Jean Laurent (French, 1816-1886). "Sevilla, Spain" albumen print photograph, ca. 1875. A dreamy photograph of the Baths of Dona Maria de Padilla in the Royal Alcazar Palace of Seville by Jean Laurent, a French photographer who lived and worked in Spain for most of his career. In this composition, Laurent brilliantly captured the way natural light graces the Gothic ribbed vaults of the naves. The Baths of Dona Maria de Padilla were erected in the 12th century; however, the vaults were added by Alfonso X in the 13th century. They are named for the lover of King Pedro I the Cruel who purportedly walked through the palace naked and bathed in this stone cistern coated in lime. Pedro I also allegedly asked his visitors to drink from the water in which Dona Maria bathed; only after this could their meeting ensue. Size of sight view: 9.5" L x 12.5" W (24.1 cm x 31.8 cm) Size of frame: 14.25" L x 18.2" W (36.2 cm x 46.2 cm)

Jean Laurent (also known as Juan Laurent Minier and J. Laurent) was a French photographer who moved to Madrid, Spain in 1843 where he initially worked as a paper and box maker prior to pursuing photography. He is credited with patenting "Leptographic Paper" which creates positives rather than negatives, along with Spanish photographer Jose Martinez Sanchez; this medium achieved some popularity in France and Spain. Laurent would become the Queen's Photographer in Spain from 1861 to 1868. In addition, he established a store in Paris that same year where he sold photographs of Spain and Portugal. Interestingly, he also created fans embellished with photos, most of which depicted bullfighting scenes. 1874 was another exciting year for Laurent, because the Baron Emile d'Erlanger commissioned him to photograph Goya's Black Paintings at the Quinta del Sordo. In time, these photos served as important tools for Salvador Martinez Cubells' restoration of Goya's Black Paintings, and Laurent became the official photographer for the Prado Museum in 1879.

This photograph was in the collection of pioneering patron of the arts, Ginny Williams. Sotheby's hosted a series of auctions featuring art and photography in the Ginny Williams Collection in June and July of 2020. Their press release began as follows, "Born in rural Virginia in 1927, Ginny moved to Denver, Colorado in the late 1950s with her husband, Carl Williams. An avid photographer herself, who studied with Austrian-American photojournalist and photographer Ernst Haas, her collecting journey began with classical figurative photography. Her passion and keen eye eventually prompted her to open her namesake gallery in Denver in the 1980s. While her passion for photography never waned, remaining a primary focus of both her gallery and private collection, her voracious curiosity quickly widened her curatorial focus. Over time, Ginny became increasingly courageous and experimental in her selections, venturing into Abstract Expressionism and Contemporary Art and following her artists themselves through gallery shows and museum exhibitions. As the years passed, Ginny became as much of a trailblazer as the artists she collected."

Provenance: private Idledale, Colorado, USA collection; ex-Ginny Williams collection of Denver, Colorado

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#171303

Photograph is framed with a custom matte under glass; it has not been examined outside the frame but presents nicely with expected age wear. Frame has minor scuffs, and there is a small stain on the underside of the glass or left side of the matte as shown. In addition, there is an identification label on the lower right side of the matte. On the verso is a label for the Ginny Williams Collection of Denver, Colorado. The piece is wired for suspension and ready to display.