λ DAVID BOMBERG (BRITISH 1890-1957)VIRGIN OF PEACE IN PROCESSION, RONDA Oil on canvas Signed and dated 35 (lower left)76 x 59cm (29¾ x 23 in.)Provenance:Arthur A. Stambois, Private Collection (possibly purchased direct from the artist in 1936)Stanley Mann, Private Collection (purchased from the above in 1961)By descent to his wife, Eithne Maureen Mann (nee Milne), Private Collection (1937-2018)By descent to the present ownerFollowing Bomberg and Lilian's artistically fulfilling stay in Cuenca they moved South to the town of Ronda in November so that he could continue to work outside.The setting of this ancient town presented Bomberg with a spectacular opportunity to further explore the rugged geography and improbably built architectural structures balanced and wedged into this landscape. Bomberg conveyed this drama in increasingly vigorous and energetic brush strokes and it is this energy and immediacy that he has distilled into the present work.Bomberg became interested in the tight, cobbled streets of the medieval town, particularly after dark and in the present work he has depicted the Virgin of Peace being carried through the streets of Ronda during Holy Week. From the vantage point of their first-floor lodgings Bomberg witnessed this mystical nocturnal festival. Lilian and Dinora offered to hold lamps so that he could see more easily, but Bomberg dismissed them, preferring to work in darkness with only the flames from the processional torches to guide him.The resulting painting is charged with a visceral energy in which the people, the street and the torches become one dynamic whole yet inexplicably the painting maintains a structure and depth. Simultaneously abstract and representational. Indeed, a masterful example of what Bomberg himself described as the Spirit in the Mass.λ Indicates that this lot may be subject to Droit de Suite royalty charges. From 1st January 2012 all UK art market professionals are required to collect a royalty payment for all works of art that have been produced by qualifying artists each time a work is re-sold during the artist’s lifetime and for a period up to 70 years following the artists death. This payment is only calculated on qualifying works of art which are sold for a hammer price more than the UK sterling equivalent of EURO 1,000. Please see our Terms and Conditions for a full definition of these charges. For a complete list of the royalty charges and threshold levels, please see www.dacs.org.uk.