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02 pre view. 10 From the 1760s onwards, the Zurich-born Johann Heinrich Füssli made his artistic home in London. He became a full member of the Royal Academy in 1790 and Professor of Painting in 1799. His standing in the London art scene brought him important commissions, including contributions to the Boydell Shakespeare Gal- lery. Literature profoundly shaped his work: alongside Shakespeare, he engaged intensively with texts by John Milton, Christoph Martin Wieland and others. The painting presented here was created in 1803 as the model for an engraving by William Sharp. It illustrates a key scene from an essay by Eustace Budgell, published in 1712 in the recently founded periodical ‘The Spec- tator’. Budgell criticises scholars’ tendency to conceal knowledge and refers to the legend of Christian Rosen- kreutz. Füssli depicts the dramatic moment of intrusion into the tomb: an armoured guardian destroys the ‘eter- nal lamp’, symbol of hidden knowledge. With powerful draughtsmanship and striking lighting, Füssli condens- es literary allegory and painterly drama. From 1976, the painting formed part of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Col- lection and was exhibited at Villa Favorita in Castagnola until 1993, before entering Swiss private ownership. It now returns to the public sphere. A previously unknown painting by François Boucher from a long-standing family collection represents an important rediscovery for 18 th -century French art. It de- picts ‘The Marriage of Ariadne and Bacchus’, a popular theme from classical mythology. After Theseus aban- doned Ariadne on Naxos, she found a new companion in the wine god Bacchus. Boucher stages the scene as a bacchanal with satyrs, maenads, putti and the icon- ic leopards. The grisaille suggests a date around 1750 and is closely connected with Boucher’s designs for the Royal Tapestry Manufactory at Beauvais. The work belongs to the artist’s mature production, and may once have been associated with the circle of Madame de Pompadour. The provenance of Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s ‘Tête de vieillard chauve’ can be traced back to 1793. Among its distinguished former owners was the avant-garde Staging worlds of imagery Preview of the OldMaster and 19 th Century Paintings and Drawings auctions on 27March 2026 For further information Old Master & 19 th Century Paintings Karoline Weser weser@kollerauctions.com Drawings Franz-Carl Diegelmann diegelmann@kollerauctions.com Online Catalogues www.kollerauctions.com 1 François Boucher (1703–1770). The marriage of Ariadne and Bacchus on the island of Naxos. Grisaille. Oil on canvas. 41 × 80.5 cm. Estimate: CHF 200 000/300 000 2 Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806). Tête de vieillard chauve. After 1767. Pen and brown ink over black chalk. 35 × 27.8 cm. Estimate: CHF 20 000/30 000 Parisian fashion designer and collector Jacques Doucet (1853–1929). 3 Johann Heinrich Füssli (1741–1825). The tomb of the Rosicrucian. 1803. Oil on canvas. 92 × 77.5 cm. Estimate: CHF 150 000/250 000 1 2