Unknown

Gamblers Italian Micromosaic

1816-1918

Glass takes the place of canvas in this Qing Dynasty reverse glass painting dating to the 19th century. Chinese painters and calligraphers bega...

A young man clad in classical robes paints an amphora vase as an attractive admirer observes him in this magnificent pietre dure plaque by Florentine artisan Alberto Menegatti. The work is emblematic of the charming scenes of rural life that were favored by Italian pietre dure artists. The superlative quality and beauty of the stone specimens utilized to create the composition distinguish this piece, and the artist’s ingenious use of the natural striations and inclusions in his stones allows him to convey texture and shadow to brilliant effect. The art of pietre dure developed from the ancient art of opus...

This exceptional and rare rendering of a horse head, composed of gold over silver, hails from the illustrious Tang dynasty of China. The powerful Tang dynasty reigned for nearly 300 ...

Magnificent and colorful, this enchanting Florentine work of art is not a painting, but upon closer inspection is revealed to be a superb example of the intensive art of pietre dure....

Andy Warhol 1928-1987 American Portrait of Proust Screenprint on paper laid on canvas Created by legendary Pop artist Andy Warhol, Portrait of Marcel Proust holds a special place in the prolific artist's oeuvre. Commissioned by art dealer Marie-Louise Jeanneret for a group of Italian collectors and avid Proust enthusiasts, Warhol's four acrylic and silkscreen ink on linen prints were based on a famous 1895 photograph of the French novelist captured by Otto Wegener...

Henri Matisse 1869-1954 French Grand paysage, Mont Alban Signed “Henri - Matisse” (lower left) Oil on canvas Hailing from a pivotal moment in the artist’s artistic development, G...

Monochromatic, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. ...

In the series “Heavenly,” Toyoharu Kii honors the fullness of life and its continual rebirth. In some works, white tesserae assume abstract profiles. In others, irregular shapes cont...

In the series “Heavenly,” Toyoharu Kii honors the fullness of life and its continual rebirth. In some works, white tesserae assume abstract profiles. In others, irregular shapes cont...

In the series “Heavenly,” Toyoharu Kii honors the fullness of life and its continual rebirth. In some works, white tesserae assume abstract profiles. In others, irregular shapes cont...

Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Classically trained in Florence, Italy, Kii creates his modern mosaics using traditional techniques and materials, including hand-cut Italian marble and Venetian smalti glass. Eschewing the figural in favor of the abstract, his mosaics rely on contrasts of pattern and form to convey complex themes and achieve visual harmony. Toyoharu Kii’s latest body of work “Geophytes” continues themes of rebirth and renewal. A reference to plants that regrow from hidden elements beneath the earth’s surface, the series celebrates the resilience of the natural world. Each mosaic is imagined as a landscape that documents a history of environmental damage due to human activity, and the subsequent return of nature as a restorative force. Through the juxtaposition of patterns and the interplay of order and disorder, Kii creates man-made “images of destruction” and finds hope in the future by “reconstructing nature.” In this mosaic entitled "Ghost (Big Wings)," Kii takes a more representational approach to his storytelling, creating figurative drawings out of thin lines of tesserae. The mosaic belongs to his “Ghost” triptych, wherein Kii uses “wings” to represent the presence of a heavenly being, the ghosts of past spirits or the presence of an angel or guardian. In “Ghost (Big Wings),” Kii mourns the extinction of many creatures due to environmental change and imagines their lonely spirits wandering the earth. Enveloping their silhouettes is “a bird with big wings,” writes Kii, depicted here within a dense mosaic of abstract patterns, a symbol for nature’s healing power. “The bird consoles...

In the series “Heavenly,” Toyoharu Kii honors the fullness of life and its continual rebirth. In some works, white tesserae assume abstract profiles. In others, irregular shapes cont...