

15/10/2026

Stefano della Bella, Arch of Constantine and Colosseum, 17th-Century Etching, Colbert Watermark.
Arcus Const.ini et Amphit.ri Flavii.

Stefano della Bella (Florence, 1610–1664), known in France as Étienne de la Belle.
Original etching on French laid paper with a watermark associated with the Colbert arms.
Plate engraved in 1656; French impression datable to the closing decades of the 17th century. The series was published in Paris by Israël Henriet, succeeded by Israël Silvestre.

Second state of two in the traditional classification: with the Latin inscription identifying the monuments depicted, absent in the first state.
Sheet dimensions: 27.5 × 32.5 cm (10.83 × 12.80 inches).
From the series Six Large Views, Four of Rome and Two of the Roman Countryside.
Reference: De Vesme–Massar 834, II/II.
Viewed against the light, the upper part of the sheet reveals an unexpected clue: a serpent within a crowned shield, with the cross of the Order of the Holy Spirit beneath it. The watermark recalls the arms of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis XIV’s finance minister and a central figure in French economic and manufacturing policy. How did his emblem find its way onto a Roman view etched by a Florentine artist?
The answer begins with Stefano della Bella’s career. Trained in Florentine workshops, advised by Remigio Cantagallina and profoundly influenced by Jacques Callot, he met the French publishers Israël Henriet and François Langlois in Rome. In 1639 he travelled to Paris, where he remained until 1650, working for local publishers and receiving commissions from Richelieu and Mazarin.
His return to Florence did not end these relationships. The six large Roman views, etched around 1656, were entrusted to Henriet for printing in Paris. The French publishers therefore held the original copperplates and could continue printing them after the artist’s death in 1664.
Rome supplies the subject, Florence the invention, and Paris the publishers and presses. The Arch of Constantine dominates the left of the composition, while the Colosseum rises on the right; sheep in the foreground introduce a quiet pastoral scene.
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10/10/2026

The Temptation of Saint Benedict with a Demon Disguised as a Lady, Franco-Flemish, 17th Century.

Oil on canvas.
Mid-17th century.
Franco-Flemish school.
Relined.
Good condition.

A rare representation of the Temptation of Saint Benedict, an episode recounted by Saint Gregory the Great in the Dialogues. The saint, recognizable by his monastic tonsure, is shown almost n**e, lying among brambles after removing his habit in order to resist carnal temptation.
Before him appears the demon under the guise of an elegantly dressed lady. Only a few details reveal her true nature: the small horns and, above all, the goat’s legs visible beneath her long skirt. The contrast between the refined appearance of the woman and her demonic attributes is one of the most striking features of the composition.
The lady’s costume, with its broad flat white collar, fitted bodice, layered sleeves and large black bows decorating the dress, together with the style of the saint’s moustache, supports a dating to the mid-17th century.
The scene is set in a broad tree-lined park laid out in regular rows. In the distance at left, the faint outline of a castle or country residence can be seen. The ordered landscape, costume and general character of the composition suggest a painter working in a Franco-Flemish milieu.
Beside the saint lies his dark monastic habit. In the foreground appears a chalice from which a serpent emerges, an allusion to the miracle of the poisoned w**e intended for Saint Benedict. According to tradition, the saint made the sign of the cross over the poisoned cup, which then shattered. This additional iconographic attribute further confirms the identification of the figure as Saint Benedict of Nursia.
The painting is presented in an imposing solid-wood frame dating from the late 19th century, monumental in character and well proportioned to the work.
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101 × 74.5 cm unframed.
119 × 94 cm framed.
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09/10/2026

1940s French Oil Portrait, Elegant Young Woman with Veiled Hat, Post-Fauvist.

ARTIST – Claude Vanier (Simon Abramovitch, 1903–1958) // PERIOD – Circa 1940 // ORIGIN – France // MEDIUM – Oil on Canvas // STYLE – Post-Fauvism, French Modernism // SUBJECT – Portrait of an Elegant Young Woman with Veiled Hat // DIMENSIONS – 53 × 36 cm (20.9 × 14.2 in) // SIGNATURE – Signed “Vanier” Lower Left // CONDITION – Good

French oil portrait by Claude Vanier, depicting an elegant young woman wearing a striking ochre hat with a dark veil. Painted circa 1940, the work is particularly notable for its sophisticated use of colour and the sitter’s distinctly modern presence.

Claude Vanier, born Simon Abramovitch in Le Havre in 1903, studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in his native city before settling in Paris, where he attended the academies of Montparnasse. From 1929 onward he participated in Parisian artistic life, exhibiting at Salons and galleries in the capital.

Although best known for landscapes, seascapes and urban views, Vanier also painted figures and portraits. Here, the w**e-red dress, golden ochre hat, pink and violet flesh tones and small multicoloured brooch create a carefully balanced chromatic construction. The dark veil crossing the face introduces a particularly elegant graphic element and gives the portrait much of its distinctive character.

Initially rooted in Impressionism, Vanier’s painting gradually developed toward a more personal language close to Post-Fauvism, with colour becoming one of his principal means of expression. The simplified forms, direct brushwork and strong chromatic contrasts are characteristic of this evolution.

Signed “Vanier” lower left. Good overall condition.
53 × 36 cm (20.9 × 14.2 in)
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#1940

08/10/2026

Rembrandt – Adam and Eve, Etching by Pierre-François Basan, 18th Century.

Pierre-François Basan (Paris, 1723–1797), after Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669)
Etching on antique laid paper. 
France, second half of the 18th century
Plate: approx. 15.4 × 11.6 cm.

Inscribed in the plate: “Rembrandt f. 1638”
An 18th-century etching engraved by Pierre-François Basan after Rembrandt’s celebrated Adam and Eve of 1638.
Basan was one of the leading Parisian printmakers, publishers and dealers of the 18th century. He acquired a substantial group of Rembrandt’s original copper plates and issued new impressions from them. For this particular composition, however, Basan did not print from Rembrandt’s original plate: he recreated the image on a new copper plate after Rembrandt’s etching.
The scene depicts Adam and Eve at the moment of the Temptation. Rembrandt’s strikingly naturalistic conception is retained, together with the fantastic serpent and the elephant emerging from the shadowy landscape, one of the composition’s most distinctive details.
This Basan version is a genuine 18th-century copperplate etching, rather than a later reproductive or photomechanical print. Examples of the same Basan etching are preserved in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, and the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Good impression on antique laid paper, with the laid structure clearly visible in transmitted light. Good condition.
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03/10/2026

02/10/2026

Lake Maggiore, View of the Castles of Cannero, Signed Vittorio Piano, Early 20th century.
* Artist: Vittorio Augusto Piano (1882–1970). Signed lower left «Vitt. Piano».
* Period: Early 20th century.
* Technique: Pastel.
* Condition: Excellent. The work is presented in a monumental original frame made of gilded wood and stucco with classical decoration featuring laurel friezes, covered with a splendid authentic patina.

Description of the work:
The work is a lyrical landscape depicting the medieval ruins of the Castles of Cannero on Lake Maggiore, in Italy. The painting is executed in the rare circular (tondo) format.
The Symbolist atmosphere, the graphic silhouettes, and a mauve color palette with Decadentist undertones create a truly unique atmosphere. The artist employs a technique akin to Divisionism, a rare choice for pastel painting. The artist may have drawn inspiration from Arnold Böcklin’s famous Symbolist work, “The Isle of the Dead.”
Biographical note on the artist:
Vittorio Augusto Piano (1882, Turin – 1970, Turin) was an Italian painter and graphic artist. The artist actively participated in the regional art exhibition scene: in particular, his works were officially exhibited in Turin in 1927 as part of the specialized exhibition organized by the “Società Giovane Montagna.”
Among the artist’s verified museum holdings: a series of official portraits he painted for members of the Savoy royal dynasty (King Victor Emmanuel III and Queen Elena) is now included in the General Catalog of Cultural Heritage of the Italian State and is housed in the halls of the Ducal Castle of Agliè in Turin.
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Diameter with frame 95 cm, without frame 73 cm.
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