Hans Zatzka

Hans Zatzka, Austrian - Oil on Board Titled "Springtime" Maidens Picking Flowers

Circa 1885

Jules Salles-Wagner (French, 1814-1898) A Large and Impressive French, 19th century oil on canvas "The Water Carrier Lady" depicting a standing and posing young peasant girl holding ...

Napoleone Luigi Grady (Italian, 1860-1949) A Very Fine Oil on Canvas "A Young Man Bicorne Hat". The beautifully executed artwork depicting a posing young boy in full period celebrato...

Raimundo De Madrazo y Garreta (Spanish School, 1841-1920) an exceptional and palatial oil on canvas "Portrait of Isabelle McCreery” depicting an elegant woman gracefully exiting a li...

Attributed to Charles Edward Hallé (British, 1846-1914) "Mother and Child" oil on canvas. The Victorian era artwork depicting a young mother holding her joyful infant child, within a...

John William Godward 1861-1922 British A Pompeian Lady Signed and dated "J.W. Godward 1904" (lower right, partially covered by frame) Oil on canvas One of the last and greatest Victorian neoclassical painters, John William Godward is celebrated for his flawlessly executed images of graceful women posed in idealized ancient settings. In this work, entitled A Pompeian Lady, a classical beauty is caught idling in a moment of quiet, solitary reflection. Godward's elegant subjects are depicted with a degree of technical mastery that remains unsurpassed, and the work's dramatic palette, luxurious fabrics and classical vision are all characteristics of his unique take on the neoclassical style. Godward was unmatched in terms of his technical skill and attention to detail. A master of contrasting textures, he paints a diaphanous gown draping against the model’s smooth, milky white skin, which sits against the painstakingly rendered individual hairs of a tiger’s pel. Scintillating color permeates the canvas as well, energizing the otherwise static scene. Each element is given careful attention, and the overall effect is one of both immaculate technique and sensual tactility. Along with his contemporary and mentor, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Godward set the tone for the Victorian neoclassicist movement. He built his career upon creating images of idealized feminine beauty infused with a Greco-Roman-inspired style. Though greatly influenced by Alma-Tadema, Godward distinguished himself through his predilection for the solitary female figure. His fame rose dramatically in the first few years of the 20th century, when the present work was completed, due to the burgeoning strength of the British Empire and the Victorian society’s preoccupation with ancient Rome. To many of the newly affluent, Roman society was, as Iain Gale writes, “a flawless mirror of their own immaculate world.” The sensuality and mystery of Godward’s maidens, combined with his impressive antique backdrops...

Self-portrait of the artist, in a pensive seated pose, by Lise Lang Crowley (American, 20th century). Signed "L" lower right and signed "Lise Lang Crowley" on verso. Presented in a r...