Strauss & co - 18 March 2019, Cape Town

145 508 Edoardo Villa SOUTH AFRICAN 1915–2011 Standing Figures, two door handles each signed and dated 1967 bronze height: each 39,5 cm (2) R  –   PROVENANCE Dr Hesse, Pretoria. Private Collection. LITERATURE cf. Fritz-Uwe Günther (1998) Eduardo Villa Museum catalogue, Pretoria: University of Pretoria. A similar example titled Standing Figure dated 1965 is illustrated on page 35. 509 Edoardo Villa SOUTH AFRICAN 1915–2011 Standing Form signed and dated 1978 bronze on a marble base height: 39,5 cm excluding base; base: 3,5 cm R  –   LITERATURE cf. Fritz-Uwe Günther (1998) Eduardo Villa Museum catalogue, Pretoria: University of Pretoria. A similar example titled Standing Figure dated 1977 is illustrated on page 25. While the architect Dr. Hesse and his wife were building their house in Pretoria, they visited Nico Roos, who had Edoardo Villa sculptures as door handles. After coming to an agreement with Roos and Villa, who were both friends of the Hesses, another set was cast by Renzo Vignali as handles for the front door of the Hesse residence. The current owner’s late husband bought the house from the Hesses, but the handles were excluded from the sale of the house on his death.