This beautiful early 20th-century fan design by American-English artist Cyrus Cuneo ROI (1879-1916) depicts a couple with cherubs in an ornamental garden. Cuneo was an accomplished painter and draughtsman, predominantly known for illustrations.

It’s a dream, a fantastical vision of an idyllic garden abundant with extraordinary flora, dancing cherubs, and a magical fountain. Is it a celebration of new love? A budding romance?

The context of this piece is quite a mystery and it’s the only example of its type we’ve been able to locate by this artist. It appears to be influenced by the late 19th-century French symbolist movement, which elevated spirituality and imagination over naturalism and reason. It’s conceivably a design following a commission.

Raised in San Francisco’s Italian-American neighbourhood of North Beach, the life and times of Cyrus Cuneo are somewhat wilder than many Hollywood biopics. He was born into a talented family of artists and musicians with an abundance of creativity running through his veins. As a boy, he held a single ambition, to become a professional artist, and worked tirelessly to achieve this dream.

He had a natural gift for drawing and by the age of 16, he was working for the local press as an illustrator - a role he held for three years. Keen to hone his skills, he saved relentlessly during this period with additional income derived from his bouts as a boxer.

Alongside his day job, he became the boxing fly-weight champion of the Olympic Club in San Francisco, which resulted in much-needed prize money. This, along with the sale of sketches, enabled him to head for the bright lights and famous ateliers of Paris.

In France, he initially studied at the Académie Colarossi before enrolling at the studio of James McNeill Whistler. Here, he encountered a tutor who, much to the disappointment of his pupils, was rarely in attendance. Cuneo describes his time with Whistler in an amusing document titled ‘Whistler’s Academy of Painting. Some Parisian Recollections.’ We’ve published this in our artist directory.

In 1900, while still in Paris, he debuted at London’s Royal Academy with two suitably dramatic illustrations from King Lear - and the following year, he moved to London.

Cuneo was imbued with a certain kind of energy, which was less common in his British peers. One journalist, in 1916, marvelled at “the rapidity with which he dashes off his vigorous war pictures” and how “twenty-four hours in the day aren't enough for him to finish all his commissions.” He described the stocky American as bearing “a striking resemblance to Napoleon”.

It appears that every hour of his time in London was spent toiling for periodicals and magazines, such as The Pall Mall Magazine and the Illustrated London News. He produced hundreds, if not thousands, of illustrations over a 15-year period. His approach was quite unusual in that he worked in either crayon or oil paint on board, painted without pencil drafts. This was probably a technique he adopted while at Whistler’s, as his tutor had a preference for going straight to paint.

In 1908, as recognition for his endeavours, he was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. But, just eight years later, while working in his prime, he died in tragic circumstances after being accidentally stabbed with a hatpin during a dance. It was reported that the pin scratched the inside of his nose and eventually led to blood poisoning.

Cyrus Cuneo led a rapid, brief and fruitful life, seemingly living each day as his last. From San Francisco to Paris to London - his uncompromising vitality led to him fulfilling a childhood ambition and in many ways, exceeding it.

Held in a later frame.

Learn more about Cyrus Cuneo in our directory.

Medium: Pencil on paper
Overall size: 34” x 21½” / 88cm x 55cm
Year of creation: c. 1910
Provenance: Private collection, UK.
Condition: Overall good. One minor tear in the bottom left. Frame in good condition.
Artist’s auction maximum: £22,000 for ‘The Picnic’, Oil on canvas, Christie’s, Victorian and Traditionalist Pictures, London, 2008 (lot 1).
Our reference: BRV2045