David BATES (1840/41-1921) - Lot 443

David BATES (1840/41-1921) The sphinx moonlight - 1892 OIL ON CANVAS Signed lower right and dated Titled, countersigned and dated on the back Sight 34 x 45 cm Gilded frame with cartouche Provenance l Collection of Mr. Samir Raouf (1933-2021), Egyptian diplomat and architect who furnished his property, Villa Ra, in Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey. Biography l In 1956, Mr. Samir Raouf obtained a Bachelor's degree in architecture from Ein Shams University in Cairo. He became head of the engineering department at the Ministry of Tourism in Cairo in 1964. He continued his studies, graduating from the National Planning Institute in Cairo in 1967, and became head of the Planning Department at the Ministry of Tourism in Cairo in 1968. In 1969, he graduated in International Affairs from the University of London, and was accredited diplomat to the Court of St. James and architectural advisor to the Egyptian Embassy for 10 years, from 1970 to 1980. At the same time, he was Director of the United Arab Republic Information and Tourism Centre in Piccadilly from 1970 to 1974. He was also Director of the Tourist Office for the Tutankhamen Treasures exhibition at the British Museum in 1972. In 1974, he was awarded a Fellow's Diploma from the UK's Faculty of Building, followed in 1975 by a Diploma in Interior Design and Decoration from the UK's Rhodec International School of Design, which he took up with the London interior design firm Design Coordinators in 1981. In 1989, the design of his swimming pool at his family home in Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey won a Gold Medal in the United States.