#von gloeden

This lovely c1900 nude by Wilhelm von Gloeden employs a less clichéd sort of censorship than the usual paper fig leaf favoured by studio photography at the time, allowing a subtle and discreet level of nudity without the stuffy artifice of attaching fake leaves to the model’s person!

A striking addition to Wilhelm von Gloeden’s Great Faun photographs from around 1895 - in this shot the model wears a pair of short curved goat horns to finish off his costume!

A second version of the iconic ‘Cain’ photograph by Wilhelm von Gloeden, his Sicilian model adopting the Flandrin pose, circa 1902. The subtlest of differences - look at his hands; the right thumb, the overlap of fingers and rocks - proves this to be a different shot, not merely a variation in the printing from the brighter copy posted herepreviously.

The ever-lovely Il Moro, Pancrazio Buccini, with his handsomely proportioned and elegant companion - what poise in the way he hollows his back! We’ve seen these two together here, and again here, and this model photographed alone, too. Perhaps one day we will discover his name.

A captivating close-up portrait of Pietro by von Gloeden, taken in 1890s Taormina, Sicily.

The moment I realised there was more than one Cainphotograph in Wilhelm von Gloeden’s catalogue, I started to spot more and more variations. This one bears small ink annotations in von Gloeden’s own hand; if anyone can read what they say and would care to share with all the readers here, I’d be delighted to add that information to my caption!

Another completely captivating 1890s portrait by von Gloeden; a beautiful Sicilian man with dark-smudged deep-set eyes and a noble profile, a garland of entwined flowers and ivy leaves about his hair.

A curious but memorable image by von Gloeden. Though the graceless squatting pose lacks the typical languorous elegance of his Arcadian scenes, it is not an ugly photograph; though the glum face propped on hands gives an impression of resigned boredom, with the intense stare from those big dark eyes it is not a boring photograph. 

Another striking photograph of The Great Faun, perched on the weatherworn rocks of the hills above Taormina. This model was well-chosen for his part, a broad-chested, sturdy-limbed man of distinctive strong features.
Note the elongated shadow cast by his nipple!

Young man with flowers, dated very precisely to the 9th June 1900, a truly lovely photograph by Wilhelm von Gloeden.
Though the handsome model and his tangled handful of wild flower tendrils are the deserving focus of the piece, do take a moment to look closer and meet von Gloeden’s dear black dog, Nedda - she makes several appearances in his work, affectionately snuggling up to models, or almost vanishing in the dark tones of the foreground.

Wilhelm von Gloeden’s Great Faun, part of an extensive series created around 1895 - I have several more from this set to share in future posts. 

A simply beautiful curly-haired young man, photographed in the garden by Wilhelm von Gloeden, circa 1890.

An exquisite image of male beauty, pure perfection of lovely long legs, toned muscles, easy natural grace in every inch of their being. Titled Ragazzi napoletani sulla riva del mare (Neapolitan boys by the seaside), we can but imagine the slow soothing sound of the clear, bright, Mediterranean sea, the smell of it on the warm air, the sticky saltiness on skin, the cries of seabirds wheeling overhead…all in our minds, musing on the long-passed gloriously sunny day this was taken. None live now who were there, the models and their photographer long gone, but a moment was captured and made to last forever, for those who look on it now, and imagine.

Entwined Nude Young Men, a 19th century highly homoerotic photograph attributed to Wilhelm von Gloeden - perhaps one of his unsigned prints, but not proven so : I tend to side with the doubters, for his few known studio shots do not include this particular painted backdrop.

Another shot from the 1902 Cain photography session in the hills; here the model is in a much less tight curl, his head raised, and fingers interlocked as he holds the pose.

The beautiful Pietro, photographed with an irrepressible hint of a lighthearted smile, in the sun-dappled garden at Posillipo, circa 1890, by Wilhelm von Gloeden.

Von Gloeden’s famous 1902 Cainphotograph has proved fascinating on closer inspection; a series rather than a single shot, I had never noticed how many variations there were. In this third image, the model’s finger is elegantly lifted, and we see clear space between his thigh and the curve of his chest.

leaves-in-his-hair:

Pietro, by von Gloeden. That sultry look, the little flower stem held between his teeth, and made all the better by knowing his name.

With the last solo portrait I posted well-received and much liked, I’ve decided to select a few more for your admiration. There are, of course, a finite number of the more revealing or erotic photographs from this era, so let us expand the theme just a little to include these charming portraits of handsome 19th Century models.

What perfection! I present a minor deviation from our usual full-body academic or Arcadian nudes, to include this wonderful portrait of Pasqualino by von Gloeden - his images concentrating on the captivating faces of his subjects are a little neglected in favour of those more revealing examples, but are such striking and memorable images I am sure you shall enjoy them as much as I. With his noble profile, gorgeous eyes, and garland of rather crumpled pale roses, this young man has to be one of the most lovely amongst them.

A Wilhelm von Gloeden photograph of luminous beauty, one flower-adorned youth gazes upon a companion with a vase of traditional design, nothing of the modern era intruding to distract from the Arcadian ideal.