George Vaughan Curtis

“The Hunt”

1932

Here for your consideration is an intriguing portrait of a young harem girl in costume by the German artist, Konrad Filip. Signed by the artist top right, Munich. Condition is very ...

Original oil on canvas painting of a man and a woman intently peeling potatoes at a table. No visible signature. Old gallery label in German verso that is dated 1934 Condition is go...

Original oil on canvas painting of the Union Army Calvery in the field by the well known American artist Rofus Fairchild Zogbaum. Signed lower left and dated 1885. Condition is good. Craquelure throughout. Paint is stable. Tiny old repair in middle lower sky (see last photo). The painting is housed in its original gilt wood frame. Overall framed measurements are 20.5 by 30.5 inches. Provenance: A Brooklyn, New York estate. Best known for his masterful and meticulous scenes of military engagements and nineteenth-century life in the American West, Rufus Zogbaum’s circle of acquaintances was wide and diverse. He mingled with naval commodores as well as emerging luminaries in American art, such as Norman Rockwell, his fellow illustrator and neighbor in the art colony of New Rochelle, New York. When the British writer Rudyard Kipling presented a copy of his first collection of short stories, Plain Tales from the Hills (1888), to Robley D. Evans, then captain of the USS Indiana, in 1896, the gift included a tipped-in original gouache painting by Zogbaum, whom Kipling cited in a brief poem on the leaf opposite the book’s title page. Kipling’s inscription and the four-quatrain poem begins: “Zogbaum draws with a pencil, / And I do things with a pen.” Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Rufus Fairchild Zogbaum was the son of Ferdinand Zogbaum and Mary Fairchild. The future artist’s father and his paternal uncle, Rufus Fairchild, were partners in a thriving musical instrument manufacturing and import business, first established in 1845 and then relocated to New York in 1853. Although he initially apprenticed in the family office, Rufus enrolled at the Art Students League, where he studied between 1878 and 1879. After pursuing further instruction at Germany’s University of Heidelberg in 1880, he moved on to Paris. During his two-year stay in the French capital, 1880–1882, he was a pupil of Léon Bonnat, a classical realist whose carefully constructed, emotive paintings of peasant life and religious passion reflected academic precepts of the day. The French master’s influence can be seen in Zogbaum’s oeuvre of highly-detailed, heroic paintings. Upon his return to America, Zogbaum found regular work as an illustrator; between 1883 and 1899, he frequently contributed drawings to popular periodicals like the Saturday Evening Post, North American Review, and Harper’s Monthly, where he eventually earned a staff position. In 1884, he began a run of travels to the western territories, notably Montana. The fruits of these visits were seen in the drawings that accompanied magazine articles informed by the ideals of Manifest Destiny, as well as in finished oil paintings of cowboys...

This large oil on canvas painting by Adam Springfield depicts the Battle of Ptolemais which took place in 1191. It is signed lower left and dated 1877. The verso of the painting contains the title of the painting. It has it's original period gold leaf frame and measures 44 x 63.75 inches. The siege of Ptolemais is unique in the history of the Crusades since the Frankish besiegers were themselves besieged, by Saladin's troops. It was not captured until July 1191 when the forces of the Third Crusade, led by King Richard I of England and King Philip II of France, came to King Guy's aid. Acre then served as the de facto capital of the remnant Kingdom of Jerusalem...

Eugen von Blaas Italian I 1843-1932 No Love Without Envy Signed and dated "Eugen von Blaas 1901" (lower right) Oil on canvas Eugen von Blaas masterfully captured the spirit and charm of Venice, and No Love Without Envy stands as one of his most exceptional compositions. Larger and more finely detailed than many of his works, this grand painting reflects his unparalleled mastery of light, color and narrative. Rich in detail and emotion, this scene is believed to feature a stylized self-portrait of the artist alongside his wife, Paola Prina. Set in a sun-drenched Venetian courtyard, the composition brims with life and intrigue. At its center, an orange seller—modeled by Prina—engages in a flirtatious exchange with an admirer, the artist himself, while three onlookers observe with amusement and envy. The interplay of light and texture is remarkable: von Blaas' exquisite brushwork renders the delicate lace, sumptuous fabrics and intricately adorned garments with near-photographic precision, while the soft flesh tones contrast beautifully against the timeworn stonework of Venice. This attention to detail, combined with the work’s luminous palette, creates a sense of immediacy and warmth that defines the best of von Blaas' Venetian genre paintings. Born in 1843 to Austrian parents in Italy, von Blaas was raised in a household steeped in artistic tradition. His father, Karl Blaas, was a renowned portraitist and history painter, while his brother specialized in military scenes. When Karl was appointed professor at the Venice Academy of Fine Arts, the family relocated to the floating city—a move that profoundly shaped von Blaas’ artistic vision. Though he studied in Rome, Vienna and Paris, it was Venice that remained his greatest muse. Captivated by its light, architecture and everyday moments of romance and social interplay, he became the foremost painter of Venetian genre scenes. During Venice’s Austrian rule, von Blaas adopted the Italianized name “Eugene de Blaas...

A charming portrait of a beautiful blue-eyed girl in a pink dress holding flowers in her hand. It's based on Renaissance portraits where the subject is pushed to the foreground and i...

A dramatic, one of a kind oil study. Certainly not your run of the mill 19th Century portait! Depicted is a young man, whose face is brightly lit from what is likely is an open fire....

The setting is the French coast, on a tranquil summer's evening. Clouds are drawing in, the sky is turning dusky pink and purple, but there is still time left for play, for the children on the beach...