Andrée RUY PETROFF

Expressionist Mid-Century Still Life of Flowers in a Vase.

Mid 19th Century watercolour drawing and watercolour study of a tree by noted Danish artist Thorald Læssøe. The work is monogram signed bottom left and there is an annotation in the ...

Mid 19th Century watercolour drawing of Frederiksborg Castle by noted Danish artist Thorald Læssøe. The work is monogram signed to the back of the paper where there is another drawin...

Mid Century Italian watercolour on paper of a tablescape, signed and dated (1956) bottom right. The artist is currently unknown. This painting forms part of a pair with another tab...

Watercolour on handmade paper of a 'Senoufo' figure applied to Vélin d'Arches paper by French artist La Roche Laffitte. Titled to the bottom centre. A beautifully observed and detai...

Watercolour on handmade paper of a 'Ngil' mask applied to Vélin d'Arches paper by French artist La Roche Laffitte. Titled to the centre and signed by the artist to the left. A beautifully observed and detailed study of a 'Ngil' mask in light yellow/ochre on high quality hand-made paper. An extremely chic and elegant watercolour. This contemporary artist, born in 1943 specialises in watercolour studies on hand-made paper. With his highly detailed and precisely painted studies he invites us into the magical world of cultural objects, flora and fauna. The treasures of nature along with tribal regalia is his main inspiration. All of his work is beautifully observed and executed down to the smallest detail. The secret brotherhood of the ngil used large wooden masks (called nkukh or asu ngi, i.e. 'the face of the ngi'), with stylised human figures, grotesquely accentuated features, decorated with engravings reminiscent of warriors' scarifications. These masks were more or less large, sometimes polychrome, some with monoxys horns (in South Cameroon and Rio Muni), others simply coated with whitish kaolin, the symbolic colour of spirits. Father H. Trilles had several opportunities to see and even photograph them during his journey through Fang country, from Rio Muni to South Cameroon (1899-1901). The initiation was an opportunity to reveal to the neophytes, in the greatest secrecy, that the masks were not mysterious beings from the beyond but only wooden accessories...

A set of three fine hand painted botanical watercolour studies on silk of tulips by La Roche Laffitte. The works are signed bottom right. Some are titled and numbered (see photos) Th...

Howard Tangye (b.1948, Australia) has been an influential force in fashion for decades. Lecturing at London’s Central Saint Martins for 35 years, including 16 years as head of BA Wom...

Howard Tangye (b.1948, Australia) has been an influential force in fashion for decades. Lecturing at London’s Central Saint Martins for 35 years, including 16 years as head of BA Wom...

Howard Tangye (b.1948, Australia) has been an influential force in fashion for decades. Lecturing at London’s Central Saint Martins for 35 years, including 16 years as head of BA Wom...

Howard Tangye (b.1948, Australia) has been an influential force in fashion for decades. Lecturing at London’s Central Saint Martins for 35 years, including 16 years as head of BA Wom...

Howard Tangye (b.1948, Australia) has been an influential force in fashion for decades. Lecturing at London’s Central Saint Martins for 35 years, including 16 years as head of BA Wom...

Pastel on toned paper suitable for framing.