Lot 45: Adolphe Weisz , French 1838-1900 Le Lion Amoureux oil on canvas

signed A. Weisz (lower right) oil on canvas

measurements 41 3/4 by 31 1/2 in. alternate measurements 106 by 80 cm

Born in Budapest and trained in Vienna, Weisz exhibited his paintings for the first time in his adopted home city of Paris' Salon in 1864. The artist received attention for his scenes of well-mannered bourgeois families and views of Alsatian villages, but it is a number of compositions of a beautiful woman nestled against a lion that have continued to intrigue viewers today. While Her Favourite Pet (sold: Sotheby's, London, May 30, 2008, lot 143) and La Favorite (sold in these rooms on October 25, 2005, lot 14) feature an exotically dressed harem figure petting a tamed beast, the present work, with its pale-skinned nude nestled against the animals' deep fur, depict a more sensual relationship. As suggested by a plaque affixed to the frame, Weisz's present work takes both its title and inspiration from the writings of the celebrated French fabulist Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695). La Fontaine's first collection of Fables Choisies Mises en Vers was published in 1668 and drew from many sources, including Horace's Greek mythology and Aesop's moralistic tales of anthrophormoic animals. La Fontaine's Le Lion Amoreux (The Lion in Love) closely follows Aesop's original tale of a great cat who, after falling in love with a shepherdess, agrees to have his claws removed allowing for the pair's safe union; thus defenceless, the lion is easily killed by the girl's father. Weisz's lion still possesses his sharp black claws, though his closely shut eyes and the gleaming metal clippers held in the comely maid's hand suggest it is only a matter of time before this animal learns the fable's lesson that love can too easily make one do careless things. Such an evocative tale was easy inspiration for Wesiz and many of his fellow nineteenth century artists, from Camille Roqueplan to Gustave Doré.