French School

French North African Orientalist Oil Painting Hareem Interior Two Ladies

The Guildhall, Worcester English School, mid 20th century indistinctly signed verso oil on canvas canvas: 20 x 24 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: very good and sound condition The Worcester Guildhall was originally built as a meeting place for Worcester merchants around 1227. As with many other guildhalls, it became the centre for civic administration, a role it maintained after the merchant guild had disappeared. The present Worcester Guildhall is a superb Queen Anne building, begun in 1722 by Thomas White, a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren. White was badly paid for his efforts, and he died in poverty in 1738, bestowing the money he was owed on the Worcester Royal Infirmary. The city finally paid its debt in 1753. The exterior of the Guildhall is brick, dressed with stone. White himself is said to have carved the figure of Queen Anne over the entry, as well as those of Charles I and II, a reminder of the city's long history of royal support. The interior is superb, boasting exceptional period decoration. The Tourist Information Centre is now located in the Guildhall. HISTORY In 1227 Henry III granted the citizens of Worcester a royal charter granting them the right to establish a guild of merchants. The guild was responsible for controlling trade in the city, but their meeting place gradually became the main centre of administration for city government and acted as a courthouse. So, in effect, the Guildhall was the town hall, and though the city guilds have long since vanished, the Guildhall name lives on. The medieval guild merchants would not recognise the building that faces onto High Street now. Their guildhall was a large timber-framed building, occupying the same site, with a piazza for shops fronting the street, courts of justice at each end, and a prison to the north of the building. Part of the prison was a cell called 'the peephole', which gained a notorious reputation. There was a gaoler's house, and attached to it an alehouse from which the gaoler sold ale at extremely high prices to any prisoner who could afford the cost. In 1717 the city administration decided on a new Guildhall, and they knew just who to call; upon to build it. Thomas White was not an architect in the way we think of it today, but a stonemason. In 1705 he had carved a statue of Queen Anne to stand in front of the medieval Guildhall and was made a Freeman of the City. The total cost of the fashionable new red-brick building was £3727. The Corporation only put forward £800, and the rest had to be raised by public subscription. The centre section of the new Guildhall was finished by 1724 and has remained almost unchanged since then. The central facade is a wonderful example of early Georgian style, with three bays flanked by Corinthian pillars. Over the entrance is a huge carving incorporating the Hanoverian royal arms. White's earlier statue of Queen Anne was placed in a niche over the door, and on either side were statues of Charles I, depicted holding a church, and Charles II, with an orb and royal sceptre. On the rooftop are figures of Labour, Peace, Justice, Plenty, and Chastisement. North and south wings were added within a few years of the central block. The south wing was used as a judge's lodging when the assizes were taking place, but throughout the rest of the year it housed a coffee shop. The most striking external feature of the Guildhall is a set of iron gates...

Interior Scene by Jacob Markiel (Polish 1911-2008) *See notes below oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 34 x 30 inches provenance: the artists estate, south ...

The Card Game in the Casino French Modernist, circa 1970's oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 21.5 x 25.5 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sound co...

Artist/ School: Swedish School, 20th century, indistinctly signed. Title: The cafe table. Medium: oil painting on canvas, framed Size: framed: 35...

Pink glasses. 2009, oil on canvas, 130x130 cm Large size fantasy painting with man in glasses, he stands in the water and see the tail of a big fish. Modern and bright painting Kristīne Luīze Avotiņa is a young and bright personality whose talent is appreciated not only in Latvia, but also in other parts of the world. Her deep inner experiences and feelings of the soul are not hidden from the eyes of the audience, but are openly and engagingly narrated: about relationships, man and woman, passion, emotions, about experience and connection with nature. Characters live in Kristine's compositional solutions, where figurative painting and ornament appear. When painting large-format works, she masters the entire format, composition and color of the work, as well as linear drawing. Kristīne herself emphasizes: "Relationships between nature and people - it has always been a relevant topic in my painting. The more I work on it, the more interesting it seems to me. It is infinite and unending. With paint I refresh the beauty of nature and love on the canvas and I want to show that nature and love are equal in their beauty. In my works, I always want to show that nature is beautiful and worthy of admiration - a newly blooming water lily, falling leaves from golden trees, a pink sunset sky... This could go on forever..." Education: 2009 – 2010 Studies in „Escola Massana”, Painting Department, Barcelona...

William Fisher (American, 1891-1985) Untitled, 20th Century Oil on canvas/illustration 23 3/4 x 29 3/4 in. Framed: 31 x 37 1/4 x 1 in. Signed lower right: William Fisher William Fis...

A beautiful, colorful Mid-Century Modern portrait of a seated young woman in a pink dress by famed Chicago Modern artist, Francis Chapin. A fashionably dressed, young model is seate...

A charming 1950s Mid-Century Modern painting of two children seated together in a soda shop by the noted Chicago artist, Francis Chapin. Artwork size: 15 1/2” x 21"; Framed size: 17...