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PORTRAIT HEAD OF A GIRL Rome, circa 2nd/3rd century A.D. Marble height 18.4 cm height 7 1/4 in Provenance: Sotheby's, London, May 23rd, 1988, no. 240,...

Yoshitomo Nara It's Five to Two, 2021 Fine bone china 26.7 cm Edition of 250 Yoshitomo Nara, a celebrated contemporary artist hailing from Japan, has captivated audiences worldwide ...

A fine patinated bronze bust of a French nobleman by French sculptor Ernest Rancoulet (1870-1915). Rancoulet was born in Bordeaux, France and was best known for his Neoclassical bron...

Charles Rumsey was a child prodigy sent to Paris to train in sculpting at age 12. He was not only a prodigy sculptor but an avid horseman and sportsman...

Tina Barney Players (Signed and dated by Tina Barney), 2010 Hardback monograph with dust jacket (Hand signed and dated by Tina Barney) Signed and dated 3/9/2011 by Tina Barney 9 × 12...

Rabin Mondal - Untitled Acrylic on Board 20 x 13 Inches 2018 Mondal was a clear observant of the various migrant workers who lived along his house in the conjected Howrah Area. The...

This piece titled "MySpace Tom No. 6" is a one-of-a-kind original piece by Nicole Nikolich (Lace in the Moon) and is made from crochet acrylic. This piece measures 30"h x 33"w framed...

This piece titled "2 Skaters (diptych)" is an original artwork by Thom Lessner and is made from ink on paper. This piece measures approx. 14.25”h x 22”w framed each. Al San Valentin...

"Grace Kelly with Inspirational Quote" by Peter Engels In this captivating original portrait painting by the renowned artist Peter Engels, the timeless beauty and grace of Hollywoo...

"Woman-Flower" Lamp by MARS-VALLETT (1869-1957) Art Nouveau sculpture forming a table lamp, made in gilded bronze with two light arms Signed on the base "Mars-Vallett" Old edition ast France circa 1900 height (without light bulbs) 35 cm width 25 cm Biography: Mars-Vallett, pseudonym of François Marius Vallet (1869-1957), was a French caricaturist and sculptor. Son of a marble worker from Chambéry, Mars-Vallett was a student at the Paris School of Fine Arts. Working as a caricaturist during his youth, he worked for numerous Parisian publications such as the newspaper “Soleil du Dimanche”. Mars-Vallett won several awards at the Salon of French Artists and the Salon of the National Society of Fine Arts. He was also the curator of the Savoy museum in 1904 and the Charmettes museum (Jean-Jacques Rousseau's house) in 1907. He was one of the founding members of the Society of Friends of Old Chambéry in 1933. During his life in Paris, Mars-Vallett received visits to his studio, among others, from Auguste Rodin and Albert Bartholomé. He was very close with the painter François Cachoud...

This piece titled "MySpace Tom No. 4" is a one-of-a-kind original piece by Nicole Nikolich (Lace in the Moon) and is made from crochet acrylic. This piece measures 30"h x 33"w framed...

A fine oil painting with cherubs and a cart of fruit by French artist Leger Cherelle (1816-1867). Cherelle was born in Versailles, France, a...

This work by Pavel Tchelitchew (1898-1957) is offered by CLAMP In New York City. Jacques Stettiner c. 1927 Signature stamp in purple ink, verso; Also titled in pencil, verso Ink o...

Paresh Maity - Eternal Triangle 30 x 48 inches ( Unremed Size ) 58.1 x 40.1 Inches ( Framed Size ) Oil on canvas 2015 Paresh Maity is one of India's most lauded contemporary artis...

Prakash Karmakar - Beach Series 14.5 x 11 inches (unframed size) Ink on Paper 2006 ( Framed and Delivered ) Style : Legendary master artist Lt. Prokash Karmakar from Bengal was sole...

Jogen Chowdhury Untitled, Charcoal on Paper 13 x 23 inches (unframed size ) 1998 ( Framed & Delivered ) Style : He has immense contribution in inspiring young artists of India. J...

It seems our faith can't breathe, 100х200cm, oil/canvas

The hair is made of actual gold leaf (imitation), so the hair shines and sparkles nicely in light. Original painting. Acrylic, oil, paper and gold leaf on high quality linen canvas s...

A fine European portrait of a priest, oil on canvas, probably dating to the 17th or 18th century, unsigned, with original stretcher, minor surface losses and damage, craquelure, edge...

Gerhard Richter GERHARD RICHTER PORTRAITS (official hand signed copy), 2009 Hardback monograph with dust jacket (official hand signed copy) Hand signed by Gerhard Richter on the titl...

Paritosh Sen - Untitled ( Woman at the Tube Well ) Pen & Ink on Paper 8.6 x 11 inches, 1992 ( Framed & Delivered ) A stunning work in colors on "red ,Blue Gold in Acrylic on Board ,...

Philip Glass Words Without Music (hand signed by Philip Glass), 2015 Hardback monograph with dust jacket (hand signed by Philip Glass) Hand signed by Philip Glass on the half title page 9 1/2 × 6 1/2 × 1 1/4 inches Hand signed by Philip Glass on the half title page. Makes an excellent gift! Book information: Publisher: Liveright Publishing Company, 2015 English; Hardcover; 432 pages; 32 pages of photographs Publisher's blurb: The long-awaited memoir by “the most prolific and popular of all contemporary composers” (New York Times). A world-renowned composer of symphonies, operas, and film scores, Philip Glass has, almost single-handedly, crafted the dominant sound of late-twentieth-century classical music. Yet here in Words Without Music, he creates an entirely new and unexpected voice, that of a born storyteller and an acutely insightful chronicler, whose behind-the-scenes recollections allow readers to experience those moments of creative fusion when life so magically merged with art. "If you go to New York City to study music, you'll end up like your uncle Henry," Glass's mother warned her incautious and curious nineteen-year-old son. It was the early summer of 1956, and Ida Glass was concerned that her precocious Philip, already a graduate of the University of Chicago, would end up an itinerant musician, playing in vaudeville houses and dance halls all over the country, just like his cigar-smoking, bantamweight uncle. One could hardly blame Mrs. Glass for worrying that her teenage son would end up as a musical vagabond after initially failing to get into Juilliard. Yet, the transformation of a young man from budding musical prodigy to world-renowned composer is the story of this commanding memoir. From his childhood in post–World War II Baltimore to his student days in Chicago, at Juilliard, and his first journey to Paris, where he studied under the formidable Nadia Boulanger, Glass movingly recalls his early mentors, while reconstructing the places that helped shape his artistic consciousness. From a life-changing trip to India, where he met with gurus and first learned of Gandhi’s Salt March, to the gritty streets of New York in the 1970s, where the composer returned, working day jobs as a furniture mover, cabbie, and an unlicensed plumber, Glass leads the life of a Parisian bohemian artist, only now transported to late-twentieth-century America. Yet even after Glass’s talent was first widely recognized with the sensational premiere of Einstein on the Beach...

Audrey Flack Audrey Flack On Painting (hand signed, dated and inscribed by Audrey Flack), 1981 Hardback monograph with dust jacket (hand signed, dated and inscribed by Audrey Flack) ...

Francesco Clemente Life is Paradise (Hand signed by Francesco Clemente), 1999 Hardback monograph (hand signed by Francesco Clemente) Boldy signed by Francesco Clemente on the title p...

Amy Winehouse Red by BATIK Archival pigment pop art print signed & limited edition. paper size 30x30" inches / 76 x 76 cm signed and numbered by the artist on front edition of 5 ...

Tracey Emin Strangeland (Hand signed, dated and inscribed by Tracey Emin), 2005 Hardback monograph with dust jacket (hand signed, dated and inscribed for Ann by Tracey Emin) Hand sig...

Jogen Chowdhury Etching on Paper Print Size : 9.5 x 13 inches Paper Size : 15 x 22 inches Edition A/P, 2018 ( Delivered ) Style : He has immense contribution in inspiring young arti...

Marilyn Monroe 7 is original oil on canvas created by Oksana Tanasiv in 2022. The size of canvas 30"X40". The artist captured iconic celebrity's seductive look who is smoking a cig...

Harisadhan Dey - Smrit - Oil on Canvas 40 x 40 inches ( Rolled & Delivered ) B. 1982 As a young boy of an interior village, Hari Sadhan Dey used to draw the colourful open air dram...

Ritratto dell'uomo, 14 x 14 inches. Oil on panel with gilded frame. Painting by artist Justas Varpucanskis. 21st century contemporary artwork that employs techniques, philosophy and ...

Eli, 11.5 x 13.5 inches. Oil on panel with carved and gilded frame. Painting by artist Justas Varpucanskis. 21st century contemporary artwork that employs techniques, philosophy and ...

This work is part of our exhibition America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1930s Winged Male Figure - Apollo, c. 1930s, polychrome bas-relief of cast aggregate, 12 x 26 inches; the...

Ritratto con paesaggio, 14 x 12 inches. Oil on panel with frame. Painting by artist Justas Varpucanskis. 21st century contemporary artwork that employs techniques, philosophy and vis...

La Bella Attrice, 7.75 x 5.5 inches. Graphite and White Chalk on Toned Paper. Drawing by artist Justas Varpucanskis. This piece utilizes the "rules of craftsmanship" as outlined in C...

Jogen Chowdhury Bronze, Edition 5/6 H 12 x W 8.5 x D 5 inches, 2022 ( Delivered ) Style : He has immense contribution in inspiring young artists of India. Jogen Chowdhury had develo...

Ramkinkar Baij Linocut on Paper 5 x 7 inches & 5 x 7.6 inches ( Unframed Size ) (Set of 2 works) Ramkinkar Baij : Born : 1906 Jugipada, Bankura, West Bengal Died : 1980 Educatio...

F. N. Souza - Untitled Marker on Paper, 11 x 8.5 inches Marker on Tracing Paper Pasted on Board, 12.5 x 9 inches ( Set of 2 works ) (Unframed Delivered) Francis Newton Souza was born in 1924 in Saligao, Goa. After losing his father at a very young age and being afflicted by a serious bout of small pox, he vowed to go about life his own way. Souza was expelled for participating in the Quit India Movement while studying at the Sir J J School of Art in Mumbai. In 1947, he founded the Progressive Artists' Group along with S H Raza...

Chandra Bhattacharya - Untitled 24 x 24 inches (unframed size) Acrylic on Canvas , 2018 ( ROLLED & DELIVERED ) Style : In the last three to four years, he has engaged with the concept of an indelible signature left by the ooze of the urban theatre. Human beings, who have always occupied Chandra, who have mostly been figures of silent resilience on his canvas, now play...

This charming work is a good example of the type of portrait in vogue during the first quarter of the eighteenth century in Britain. The sitter, portrayed bust-length, wears a russet silk dress over a white chemise...

Vestal, Italy, 19th Century marble height 52 cm height 20 1/2 in

A fine grisaille oil painting on canvas of putti in the clouds, unsigned, labeled on verso BOUCHER (genre de Francois), titled “Amours sur des nuages jouant avec des colombes ” (literally translated “cupids on clouds playing with doves”), dating to the 19th century, unframed. French artist Francois Boucher (1707-1770) was well known for Rococo portrait, landscape and mythology painting...

TERRACOTTA FIGURINE OF A COMIC ACTOR , Greece, c. 350 B.C. Labeled to the reverse, 'LAWRENCE COLL./LOT 426. SOTHEBY./APR. 1892. P. 816.'; Terracotta height 15.2 cm height 6 in Prove...

"Flamenco Dancer in Red Dress" by Rene Legrand (Born 1953) Oil on Canvas, Signed and Framed Beautiful and evocative portrait of a young Flamenco Da...

Includes a Certificate of Authenticity

A piece from Bartolome Sastre's mixed media on paper collection. 19.5 x 27.5 inches Pastel and pencil on paper

A fine small oil study of a Buddha in Japan by American artist Lilla Cabot Perry (1848-1933). Perry was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and went on to...

Lucien Desmaré was a Belgian painter born in 1905 and who died in 1961. He was a painter, etcher, illustrator and decorator. He has followed training at the Academies in Anderlecht, ...

After Alessandro Algardi (Bologna, 1585 - Roma,1654) YOUNG HERCULES, Italy, 18th Century terracotta 44 x 25 x 25 cm 17 1/4 x 9 3/4 x 9 3/4 in This lovely sculpture represents the young Hercules, seated with his legs crossed, gently holding a bird with his right hand, raised in the air, while supporting his own weight with his left hand. The artwork refers to the notorious Roman sculpture of the young Hercules killing the snakes sent by Hera, exhibited at the Capitoline Museums in Rome. Academics have identified the young emperor Caracalla or, more recently, Annio Vero, son of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, in the portrait of the sculpture. During the 16th Century there has been an increasing interest of patrons towards the theme of mythology and several acclaimed Italian sculptors worked on the creation of sculptures and depictions of Roman Gods. Among them, the distinguished baroque artist Alessandro Algardi worked on the restoration of several ancient sculptures...

This work formed part of the collection of paintings and family heirlooms of Baron Hugues Alfred Frèdéric de Cabrol de Moute (1909-1997) and his wife, Baroness Marguerite (née d’Harcourt) de Cabrol de Moute (1915-2011). The couple had unimpeachable and enviable family backgrounds, and were descendants of ancient princelings; together they were one of the most prominent high-society couples of the twentieth century and counted the Duke of Duchess of Windsor amongst their closest friends. This portrait is that of Marie-Madeleine de Chamillart (died 28 May 1751) nee Nicolas de Lusse. She had a daughter, Anne, in 1692. In 1700 she married Clément Chamillart (1663-1708), President of the Accounts of the King's Chamber. The couple had a daughter, Madeleine (born 1701), who married Louis, the only son of Guillaume de Guitaut and Antoinette de Vertamont in 1719. Guillaume de Guitaut resided at Château d'Époisses in Burgundy France and his descendants still live today. A portrait of our sitter is still held at the Château. Clément Chamillart died in 1708 and our sitter remarried Jean-Baptiste de Johanne de la Carre (1678-1726), marquis de Saumery, maréchal de camp, in 1713. This marriage produced two daughters, Marguerite (died 1729) and Marie Madeleine (born 1720). Much of the beauty of this elegant portrait resides in its graceful composition – it is a fine example of French portraiture. Beautifully and meticulously rendered throughout, the sitter has been depicted three quarter length in an outdoor setting beside a potted orange tree. The lady is shown in a blue dress with silver detailed décolletage and large voluminous sleeves turned over to reveal elaborately detailed lining. The sumptuous fabrics convey a sense of wealth and prestige. The portrait is striking in its portrayal of the sumptuous fabrics and their decorative richness. The prominent sprig of orange blossom that she is holding is a traditional representation of marriage and eternal love in art, but it also alludes to youth and freshness, and by virtue of the great expense and difficulty with which it was often grown, to great wealth. In accordance with the sitter's age and the style of clothing and hair with the curls on the forehead, this portrait can be dated to the 1720s. Baron Hugues Alfred Frèdéric de Cabrol de Moute (1909-1997) was the son of Roger de Cabrol de Moute and Helen Mary de Lassence. He was one of the more engaging personages in that delightful social constellation of social figures who animated what has become known as "Cafe Society" which was international but inevitably most at home in Paris from the 1920's until the 1960's. He married Marguerite d'Harcourt (1915-2011), known as Daisy, in Paris in 1937, the only daughter of Étienne, Marquis d'Harcourt, and his wife, Marie de Curel. The Harcourt family belongs to the circle of the oldest families in France; the founder of the family, Bernard le Danois, received the seigniory of Harcourt in the tenth century, following the conquest of Normandy. In the 11th century, his descendants took part in the conquest of England alongside William the Conqueror. Later, the Harcourt family was divided into a French branch and an English branch, which successively received the titles of barons, viscounts, and counts. Marguerite "Daisy" Marie Brigitte Emmanuelle Ghislaine d'Harcourt, Baronne de Cabrol was one of the last survivors of twentieth century French high society. Through her mother, Daisy was a descendant of the great industrial family of Wendel, with iron and steel enterprises in Lorraine; she also descended from Nicolas Soult, one of Napoleon's Marshals and three times Prime Minister of France. The couple became friends of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in 1947, and were invited to the Chateau de la Croë, their rented house on Cap d'Antibes. There they found the exiled Windsors living in unusual post-war luxury, serving delicious food and providing fresh sheets every day. Daisy suspected that the Windsors were bored, but, having nothing else to do, were condemned to an endless round of social engagements. She and Fred were among the few allowed to see the Duchess laid out after her death in 1986. Daisy was a considerable hostess, giving a ball every year for her charity, L'Essor, to which le tout Paris would come. One of these, in 1954, was at the Palais des Glaces, in Paris (later used in the film Gigi), at which she entertained Charlie Chaplin, the Begum Aga Khan and the Windsors. According to Nancy Mitford...

Akarova Marguerite (Sint-Joost-Ten-Node, 1904 - Elsene, 1999), Self Portrait, Drawing on Paper, 61 x 81cm, Framed and Signed Marguerite Acarin (30 March 1904, in Saint-Josse-ten-Noo...

Fawad Tamakanat - Cityscape - 40 x 40 inches (unframed size) Acrylic on Canvas. Fawad Tamkanat, from Hyderabad participated with his slightly older works. One in which he is exploring the raging intrusion of technology in today's times. How digital images are influencing images, imagery and the traditional medium of painting. Portraying everyday activities like the work titled ‘Cafe House’ or exploring more serious concerns in his painting ‘Soldier’. Style : To say that Fawad Tamkanat`s work is narrative is a gross understatement. Throughout his career as an artist, he has strived to develop and then perfect a visual vocabulary that he can use to communicate with his viewers. And this language, that he uses to take on peoples` minds, has nothing to do with society, religion or politics, but, quite blatantly, is all about his own personal fixations. Fixations that include those with time, and one`s place in the general scheme of things. Fawad was born in Hyderabad in 1962, to a family that already had artistic inclinations running through its veins. His father was the famous Urdu poet, Shaz Tamkanat. Early in his career, Fawad was invited to participate in an installation workshop in Denmark where he also worked for a few months in the printmaking studios with renowned printmakers. He became very taken up with printmaking, and launched his professional exhibitions showing only monochromatic prints. Now Tamkanat experiments with several different media and surfaces, diversifying to include those like watercolours, acrylic, etching drypoint and tarpaulin in his oeuvre. Fawad has held twelve solo shows in India and abroad to his credit, and has participated in state, national and international exhibitions and group shows at major art centres. About the Artist & his work : Born : 1962 Education : Master of Fine Arts(Painting), S.N.S. Central University of Hyderabad Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting), Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University(JNTU) College of Fine Arts, Hyderabad B.Com, Osmania University. Selected Solo Exhibitions : 2012-13 : Jamaat, Mumbai 2003 : Gallery Dengule Guard, Denmark 2001 : Kirsten Kjaer Museum, Denmark ; Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi & Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai. 2000 : Gallery Pialeh Copenhagen, Denmark ; Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai & Shridharani Art Gallery, New Delhi 1999 : Bredsten, Denmark ; Copenhagen, Denmark ; Vingsted Centre Gallery, Denmark ; Cobra Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark ; Graphic prints, New Delhi & Minaz Art gallery, Hyderabad 1996 : Vingsted Centre Gallery, Denmark ; Minaz Art gallery, Hyderabad & Hyderabad ICRISET Club 1995 : ABC Art Gallery, Varanasi 1993 : Gallery Escape, New Delhi Selected Group Exhibitions : 2009 : 'Entity', in association with Asian Academy of Film & Television at M.E.C. Art Gallery, New Delhi & Gallery Space, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 2008 : 'Stellar Configuration', presented by Vinnyasa Premier Art Gallery, Chennai at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai & 'Urban Landscapes', Galleria, New Delhi 2007 : 'First Person Narrative', Hasta Gallery, Hyderabad & 'Rising Of The Phoneix: A Tribute To Livelihood', Hasta Gallery, Hyderabad 2005 : ‘Collective Spaces 05 ‘,M.E.C. Art Gallery New Delhi. 2004 : Hvidovre Radhus, Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark & Aaskov Kommune's Kunstforening, Aaskov, Jutland. 2003 : ‘Homage To Bhupen Khakhar’, M.E.C. Art Gallery New Delhi ; DHL World Wide Express Gallery, Denmark ; Kunstforening Detny Kastet Thisted, Denmark ; Teko Centre Gallery, Denmark ; Pakhuset Gallery, Denmark ; Esbjerg Museum (Musikhuset), Denmark ; Kunstbrenderiet, Vejle, Denmark & 'Crosscurrent' (Indian Danish Painters Meet), New Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai 2002 : 'Moods' (Indian Danish painters), Denmark & 'Tradition to Modernity Fulda', Germany 2000 : 'Rooprekha’, Drawing Show, Hyderabad & 'Edge of the Century', New Delhi 1999, 2000 & 01 : Harmony Show, Mumbai 1999 : 'Four Indian Artists...

K. M. Adimoolam - Warrior King - 19 x 13 inches (Unframed Size) Pen & Ink on Paper , 1998 Inclusive of shipment in roll form. Should you want it framed and ready to hang .. please let us know and we will be happy to assist. About the Artist and his work : Born : K. M. Adimoolam (1938 – 2008) was a well-known Indian abstract artist. He was born in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu. Education : 1959 - He moved to Chennai where under the influence of the sculptor Dhanapal, he enrolled in the School of Arts and Crafts. 1966 - Completed his Diploma in Advanced Painting. Art Career : He had a natural aptitude for drawing at an early age. After completing his Diploma in Advanced Painting, Adimoolam started a series of black and white portraits of Mahatma Gandhi...

This exquisite portrait of a gentleman depicted in a sumptuous black doublet edged with silver and slashed sleeves is an excellent example of the type of portrait fashionable in England and the Low Countries during the 17th century. The confident pose, striking orange sash - the colour of the house of Orange Nassau - and the leather gorget imbue the sitter with a sense of masculinity and power. The profusely decorated costume is of the highest quality and de rigueur of an elite class - the artist has carefully cultivated this portrait to emphasise the sitter’s wealth and standing in the society that he belonged to. The casual pose, with one arm resting on a hip, is much less formal than earlier decades, and it speaks of ‘sprezzatura’ – one’s appearance should not appear laborious, but instead, effortless. The oil on cradled panel portrait can be dated to circa 1650 based on the hairstyle and the attire - small falling collar, short doublet (doublets reduced in size to just below the ribcage in the late 1650’s), and the type of slashed sleeves with the sleeve seams left open to reveal the white fabric. The demand for portraits in the Netherlands was great in the 17th century. Bartholemeus van der Helst was considered to be one of the leading portrait painters of the Dutch Golden Age surpassing even Rembrandt as the most sought-after portraitist in Harlaam. The Dutch Golden Age, roughly spanning the 17th century, was a period when Dutch trade, science, military, and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. Dutch explorers charted new territory and settled abroad. Trade by the Dutch East-India Company thrived, and war heroes from the naval battles were decorated and became national heroes. During this time, The Dutch Old Masters began to prevail in the art world, creating a depth of realistic portraits of people and life in the area that has hardly been surpassed. The Golden Age painters depicted the scenes that their discerning new middle-class patrons wanted to see. This new wealth from merchant activities and exploration combined with a lack of church patronage, shifted art subjects away from biblical genres. Still life’s of items of everyday objects, landscapes, and seascapes reflecting the naval and trade power that the Republic enjoyed were popular. The new wealthy class were keen to have their portraits commissioned and many artists worked in this lucrative field. Such was the popularity of art that everyone had a painting, even the humble butcher, and hundreds of thousands of paintings were produced. By tradition the sitter is Maarten Tromp (1598-1653) who was an Admiral in the Dutch Navy (the reverse of the portrait contains an old handwritten inscription “van Tromp”). Certainly, the distinctive orange sash is similar to those worn by officers of the Dutch army in the Netherlands who served under the Princes of Orange and the House of Nassau. However, it should be noted that the physiognomy differs from other images of Tromp. Tromp was the oldest son of Harpert Maertensz, a naval officer and captain. He joined the Dutch navy as a lieutenant in July 1622 and was later promoted from captain to Lieutenant-Admiral of Holland and West Frisia in 1637. In 1639, during the Dutch struggle for independence from Spain, Tromp defeated a large Spanish fleet bound for Flanders at the Battle of the Downs, which marked an enormous change - the end of Spanish naval power. He was killed in action during the First Anglo-Dutch War in 1653 where he commanded the Dutch fleet in the battle of Scheveningen. Gloves were an absolutely vital accessory and the elaborate pair in this portrait are embellished with threads of silk and precious metals and salmon-coloured lining. He wears only one glove and holds the other, providing an opportunity to better display the cuffs and detail on his right wrist and forearm. The gloves are probably made from the most prized leather which came from Spain, in particular from Cordova. Cordovan leather was tanned with a special vegetal process that left it both highly impermeable and divinely soft. King Charles I, posed in a rather relaxed manner for Daniel Mytens’s portrait in 1631, is wearing gloves and boots in matching Cordovan leather. The hide is thick, but you can see just how supple it is from the way the gauntlet dimples and the long boot legs fold over themselves, rippling and wrinkling at the ankles. Apart from keeping hands warm the use of gloves during the 15th through the 19th centuries were full of symbolism and they were worn regardless of the season. They kept the skin unblemished - soft, smooth hands were considered highly attractive. This combination of necessity and proximity to bare skin made gloves a deeply personal gift and they took on a strong symbolic significance and were regarded as emblematic of fidelity and loyalty for hundreds of years. Such was the importance of their symbolism was that some gloves were never intended to be worn at all. Their luxury made them ideal gifts at court, and so in the 15th and 16th centuries, ambassadors often presented them as symbols of loyalty. Until the mid-19th century, it was customary to give gloves as tokens to guests at weddings and to mourners at funerals. Gentleman often gifted their bride-to-be with a pair of gloves (the obligatory gift) and were handed over at the betrothal and put on display before the wedding took place. It was probably their direct contact with the skin that led to the eroticism of gloves. Not only were pairs often exchanged between lovers, but from the 16th to the 18th centuries, it was common practice to remove one glove and give it as a gift to a favourite. The idea of the item being presented still warm from the wearer’s hand is certainly suggestive. Following the death of King George IV, his executors purportedly found over a thousand mismatched ladies’ gloves among his possessions. The sentiment of a 17th-century poem reveals the popularity of the practice: “Come to our wedding to requite your loves / Shew us your hands and we’ll fit you with gloves.” Such generosity might be pricey for the hosts, but gloves of varying quality could be offered depending on the status of the recipient. Pairs made with the finest Spanish leather might be reserved for immediate family, while coarse sheep’s leather could be distributed among the servants and tradesmen. The apportioning of quality according to class provided a very clear message of the gloves’ intended use. For refined guests, they were decoration; for the lower classes, they were functional. Bartholomeus van der Helst...

A panel painting that is painted on both sides—one side an abstract sunset and the other side a snowy cityscape with Florence's famous Duomo in the background. Ben Fenske (b. 1978)...