California - Decorative Art

Framed cubist style lithograph by French artist Georges Dayez - "Femmes Devant un Barque" Dimensions 29” width x 24.5” height. Condition Good...

Introducing the exquisite Romain de Tirtoff Erté 1987 Loge De Theatre Framed Silk Scarf Wall Art, Signed. This stunning piece combines the elegance of ...

A set of 6 unique hand-painted wood plates depicting a bullfight brought from Spain in the 1950's nice original patina and beautiful hand work, on s...

Created in London, this coat is the absolute form of vintage luxury. Presented in the form of high-quality materials and craftsmanship, but without ostentatious logos or branding. Ra...

Framed pastel painting by American artist, Linda Jacobson, c.1980. The landscape artwork portrays trees, water and green rolling hills. The mood of Jacobson's work is often peaceful ...

Mel Sage is a Southern Californian artist and woodworker. She pulls inspiration from nature and it's profound undulations in the form of real topographies with a nod to architectural...

Moroccan Orientalist oil on canvas painting of a 19th century Moroccan market scene with an old men seating on a carpet selling old coins and a Moorish...

Antique Chinese watercolor painting on paper, enclosed in glass and gilt wood frame, early 20th century Measures: height 27.5 inch...

Beautiful oil on canvas of reclining blonde nude on a white bed sheet. Framed. Signed (see attached photo). 20th century. Painting dimensions: H. 20...

Antique Chinese watercolor painting on paper, enclosed in glass and gilt wood frame, early 20th century. Measures: height 27.5 inc...

Hermes France Porcelain Serving Tray in Jardin des Orchidees. A white ground with purple and white cymbidium goeringii orchid plants. Underside marked He...

Mid-20th century hand-painted lacquered wood and heavy paper large decorative fan. Vintage Asian Extra Large Hand Painted Folding Fan Art. Stunning vintage Asian large hand-painted folding wall fan chinoiserie. In good vintage condition! This amazing Chinoiserie chic Hollywood Regency style wall fan would look fabulous anywhere to add those special vibes to any decor. Monumental Chinese folding fan that is extra large when fully opened. This is a vintage piece from the 1960s most likely. The colors are still incredibly vivid and the folding mechanism works. This makes a wonderful sculptural wall decoration. The fan is ready for installation with two threaded hooks on the reverse side This hand painted gilt monumental folded Chinese Export fan...

Pair of Vintage Wall Ornaments made of carved and gilded wood. Interesting accessories for a vintage home, especially in the hall or near a mantel.

Original lithograph poster by Salvador Dalí "Alsace" depicts a colorful abstract/dream-like illustration of the Alsace region in France. In 1969, Salvador D...

Painting by American artist Robert Shirk captures playful illusions by painting layered plexiglass to bring to life a visually pleasing images. This large scale framed artwork showca...

A large vintage Deruta Raffaellesco decorative wall plate with scalloped rim. Majolica hand-painted with magnificent detailing and artwork, extraordina...

Framed Signed Handmade Paper, 20th Century.

Samantha McCurdy 3D Abstract Art Substituting traditional canvas for thin, stretchable spandex, the works call to mind form-fitting attributes of yoga pants or a swimsuit. Hidden b...

This custom board was inspired by Ellsworth Kelly's Dazzle war ships and will add a bit of socal to any room. It is an actual board designed with Chris Christensen and can be used fo...

Drawing by American artist Wade Reynolds. Known mostly for his figure paintings and drawings, this piece falls right in line with his style. The portrait of a man on paper with penci...

Framed acrylic abstract painting on canvas by artist, Jon Staley featuring a range of earth tones. Signed by the artist. Dimensions 25.75" width x .5" depth x 37.5" height. Condit...

Beautiful designer decorative Imari Asian wall plates from the French Parisian designer Fabienne Jouvin. The plates with irregular shapes and quite shallow with a beautiful Oriental Asian Japanese style depicting a man and woman portrait on each plate. The portrait are period Imperial style, with Japanese kimono and hair style, vivid colors on each panel of the plate depicting different Asian traditional design motifs. Colorful modern Asian motif decorative plates or shallow bowls made by Fabienne Jouvin Paris...

1970s VICTOR VASARELY "Live and let live love and let love". Rosenthal collectible framed German plate. Victor Vasarely Rosenthal Studio Line Limited Edition Porcelain Plate. By Vasarely born 1936. "Leben und Leben lassen, Lieben und Lieben lassen" "Live and let live - love and let love". Limited edition, signed and numbered. Plate is in good condition, size is 12". Frame is not in good condition, white became yellowish shows wear. Victor Vasarely, born as Győző Vásárhelyi on April 9, 1906, in Pécs, Hungary, was a Hungarian-French artist widely regarded as the "father of Op Art" (Optical Art). He is known for his pioneering work in geometric abstraction and the use of optical illusions to create visually captivating and dynamic artworks. Vasarely's early career involved studying medicine in Budapest, but he later decided to pursue his passion for art and enrolled in the Műhely (Workshop) academy in Hungary. He initially experimented with various styles, including Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, but his interest in geometric abstraction grew stronger over time. In the 1930s, Vasarely moved to Paris, where he continued to explore geometric patterns, lines, and shapes in his art. He believed that art should not merely imitate nature but should create its own language of forms and colors to engage the viewer's perception actively. This philosophy led to the development of Op Art, a movement that emerged in the 1960s and focused on creating optical illusions and visual effects through precise geometric patterns and colors. Vasarely's artworks often featured meticulously arranged geometric shapes, giving the impression of movement and three-dimensionality. He employed various optical tricks, such as the juxtaposition of contrasting colors and the use of repetition, to create an illusion of depth and visual dynamism. His artworks can evoke a sense of visual vibration and often challenge the viewer's perception. Throughout his career, Vasarely's influence extended beyond the art world. He believed in the democratization of art and wanted to make art accessible to a wider audience. He embraced mass production techniques, creating what he called "multiple originals" or "serigraphs" (a form of screen printing). These serigraphs allowed him to produce multiple copies of his artworks at affordable prices, making them more accessible to art enthusiasts. Vasarely's artistic legacy continues to be celebrated around the world. His work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums, and he remains an influential figure in the fields of Op Art and abstract geometric art. He passed away on March 15, 1997, in Paris, leaving behind a vast body of work that continues to captivate audiences and inspire artists to this day. About Rosenthal: German porcelain manufactory Rosenthal was originally founded as a ceramics-painting studio by Philipp Rosenthal Sr. (1855-1937) in 1879 at Schloss Erkersreuth in Bavaria, near the Czech border. Its first highly popular product was an ashtray inscribed with the words “Resting place for lit cigars.” In 1890, the company moved to the neighboring hamlet of Selb and, a year later, began to manufacture its own porcelain, since white porcelain was, at that time, in short supply. Rosenthal’s first complete table service was called Empire; it was exhibited along with other lines at Paris’s Exposition Universelle in 1900. With the dawn of the 20th century, Rosenthal began producing porcelain tableware and services formed and decorated in the latest styles, like the Jugendstil Botticelli (1903), the Art Nouveau Darmstadt (1905), and the all-white Maria (1916) lines. Successes with this au courant approach led the company to launch an art pottery division in 1910, dedicated to luxury tableware, vases, and other decorative objects. By the 1930s, figurines were another important Rosenthal product, most notably the Disney-licensed Mickey Mouse pieces introduced in 1931. In 1934, Philipp Rosenthal was forced to leave his company and country when his Jewish ancestry came under persecution by the Nazi regime. Despite the loss of its founder, the Rosenthal company remained the premier supplier of high-quality porcelain tableware to the Third Reich. After the war, in 1950, Philip Rosenthal Jr. (1916-2001) joined his father's company as an advertising manager. By 1958, he had become its CEO, continuing his father’s vision to produce high-quality porcelain in line with progressive tastes. Through the rest of the 20th century, Rosenthal was the most commercially successful porcelain producer in Germany. In the postwar era, Rosenthal’s most famous tableware lines have included 2000 by Raymond Loewy and Richard Latham (1954), Magic Flute by Bjørn Wiinblad (1959), Suomi by Timo Sarpaneva (1976), and Moon by Jasper Morrison (1997). The company has enjoyed many popular and critically acclaimed collaborations with designers and brands, like Salvador Dalì, Tapio Wirkkala, Walter Gropius, Andy Warhol, Ron Arad, Enzo Mari, Konstantin Grcic, and Versace. Rosenthal's product lines have encompassed more than ceramics over the years. In 1972, the company began producing furniture, under the subsidiary Rosenthal Einrichtung, in Espelkamp, Germany. Standouts from this arm of Rosenthal include Gunter Ferdinand Ris and Herbert Selldorf’s futuristic Sunball Lounge Chair (1969), Verner Panton’s Relaxer Rocking Chair (1974), Burchard Vogtherr's Vario Pillo...

19th century French painted paper and mother of pearl fan, shadow-box framed antique ladies fan, made of mother of pearl with a hand embellished re...

JAMES RIZZI "City People" Rosenthal Germany Collectible Plate Limited Edition. 1970s Rosenthal collectible porcelain plate 'City People', designed by James Rizzi, Executed by Rosenthal, Germany, limited edition, no./1500 Limited edition, signed and numbered. Framed plate is in excellent condition, plate size is 12". Frames is not in good condition, white became yellowish shows wear. About James Rizzi: AMERICAN, 1950-2011 James Rizzi (October 5, 1950 – December 26, 2011) was an American pop artist who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Best known for his vibrant, youthful graphics and his three-dimensional prints. He was the official artist for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, adorning the famous logo with his noodle-like drawing style. Rizzi was most famous for his 3D artwork, "especially the large, elaborate prints and teeming anthropomorphic cityscapes. His merry maximalism and delight in delirious detail and elaborate minutiae created a true art brand, a trademark style as recognizable as any in the world." About Rosenthal: German porcelain manufactory Rosenthal was originally founded as a ceramics-painting studio by Philipp Rosenthal Sr. (1855-1937) in 1879 at Schloss Erkersreuth in Bavaria, near the Czech border. Its first highly popular product was an ashtray inscribed with the words “Resting place for lit cigars.” In 1890, the company moved to the neighboring hamlet of Selb and, a year later, began to manufacture its own porcelain, since white porcelain was, at that time, in short supply. Rosenthal’s first complete table service was called Empire; it was exhibited along with other lines at Paris’s Exposition Universelle in 1900. With the dawn of the 20th century, Rosenthal began producing porcelain tableware and services formed and decorated in the latest styles, like the Jugendstil Botticelli (1903), the Art Nouveau Darmstadt (1905), and the all-white Maria (1916) lines. Successes with this au courant approach led the company to launch an art pottery division in 1910, dedicated to luxury tableware, vases, and other decorative objects. By the 1930s, figurines were another important Rosenthal product, most notably the Disney-licensed Mickey Mouse pieces introduced in 1931. In 1934, Philipp Rosenthal was forced to leave his company and country when his Jewish ancestry came under persecution by the Nazi regime. Despite the loss of its founder, the Rosenthal company remained the premier supplier of high-quality porcelain tableware to the Third Reich. After the war, in 1950, Philip Rosenthal Jr. (1916-2001) joined his father's company as an advertising manager. By 1958, he had become its CEO, continuing his father’s vision to produce high-quality porcelain in line with progressive tastes. Through the rest of the 20th century, Rosenthal was the most commercially successful porcelain producer in Germany. In the postwar era, Rosenthal’s most famous tableware lines have included 2000 by Raymond Loewy and Richard Latham (1954), Magic Flute by Bjørn Wiinblad (1959), Suomi by Timo Sarpaneva (1976), and Moon by Jasper Morrison (1997). The company has enjoyed many popular and critically acclaimed collaborations with designers and brands, like Salvador Dalì, Tapio Wirkkala, Walter Gropius, Andy Warhol, Ron Arad, Enzo Mari, Konstantin Grcic, and Versace. Rosenthal's product lines have encompassed more than ceramics over the years. In 1972, the company began producing furniture, under the subsidiary Rosenthal Einrichtung, in Espelkamp, Germany. Standouts from this arm of Rosenthal include Gunter Ferdinand Ris and Herbert Selldorf’s futuristic Sunball Lounge Chair (1969), Verner Panton’s Relaxer Rocking Chair (1974), Burchard Vogtherr's Vario Pillo...

"The Hindustan" Panoramic wallpaper panels by Zuber & Cie. Rixhem, France. The frame with 4 panels is 59"-inches high x 106"-inches wide. Each panel measures 59"-inches high x 26"-inches wide, Artist: Zuber Period: 20th century Material: Papier peint Condition: Picture # 12 shows a small incident in the sky, you need to be close to see it, it is above the house dome. As originally, the panoramic scenery "The Hindustan" is printed "à la planche" with the 1265 antique woodblocks, carved in 1807 by the manufacturory's workers. The lavishness of the panoramic wallpaper by Zuber & Cie called Hindustan (printed using 1,265 woodblocks carved in 1807) Panoramic "Hindoustan" of the prestigious Zuber manufacture in Rixheim. This wallpaper created by the manufacture in 1807 presents a panorama of the Indian subcontinent. Hindustan is of an incredible richness of decoration as much by the diversity of the buildings, the animals and the scenes represented, it is a motionless journey that this panoramic offers us. The Zuber factory, founded in 1790, is one of the most prestigious wallpaper manufactures known worldwide, its panoramas and wallpapers decorate many palaces, embassies, castles, such as the reception room for diplomats at the White House in Washington decorated at the instigation of Jacky Kennedy...

Sam Francis (1923–1994) Paradise of Ash (SF-276) (one panel), 1981. Lithograph in colors on HMP Koller handmade off-white paper measuring 46¼ h × 32¼ w in (117 × 82 cm). Oak frame 36...

Acrylic Relief Painting by Paul Maxwell "Ridgemont" - 1985, USA. Dimensions 60" width x 36" height Condition Good vintage condition; professionally cleaned.

Astonishing lithograph on paper by Salvador Dalí titled "The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus", numbered 36/300. This work is an ambitious homage to Dalí's Spain. It comb...

Acrylic Relief Painting by Paul Maxwell "Exterior Concerns" - 1985, USA. Dimensions 48" width x 30" height Condition Good vintage condition; professionally cleaned.

Vintage Islamic Moroccan tile with the Hand of Fatima, pair of Fishes and a Gazelle, the Hand of Fatima is here to protect against negative energy, fishes and the gazelle are to bring good energy for business and wealth homes. The Hand of Fatima, also known as the Hamsa, can indeed be adorned with various decorative elements, including fishes and gazelle designs. These additional motifs can carry their own symbic meanings, which can vary based on ctural and personal interpretations. 1) Fishes: In some interpretations, fishes can symbize fertility, abundance, and sustenance. In Christian symbism, fishes are associated with Jesus and his disciples. In the context of the Hand of Fatima, fishes cod signify blessings and prosperity. 2) Gazelle: Gazelles are often associated with grace, beauty, and swiftness. They can also represent a connection to nature and the natural world. The addition of a gazelle to the Hand of Fatima design might emphasize qualities such as protection, elegance, and harmony. When combined with the Hand of Fatima, these designs cod amplify the protective and positive energies associated with the symb itself. However, it's important to note that interpretations can vary widely depending on ctural backgrounds, religious beliefs, and personal associations. The final meaning wod timately depend on the intent of the wearer or the person displaying the symbs. A Hamsa is a hand-shaped amet which is found across North Africa, and is often seen in Arabic and Jewish jewellery...

Hans Zatzka (Austrian, 1859-1945) a superb quality oil on canvas titled "Flowers of the Alps" ("Blumen der Alpen") Depicting young standing and posing young maiden holding a wicker b...

An epically scaled and immaculately executed 1981 framed serigraph of “Twin Sisters” by Erté, hand-signed and numbered by the artist. A strikingly beau...

Set of three original hand-carved letterpress made by the Neal Walters Poster Company. Fantastic carnival midway scene. Games, carnival rides and acrobats. Carved with incredible detail, please see photos. The colors are the original ink used during the three color posted printing process. Circus and...

Limited Edition Andy Warhol Print Framed and authenticated Wall mounts attached.

"Hawaiian Fishermen" lithograph by Salvador Dalí (circa 1970s) with "Arches France" blind stamp. Newly framed and matted , UV protected. Numbered I87/175...

1970s Los Castillo Virgin Mary Silver Black Wall Art Taxco Mexico Silver on Black Lacquered Wood 10.25 H x 5 W x .75 Thick Made in Mexico. Maker sta...

Vintage black porcelain decorative wall plate with 24k gold hand painted Greek warriors on horse chariot 1970's. Hand made in Greece decorative black and gold wall plate depicting Greek Mythology. Porcelain black glazed with 24k. gilt gold, backside indicates, "hand-made in Greece, and below that 24k Gold, and next to this is a Greek Key boxed...

A 1970s framed Victor Vasarely limited edition Op art serigraph titled “Torony III”, signed and numbered 35/250. Three-dimensional ovoid shape comprised of warped fluorescent red, green, and blue stepped blocks of varied brightness that call to mind the Classic early-‘80s arcade & home video game...

Brutalist wood art piece with nails in an abstract Mayan design. No signature. Measures: 18.75 H x 12/38 W x 1.5 Thick inches Original vintage un...

Vintage Cooper Embossed artwork Bongo Player signed C.I.E. Pearson in black Wood Framed. This vintage copper embossed piece of art depicts a bongo player against a dark background wi...

Vintage Thai Temple charcoal rubbing. Hand crafted temple scenes at the Wat Pho temple located in Phra Nakhon district in Bangkok Thailand...

Pair continental Gouache miniature portrait of a Beauties, 19th century. The portraits depict white haired beauties in royal lace and velvet garbs...

Vintage Hand Painted scenic oil painting panels - a pair Additional information: Materials: Giltwood, Paint Color: Blue Period: Mid-20th Century Art Subjects: Landscape Styl...

Original turns of the 20th-century gold-tone artwork "THE FOUR SEASONS" "Spring" silhouette glass print in original gold-tone frame by the artist Fidus. Each piece of art features a scene of young nudists in different seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Spring features a group dancing in a circle much like Europeans dance around maypole in spring. Framed 3.5" x 7" Hugo Höppener dropped out of art school in 1887 to join the vegetarian and nudist commune of Bavarian painter-philosopher, Karl Diefenbach. Withina few weeks, police raided the place. Charged with nude sunbathing...

Jozef Popczyk Cubist Art Deco Painting Still Life oil on poster board. Joseph Popczyk Polish artist known for his vivid palette and love of Cubism, and in this case, the chevrons and wavy patterns of Art Deco can also be detected. The artist was born in Poland and — like many of his contemporaries in Eastern Europe — gravitated toward Paris in the 1910s. There, he loved to depict the flash and jazz of club life in Paris, always with verve and energy. This still life has great elements: drinking glasses...

Step back in time with our Late 19th Century painting, a treasure in good condition and a testament to the artistry of the past. Signed in the bottom corner, this piece carries the a...

Polychrome hand painted and handcrafted ceramic wall decorative plate with polychrome Ottoman floral design. This is an intricately, hand painted Moorish plate that was made in Turkey. Turkey is famous for its kiln products, such as tiles and pottery, which are glazed and multicolored. It has a beautifully hand painted geometrical Moorish design in burgundy, yellow, turquoise, light and dark blue. An Islamic ceramic...

Stephen Whittle Etching "Wisteria Arch " limited edition vintage gold framed. Limited edition signed and titled in pencil. Stephen Whittle Limi...

Capodimonte porcelain high relief plaque after Peter Paul Rubens, 1st Half 20th Century. After 17th Century Flemish Baroque painter, Peter Paul Rub...

A vintage midcentury red color silk brocade collectable Japanese ceremonial wedding kimono. One of a kind handcrafted . Fabulous museum quality ceremonial piece in pure silk with ...

Vintage MCM Macrame Wall Hanging Art Sampler 1973/1974 Interesting sampler with multiple knotting designs. Good, clean condition and well execute...

Handcrafted Ken Edwards ceramic plate Tonala Mexico Folk Art Pottery. Vintage Ken Edwards Mexican ceramic birds and flowers from Tonala Pottery. ...

Vintage original macrame fiber art backdrop tapestry, circa 1970s. Features an intricate pattern of hand knotted designs accented with abstract pieces of driftwood. This vertical han...

KPM hand painted porcelain figural plaque, 19th Century. The plaque depicts a profile portrait of a gypsy. Signed "L. Wirkner" to the lower right. Framed and matted in a velvet gilt ...

Duane Richard Raoul Faralla (1916 - 1996) wood construction panel painted red. Dated 1-26-85 About the Artist: Mr Faralla was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was an alumnus of the San...

This captivating lithograph poster is an artwork for the 1974 Tokyo exhibition, titled "American Trotting Horses, No. 1," created by renowned artist Salvador Dali. The image is part of the Currier and Ives Suite, a collection of six lithographs published by Phyllis Lucas in 1971. The poster features Dali's interpretation of John Murphy, a celebrated harness jockey, driving the famous pair of champion racers Edward and Swiveller at the Gentleman's Driving Park in Morrisania, NY, in 1882. Dali's distinctive artistic style infuses the scene with a surreal and dreamlike quality, capturing the essence of the dynamic sport of trotting horses. A facsimile of the original Currier and Ives...

A fine Italian 19th century oil painting on canvas "La Madonna della Seggiola" after Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino 1483-1520) The circular canvas depicting a seated Madonna holding an infant Jesus Christ next to a child Saint John the Baptist, all within a massive carved gilt wood and gesso frame (all high quality gilt is original) which is identical to the frame on Raphael's original artwork. This painting is a 19th Century copy of Raphael's Madonna della Seggiola painted in 1514 and currently exhibited and part of the permanent collection at the Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina, Florence, Italy. The bodies of the Virgin, Christ, and the boy Baptist fill the whole picture. The tender, natural looking embrace of the Mother and Child, and the harmonious grouping of the figures in the round, have made this one of Raphael's most popular Madonnas. The isolated chair leg is reminiscent of papal furniture, which has led to the assumption that Leo X himself commissioned the painting, circa 1890-1900. Subject: Religious painting Measures: Canvas height: 29 1/4 inches (74.3 cm) Canvas width: 29 1/4 inches (74.3 cm) Painting diameter: 28 1/4 inches (71.8 cm) Frame height: 57 7/8 inches (147 cm) Frame width: 45 1/2 inches (115.6 cm) Frame depth: 5 1/8 inches (13 cm).   Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (Italian, March 28 or April 6, 1483 - April 6, 1520), known as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur. Together with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, he forms the traditional trinity of great masters of that period. Raphael was enormously productive, running an unusually large workshop and, despite his death at 37, leaving a large body of work. Many of his works are found in the Vatican Palace, where the frescoed Raphael Rooms were the central, and the largest, work of his career. The best known work is The School of Athens in the Vatican Stanza della Segnatura. After his early years in Rome much of his work was executed by his workshop from his drawings, with considerable loss of quality. He was extremely influential in his lifetime, though outside Rome his work was mostly known from his collaborative printmaking. After his death, the influence of his great rival Michelangelo was more widespread until the 18th and 19th centuries, when Raphael's more serene and harmonious qualities were again regarded as the highest models. His career falls naturally into three phases and three styles, first described by Giorgio Vasari: his early years in Umbria, then a period of about four years (1504–1508) absorbing the artistic traditions of Florence, followed by his last hectic and triumphant twelve years in Rome, working for two Popes and their close associates. Raphael was born in the small but artistically significant central Italian city of Urbino in the Marche region, where his father Giovanni Santi was court painter to the Duke. The reputation of the court had been established by Federico III da Montefeltro, a highly successful condottiere who had been created Duke of Urbino by the Pope - Urbino formed part of the Papal States - and who died the year before Raphael was born. The emphasis of Federico's court was rather more literary than artistic, but Giovanni Santi was a poet of sorts as well as a painter, and had written a rhymed chronicle of the life of Federico, and both wrote the texts and produced the decor for masque-like court entertainments. His poem to Federico shows him as keen to show awareness of the most advanced North Italian painters, and Early Netherlandish artists as well. In the very small court of Urbino he was probably more integrated into the central circle of the ruling family than most court painters. Federico was succeeded by his son Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, who married Elisabetta Gonzaga, daughter of the ruler of Mantua, the most brilliant of the smaller Italian courts for both music and the visual arts. Under them, the court continued as a centre for literary culture. Growing up in the circle of this small court gave Raphael the excellent manners and social skills stressed by Vasari. Court life in Urbino at just after this period was to become set as the model of the virtues of the Italian humanist court through Baldassare Castiglione's depiction of it in his classic work The Book of the Courtier, published in 1528. Castiglione moved to Urbino in 1504, when Raphael was no longer based there but frequently visited, and they became good friends. He became close to other regular visitors to the court: Pietro Bibbiena and Pietro Bembo, both later cardinals, were already becoming well known as writers, and would be in Rome during Raphael's period there. Raphael mixed easily in the highest circles throughout his life, one of the factors that tended to give a misleading impression of effortlessness to his career. He did not receive a full humanistic education however; it is unclear how easily he read Latin. Early Life and Works His mother Màgia died in 1491 when Raphael was eight, followed on August 1, 1494 by his father, who had already remarried. Raphael was thus orphaned at eleven; his formal guardian became his only paternal uncle Bartolomeo, a priest, who subsequently engaged in litigation with his stepmother. He probably continued to live with his stepmother when not staying as an apprentice with a master. He had already shown talent, according to Vasari, who says that Raphael had been "a great help to his father". A self-portrait drawing from his teenage years shows his precocity. His father's workshop continued and, probably together with his stepmother, Raphael evidently played a part in managing it from a very early age. In Urbino, he came into contact with the works of Paolo Uccello, previously the court painter (d. 1475), and Luca Signorelli, who until 1498 was based in nearby Città di Castello. According to Vasari, his father placed him in the workshop of the Umbrian master Pietro Perugino as an apprentice "despite the tears of his mother". The evidence of an apprenticeship comes only from Vasari and another source, and has been disputed—eight was very early for an apprenticeship to begin. An alternative theory is that he received at least some training from Timoteo Viti, who acted as court painter in Urbino from 1495.Most modern historians agree that Raphael at least worked as an assistant to Perugino from around 1500; the influence of Perugino on Raphael's early work is very clear: "probably no other pupil of genius has ever absorbed so much of his master's teaching as Raphael did", according to Wölfflin. Vasari wrote that it was impossible to distinguish between their hands at this period, but many modern art historians claim to do better and detect his hand in specific areas of works by Perugino or his workshop. Apart from stylistic closeness, their techniques are very similar as well, for example having paint applied thickly, using an oil varnish medium, in shadows and darker garments, but very thinly on flesh areas. An excess of resin in the varnish often causes cracking of areas of paint in the works of both masters. The Perugino workshop was active in both Perugia and Florence, perhaps maintaining two permanent branches. Raphael is described as a "master", that is to say fully trained, in December 1500. His first documented work was the Baronci altarpiece for the church of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino in Città di Castello, a town halfway between Perugia and Urbino. Evangelista da Pian di Meleto, who had worked for his father, was also named in the commission. It was commissioned in 1500 and finished in 1501; now only some cut sections and a preparatory drawing remain. In the following years he painted works for other churches there, including the Mond Crucifixion (about 1503) and the Brera Wedding of the Virgin (1504), and for Perugia, such as the Oddi Altarpiece. He very probably also visited Florence in this period. These are large works, some in fresco, where Raphael confidently marshals his compositions in the somewhat static style of Perugino. He also painted many small and exquisite cabinet paintings in these years, probably mostly for the connoisseurs in the Urbino court, like the Three Graces and St. Michael, and he began to paint Madonnas and portraits. In 1502 he went to Siena at the invitation of another pupil of Perugino, Pinturicchio, "being a friend of Raphael and knowing him to be a draughtsman of the highest quality" to help with the cartoons, and very likely the designs, for a fresco series in the Piccolomini Library in Siena Cathedral. He was evidently already much in demand even at this early stage in his career. Influence of Florence Raphael led a "nomadic" life, working in various centres in Northern Italy, but spent a good deal of time in Florence, perhaps from about 1504. Although there is traditional reference to a "Florentine period...