19th Century Byzantine School

'Christ Pantocrator with Mary & St. John', Theotokos, Greek Orthodox, Christian

Circa 1800

Signed lower right, 'Babu Lal' for Babu Lal Marotia (Indian, born 1961) and painted circa 1995. A double portrait of Shah Jahan and his most favored wife, Mumtaz Mahal, exquisitely detailed and embellished with colored rhinestones. The two portraits share a background of the Taj Mahal, the lyrical architectural symbol of the Shah's undying devotion to his beloved Mumtaz. Matching frame dimensions: 17H x .5D x 15W inches Each painting measures 8 x 6 inches. Shilp Guru Babulal Marotia was born in Jaipur...

American school, Signed indistinctly lower right and dated 1988. A bravura, psychologically-penetrating oil study of a man, shown wearing a turban and contrasted against a scumbled ...

An early 19th century, figural oil of a young woman with chestnut hair, shown wearing a headscarf and glancing towards the viewers left. A detail from a copy of 'Rebeca at the Well',...

Signed lower right, 'J. P. Serrier' for Jean Pierre Serrier (French, 1934-1989) and dated 1966 Jean-Pierre Serrier was born in Montparnasse and attended the Académie des Beaux-Arts ...

Scandinavian School, early twentieth century. Inscribed, verso, on stretcher bar, 'Anna Ancher' with indistinct inscription and painted circa 1910. A psychologically-penetrating portrait of a young woman shown in profile, wearing a gold earring and a polychrome silk headscarf...

Signed lower right, 'Helge' for Helge Jensen (Danish, 1899 - 1986) and painted circa 1925. This Danish Post-Impressionist first studied with Harald Giersing (1915-1916) before initi...

The Virgin of Tijvin (after a Russian icon in the style of the 18th Century). Egg tempera and gold leaf on gesso over wood. Measurements in centimeters: 45 x 36.5 x 3 cm / In inch...

"Christ Pantocrator". After an Icon in the style of the Moscow school (15th century). Somewhat similar to that of Rublev. Author: Oliver Samsinguer Egg tempera and gold leaf on gesso and on wood. Dimensions; (H) 42 x (W) 33.5 x (D) 3.5 cm. (H) 16.54 x (W) 13.19 x (D) 1.38 in. This is how the artist sums up the technique used by him to create the icon: “The aim of these steps is to create a durable painting. The icon is eternal. The first step is to choose a support, traditionally made of wood, from the center of the trunk to avoid warping it. For this purpose, two hardwood bolts were often used on the back to give the picture panel additional stability. Often a frame is milled out. Then the image carrier is sanded smooth and now 12 or 14 thin layers of gesso are applied and sanded smooth as well. Then the preliminary drawing is applied and the drawing board is prepared with a special preparation called bolus. This bolus can be polished to a high gloss. Afterwards, the gold leaf is "shot" with special brushes. It dries up within a few hours and can now be polished with an agate. Gold leaf is real 24-carat gold . Now, the actual process of painting begins. Egg tempera is made fresh from egg yolk, water, and a little vinegar. This is used to prepare the color pigments. Tempera painting is done in numerous layers from dark to light. When the icon is finished, it is left to dry for a few months and varnished with a special varnish called Olifa made from boiled linseed oil and other ingredients”. ABOUT THE ARTIST Oliver Samsinger...

The Virgin of Kataphyge with Saint John the Evangelist, after a Bulgarian Byzantine icon of the 14th Century. Egg tempera and gold leaf on gesso and wood. Author: Oliver Samsinger...

"Birth of Christ", after a Russian icon of the 15th century. Tempera and gold leaves on gesso, wooden board. Dimensions: (H) 68 x (W) 52 x (D) 4 cm. This icon sums up the events of the birth of Christ. At the top left the three wise men from the Orient approach on horses. ABOUT THE ARTIST Oliver...

Califia (c. 1510) is the mythical Black warrior Queen and inspiring character in Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo’s 16th century epic poem, Las Sergas de Esplandián (The Adventures of Esplandian). In Montalvo’s tale, Queen Califia rules on the fabled island of California, a utopia brimming with pearls and gold and inhabited solely by her menacing army of black Amazon women...

Halo presents an amazing cast of historical black figures, most of whom were legendary and mythic characters in their time, but have been nearly lost to the vagaries and biases of hi...