Thomas Seaman
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Lot 76*,TP
Jean Delville(Belgian, 1867-1953)The Last Idols 414 x 354.5cm (163 x 139 9/16in) (unstretched). unframed
Amended
24 September 2025, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £19,200 inc. premium
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Jean Delville (Belgian, 1867-1953)
The Last Idols
signed and dated 'JEAN DELVILLE/1931' (lower right); indistinctly signed and inscribed 'Dernières idoles JEAN DELVILLE' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
414 x 354.5cm (163 x 139 9/16in) (unstretched).
unframed
signed and dated 'JEAN DELVILLE/1931' (lower right); indistinctly signed and inscribed 'Dernières idoles JEAN DELVILLE' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
414 x 354.5cm (163 x 139 9/16in) (unstretched).
unframed
Footnotes
Jean Delville was a Belgian Symbolist painter, writer, and intellectual, whose work stands out for its profound spiritualism and idealism. A leading figure in the Belgian Symbolist movement, Delville's art, philosophy, and writing were deeply intertwined, driven by a conviction that art should reflect the higher ideals of truth, beauty, and the divine. He was heavily influenced by esoteric traditions, mysticism and Theosophy, all of which are essential to understanding both his visual and written output.
Delville trained at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, where his talent blossomed and he quickly became an emerging member of the Belgian avant-garde. In the early 1890s Delville became a disciple of Joséphin Peladan, he took part in the Salons de la Rose + Croix, established by Peladan, as well as setting up, with others, the noted avant-garde exhibition society Salon Pour l'Art. He was also part of the group which founded the Salon d'Art Idéaliste which was created to showcase art from a purely Idealist nature. In 1895 Delville won the prestigious Prix de Rome, and while this establishment prize ran contrary to his prominence in avant-garde circles, it did afford him the opportunity to spend a lengthy sojourn in Italy, which he used to study classical art and the art of the Renaissance.
Following a professorship at the Glasgow School of Art from 1900-1906, and exile in London during the First World War, Delville's career took a different turn from 1920. Creating large scale art for public spaces had always been of interest to Delville and this resulted in his creation of the Société de l'Art Monumental. The culmination of this was the completion of two highly successful major public projects in Brussels at the Palais de Justice and the Cinquantenaire.
The Last Idols dates from this latter part of Delville's career, the focus on creating monumental, allegorical art is clear, but also evident is a more restrained palette and increasingly stylised, elongated and geometric figures. The figure's foot appears chained to the fallen soldier while he struggles to keep two religious figures from falling. The work is a comment perhaps on the fall of 20th century man into a cycle of mechanised violence and the slow abandonment of traditional beliefs in the face of rampant industrialisation. For an interesting comparison to the present work -from a similar period- see Delville's La Libération, 1936 (private collection).
Saleroom notices
Please note that a reserve has been placed on this lot. Please note that the stretched size of the work is 414.5 x 354 cm (163 x 139 1/2 in). Please further note that the canvas will be removed from the stretcher and rolled on the day immediately after the sale, so that it can be removed to third party storage as marked in the catalogue. The expense of removal from the stretcher and rolling will be added to the buyers invoice. Please contact the department for further information.
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