American Empire Paintings

Domenick Capobianco (American, b. 1928), "Red Wedge, Sort Of", Oil on Canvas, abstract color field in raspberry red tones, in the manner of Mark Rothko (Latvian/American, 1903-1970),...

Domenick Capobianco (American, b. 1928) Surrealist Acrylic Painting on Wood Board, depicting a palette knife, in the manner of Rene Magritte (Belgian, 1898-1967), apparently unsigned...

Wolf Kahn (German/American, 1927-2020) "Row of Trees" pastel drawing on paper depicting a winter landscape scene, signed lower right, housed under Plexiglas in a silvered wood frame....

Lawrence Glickman (American, XX- XXI) "Reverie" acrylic painting on canvas, signed and titled on reverse. 44" H x 40" W. Provenance: From the artist's estate.

Ammi Phillips (American, 1788-1865) attributed oil painting on canvas, circa 1835-1840, depicting the portrait of a brown-haired gentleman, his left arm resting on a stack of books or ledgers. 30" H x 25.25" W. Provenance: From a 240 East 15th Street estate. Note: The offered lot by Ammi Phillips bears marked similarity to the works of the artist's later "Kent Limner" period of 1835-1840, particularly the images of gentlemen painted in the area of Lime Rock...

Terryl Best (American, XX) "Ribbons VIII" oil painting on canvas depicting a Minimalist abstract polychrome composition on a butter yellow ground, signed to verso with National Assoc...

American portrait oil on canvas of a young ship captain holding a spyglass with a sailing ship, crew in rowboat, and gulls in lower background mounted in the original decorative gilt...

American portrait miniature by Thomas Story Officer, Woman in a White Gown, Signed "T.S. Officer, Pinxt", The 1830s The American portrait miniature signed by Thomas Story Officer depicts a beautiful young woman, her red hair “Coeffure a la Chinoise”, sitting in a red chair confidently looking out towards the painter and us, the viewers.  She wears a white dress with a pin in the center of her chest.  Based on her style of dress and her hair, we believe this was painted while Officer was in Philadelphia. It is signed to the lower right "T.S. Officer, Pinxt" along at edge. The reverse has a small oval glass Dimensions: 3 inches high x 2 3/16 inches wide x 1/4 inch deep Reference: Thomas S. Officer: Miniature and Portrait Painter, Gardner Library,  Author: Merri Lou Schaumann. Born in Carlisle in 1810, this gifted artist trained in Philadelphia, traveled extensively and won awards for his paintings. In 1872, James Miller McKim wrote a series of reminiscences for the Carlisle Herald newspaper about the places and people of Carlisle in an earlier day. He wrote that “David Smith, a boot and shoemaker, had two sons… one of whom early developed a taste for art and finally devoted himself to miniature painting as a profession. He was a contemporary, and for a while, a rival of Mr. Thomas Officer, though I believe he never reached the celebrity attained by that gifted young artist. Mr. Officer, by the way, was one of the last miniature painters of any eminence produced by this country, the daguerreotype and photographer having come in to sweep away the entire profession.” Thomas Story Officer was born in Carlisle on August 15, 1810, to cabinetmaker John Officer and his second wife Margaret. He trained in Philadelphia with the well-known portrait painter Thomas Sully and began his career there in the 1830s. Officer left Philadelphia occasionally to paint portraits in Mobile, Alabama in 1837, in Richmond, Virginia in 1845, and in New York City from 1846-1849 where he became a member of the National Academy of Design. In 1842, Officer intended to travel to Mexico and needed a passport. He asked Attorney Charles B. Penrose, formerly of Carlisle, to write a letter of recommendation for him. In his letter to Fletcher Webster, Esq., Penrose wrote, “This will be handed to you by Thomas S. Officer, Esq., a friend of mine, and a native artist of Pennsylvania, who is a gentleman of great talents and respectability. Intending to visit Mexico, he wishes to procure passports at the State Department…”  Officer was issued a passport in July 1842. He was described as 30 years old, 5’ 11” with a “full and round forehead, bluish-gray eyes, an ordinary nose, medium mouth, ordinary chin, sallow complexion with an oval face and brown hair.” Officer went to Mexico and later to Australia. In 1854, he opened a studio in Sandridge, Australia, and while there he “entered several oil portraits in the 1854 Melbourne Exhibition preparatory to sending them to the 1855 Paris Exhibition.” Officer left Australia, and in 1855 he settled in San Francisco where he would spend the last years of his life. He set up a portrait painting department in James Johnson’s photographic gallery in San Francisco. In 1857, Officer received a bronze medal for his oil portraits exhibited at The First Industrial Exhibition of the Mechanics’ Institute of San Francisco, as well as awards at several other exhibits in 1858. A short piece in the San Francisco newspaper, Alta, on October 30, 1859, read, “Mr. Thomas S. Officer, the talented portrait painter, lies near to death’s door and is in pecuniary distress. Out of the many to whose pleasure he has contributed by his gay, social manners, as well as by his pleasing artistic productions, may there not be found someone who will extend a helping hand?”  Officer died on December 8, 1859. Almost an entire column in the January 18, 1860 edition of the Carlisle Herald, was devoted to a very long and informative obituary of Officer taken from the Alta, California newspaper. Officer was buried in the now defunct Lone Mountain Cemetery in San Francisco. In 2014, the Cumberland County Historical Society received a bequest of a portrait painted by Thomas Officer from the estate of historian John J. Snyder, Jr. It joined a miniature portrait already a part of the Society’s museum collection in Carlisle, not far from where Officer was born. Notes: The May 28, 1834 edition of the Carlisle Weekly Herald reported that Thomas S. Officer had "...within the last few weeks, taken the portraits of several gentlemen of this borough...Mr. O. is principally self-taught, and although young, already evinced a degree of taste, judgment, and talent..." A short biography of Officer can also be found in Early American Portrait Painters in Miniature by Theodore Bolton, published by F. F. Sherman (New York, 1921). The entire book is one line  Bio. of Officer on page 117. See Officer’s portrait...

Presenting a lovely early 19th century portrait of a gentleman in the style of Jacob Eichholtz. Nice sized portrait of a Gentleman of high status from circa 1820. He has brown hair with a period collar and bowed white silk cravat and a black period tunic or coat. Oil on Canvas mounted on a wooden fame with nails and glue. Unsigned …. but most definitely in the style and manner of Jacob Eichholtz who was a renowned Pennsylvanian artist known for his portraits of families of status and wealth in and around Pennsylvania in the early 19th century. Jacob Eichholtz (1776–1842) was an early American painter...

Presenting a lovely early 19th century portrait of an Elderly Lady In the Style of Jacob Eichholtz. Nice sized portrait of an eldery lady of high status from circa 1820. She has brown curly hair (suggesting that she may not have been as old as she appears) with a beautiful lace bonnet with intricate lace collar and black period dress which is suggestive of a ‘mourning’ period. Oil on Canvas mounted on a wooden fame with nails and glue. Unsigned …. but most definitely in the style and manner of Jacob Eichholtz who was a renowned Pennsylvanian artist known for his portraits of families of status and wealth in and around Pennsylvania in the early 19th century. Jacob Eichholtz (1776–1842) was an early American painter...

A fine, antique brass easel with Pietra Dura panels and three handpainted portrait miniature paintings, circa 1880. The brass easel of triangular ...

American oil on canvas portrait of seated young lady in the original gilt wood floral flame, New York, Mid-19th century.

American oil on canvas landscape with a flowing stream, trees and mountains, watering cows in the foreground, sun in the background, encompassed on the original stretchers and the or...

American oil on canvas of landscape depicting mountains, meadows, and a stream in the original mounted foliage gilt frame. Late 19th Century.

Pair of American oil on canvas stills in gilt and painted frames. Each painting consist of fruit in wicker baskets. Signed by artist. T. Maria. Early 19th Century.

American pastel of young lady grasping dove in the original oval floral gilt frame presented under glass, Mid 19th Century. Original paper label on back. Ursuline Convent, Valle Cru...

Curt Walters (American, b. 1950) "Homestead Herald" oil painting on canvas depicting a springtime landscape scene with flowering trees and a red roofed ho...