18th Century and Earlier Figurative Paintings

Studio of Jan Brueghel the Younger 17th century Antwerp school Oil on oak panel, h. 37 cm, w. 49 cm Tortoiseshell veneered baroque style frame...

The painting features the enthroned Madonna and Child, two praying angels, and Saints Nicholas of Tolentino, Augustine, Luke the Evangelist, and Monica, below an elegant canopy. The ...

The Close of Day English artist, second half 18th century circle of Thomas Gainsborough (British 1727-1788) oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 24.5 x 29 inches provenance: private colle...

Moses Strikes Water from the Rock Dutch school, XVII century. Workshop of Jacob de Wet (Haarlem, 1610-1675). Technique: Oil on oak wood panel, composed of 3 horizontal panels. In this evocative work, Moses stands in a cave, gathering the Israelites. There was no water to drink or for their cattle. The people were discontented in the desert. But Moses and Aaron listened to the voice of God. With Aaron’s staff, Moses struck the rock, and water gushed forth abundantly, quenching their thirst. Jacob de Wet’s workshop specializes in subjects from the Old and New Testaments. The recognizable rectangular format, simple compositions, and clear narratives define his style. The interplay of light and shadow, reminiscent of Rembrandt, adds timeless allure. The characters’ costumes, with their large hats and turbans...

Portrait of a Lady (female saint?) Italian School, 17th century oil on copper, framed frame: 9 x 8 inches board: 5 x 4 inches provenance: private collection condition: very good and ...

‘St. James’ Day’ by Richard Morton Paye (1750-1820). This very large and important 18th century oil on canvas depicts a diverse crowd of Londoners at an oyster stand on a summer’s ev...

Olio su tela. La Madonna è raffigurata in gloria, in piedi nei cieli e circondata da angioletti. L'opera ancora in prima tela, è stata applicata su telaio moderno: tale dato, insiem...

The Holy family with St. Joseph and St. Anna. Tuscan school. Late mannerist period, Circa 1610. Oil on canvas. Size 102cm x 77cm Painting by an unknown Tuscan painter from the lat...

Frans Francken the Younger (1581, Antwerp – 6 May 1642, Antwerp was a Flemish painter and the best-known and most prolific member of the large Francken family of artists.[1] He painted large altarpieces for churches as well as smaller historical, mythological and allegorical scenes. His depictions of collectors' cabinets established a popular new genre of art in the era. Francken often collaborated with other artists, adding figures and narrative elements to scenes created by specialists in landscape, architectural and floral still life painting Francken was a versatile artist who practiced in many genres and introduced new subjects into Flemish art. Many of his works are small historical, allegorical and biblical...

After Lorenzo Lippi (Florence, May 6, 1606 - Florence, April 15, 1665) is a Baroque painter of the Florentine school and a seventeenth-century Italian poet.

Incredible triptych from the end of 15 century.

Jean-Marc Nattier (Paris, 1685 - 1766) and his workshop Portrait of Charlotte de Hesse-Rheinfels Oil on canvas : h. 44.09 in, w. 38.19 in 18th century carved giltwood framed Fra...

Adoration of the shepherds, Cercle of Ambrosius Francken, Early 17th century Antwerp school Oil on oak panel: h. 55 cm, w. 43 cm (21.65 in x 16.93 in) 17th c. ebonized and moulded f...

Travellers in a Country Landscape circle of Jacques d'Arthois (Flemish 1613-1686) oil on canvas, framed frame: 13.5 x 18.5 inches canvas: 11 x 16 inches provenance: private collectio...

Nicolas de Largillière (Paris, 1656-1746) Portrait of a lady, circa 1695 Oil on canvas (relined): 76 x 61 cm Framed: h. 97 cm, l. 82 cm To be included in the forthcoming catalogue ra...

English painter (18th century) - Horses at the river. 53 x 70 cm without frame, 67 x 86 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on wood, in a carved and gilded wooden frame. Condition...

The Pilgrim and Angel Spanish School, 17th Century oil on canvas, gilt framed framed: 48 x 37 inches canvas: 43 x 32 inches provenance: private collection, Barcelona, Spain condition...

Portrait of a Lady Italian Old Master, 17th century oil on copper, framed framed: 8.75 x 7.75 inches painting: 5 x 4 inches provenance: private collection, England condition: very go...

OLD MASTER LATE 18th /EARLY 19th CENTURY CIRCLE of THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH OIL PAINTING Fine OIL PAINTING Old Master 18th Century R.A artist in a ...

In this oil painting, I've poured my soul into capturing the timeless grace of a moment steeped in sunlight and shadows. Her gaze, a silent conversation with the viewer, is filled wi...

In this masterly painting, Francesco de Mura presents the meeting of Herminia and the shepherds, a famous episode taken from the seventh canto of Torquato Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered...

17th century German portrait of the wine merchant Caspar Roemerskirchen at the age of 26 in 1628, attributed to Gottfried de Wedig This highly decorative portrait depicts the 26 yea...

The painting, done in oil on canvas, depicts the meeting between King David and Abigail, as narrated in the biblical text from the First Book of Samuel (I Samuel 25:1-34). David, left without food in the wilderness with his army, seeks relief from the wealthy Nabal, who contemptuously denies him any help, ungrateful of the benevolence he previously received from the king. Upon hearing the rejection, the ruler intends to take revenge by killing his entire lineage. Abigail, Nabal's beautiful and wise wife, decides to right the wrong and bring David plenty of food and gifts. In the king's presence the woman humbles herself, winning his forgiveness and benevolence. Soon afterwards widowed, she will in fact become his bride. The broad scene depicts the climax of the Old Testament episode, the moment when the woman prostrates herself before David and his servants prepare to deliver the gifts. The biblical event is here a pretext, as is customary in modern-age painting, for staging the colorful description of a sumptuous procession, which can be divided into two parts, almost two wings of a crowd divided specularly: on the left David with his dignitaries and the army; on the other, Abigail's retinue, handmaids, servants leading dromedaries and donkeys laden with food. The crowded group of figures is set in a natural proscenium: above a low horizon, barely hinted at by distant blue mountains, rises on the left side a craggy rocky cliff, the shelter of the army led by the ruler. The 'somatic intonation of the characters, as well as the choice of metallic chromatics and the play of light on the shiny fabrics refer to a clear Flemish matrix, particularly the influence of the frothy and sumptuous painting of Rubens and Van Dyck. As well set forth in the expert report prepared by Professor Giuseppe Sava, the work is to be attributed to Vincent Malò...

The scene depicts a feast within a park enclosed by walls with arched gateways opening onto the countryside, and adorned on the right with an amphora on a small column and in the center, behind the figures, with a gushing fountain, with statues of cherubs and shells. Two couples of richly dressed ladies and gentlemen entertain themselves gallantly, surrounded by servants; one of the men is playing the violin, crouching in front of his lady, who, flanked by the damsel, follows the melody on the score held up by the dark-haired man at her side, while two musicians accompany the playing with flute and a mandolin; the other couple, in an attitude of intimate dialogue, listens on the left, while on the right the hunter returning from the hunt also observes the scene. Particularly prominent in the scene is the rich dress of the lady in the center, characterized by the wide back folds falling from her shoulders to create a cape. Such a dress corresponds to what was called "robe à la Watteau," named after the French painter Antoine Watteau who first portrayed ladies wearing this pattern. Antoine Watteau (1684 -1721), a French painter considered one of the most influential French exponents of Rococo painting, was the forerunner of the pictorial genre of gallant scenes, a genre that developed in France from the late 1600s and continued throughout the following century. The gallant scenes could be considered as the aristocratic version of the genre scene: characterized by music, dances, pleasant conversations between ladies and gentlemen surrounded by servants, they tended to enhance the costumes, fashionable clothes, and environments of the upper class, conveying a kind of detachment from the real times and places, projecting the viewer into an almost theatrical atmosphere of gestures, looks, colors and stage lights. Moreover, Watteau, along with the Fêtes galantes cycles, also distinguished himself for those inspired by the theater, absorbing his passion for the scenes and characters of that milieu from Claude Gillot...

Painting done in oil on canvas. The figure of Magdalene is depicted here, in keeping with tradition, with long red hair; with a gesture of sorrowful dedication she fixes her gaze on ...

This vigorous drawing has long been attributed to Polidoro da Caravaggio: The Abduction of the Sabine Women is one of the scenes that Polidoro depicted between 1525 and 1527 on the façade of the Milesi Palazzo in Rome. However, the proximity to another drawing inspired by this same façade, kept at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, and to other drawings inspired by Polidoro kept at the Musée du Louvre, leads us to propose an attribution to Biagio Pupini, a Bolognese artist whose life remains barely known, despite the abundant number of drawings attributed to him. 1. Biagio Pupini, a Bolognese artist in the light of the Roman Renaissance The early life of Biagio Pupini, an important figure of the first half of the Cinquecento in Bologna - Vasari mentions him several times - is still poorly known. Neither his date of birth (probably around 1490-1495) nor his training are known. He is said to have been a pupil of Francesco Francia (1450 - 1517) and his name appears for the first time in 1511 in a contract with the painter Bagnacavallo (c. 1484 - 1542) for the frescoes of a church in Faenza. He then collaborated with Girolamo da Carpi, at San Michele in Bosco and at the villa of Belriguardo. He must have gone to Rome for the first time with Bagnacavallo between 1511 and 1519. There he discovered the art of Raphael, with whom he might have worked, and that of Polidoro da Caravaggio. This first visit, and those that followed, were the occasion for an intense study of ancient and modern art, as illustrated by his abundant graphic production. Polidoro da Caravaggio had a particular influence on the technique adopted by Pupini. Executed on coloured paper, his drawings generally combine pen, brown ink and wash with abundant highlights of white gouache, as in the drawing presented here. 2. The Abduction of the Sabine Women Our drawing is an adaptation of a fresco painted between 1525 and 1527 by Polidoro da Caravaggio on the façade of the Milesi Palace in Rome. These painted façades were very famous from the moment they were painted and inspired many artists during their stay in Rome. These frescoes are now very deteriorated and difficult to see, as the palace is in a rather narrow street. The episode of the abduction of the Sabine women (which appears in the centre of the photo above) is a historical theme that goes back to the origins of Rome and is recounted both by Titus Livius (Ab Urbe condita I,13), by Ovid (Fasti III, 199-228) and by Plutarch (II, Romulus 14-19). After killing his twin brother Romus, Romulus populates the city of Rome by opening it up to refugees and brigands and finds himself with an excess of men. Because of their reputation, none of the inhabitants of the neighbouring cities want to give them their daughters in marriage. The Romans then decide to invite their Sabine neighbours to a great feast during which they slaughter the Sabines and kidnap their daughters. The engraving made by Giovanni Battista Gallestruzzi (1618 - 1677) around 1656-1658 gives us a good understanding of the Polidoro fresco, allowing us to see how Biagio Pupini reworked the scene to extract this dynamic group. With a remarkable economy of means, Biagio Pupini takes over the left-hand side of the fresco and depicts in a very dense space two main groups, each consisting of a Roman and a Sabine, completed by a group of three soldiers in the background (which seems to differ quite significantly from Polidoro's composition). The balance of the drawing is based on a very strongly structured composition. The drawing is organised around a median vertical axis, which runs along both the elbow of the kidnapped Sabine on the left and the foot of her captor, and the two main diagonals, reinforced by four secondary diagonals. This diamond-shaped structure creates an extremely dynamic space, in which centripetal movements (the legs of the Sabine on the right, the arm of the soldier on the back at the top right) and centrifugal movements (the arm of the kidnapper on the left and the legs of the Sabine he is carrying away, the arm of the Sabine on the right) oppose each other, giving the drawing the appearance of a whirlpool around a central point of support situated slightly to the left of the navel of the kidnapper on the right. 3. Polidoro da Caravaggio, and the decorations of Roman palaces Polidoro da Caravaggio was a paradoxical artist who entered Raphael's (1483 - 1520) workshop at a very young age, when he oversaw the Lodges in the Vatican. Most of his Roman work, which was the peak of his career, has disappeared, as he specialised in facade painting, and yet these paintings, which are eminently visible in urban spaces, have influenced generations of artists who copied them abundantly during their visits to Rome. Polidoro Caldara was born in Caravaggio around 1495-1500 (the birthplace of Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio, who was born there in 1571), some forty kilometres east of Milan. According to Vasari, he arrived as a mason on the Vatican's construction site and joined Raphael's workshop around 1517 (at the age of eighteen according to Vasari). This integration would have allowed Polidoro to work not only on the frescoes of the Lodges, but also on some of the frescoes of the Chambers, as well as on the flat of Cardinal Bibiena in the Vatican. After Raphael's death in 1520, Polidoro worked first with Perin del Vaga before joining forces with Maturino of Florence (1490 - 1528), whom he had also known in Raphael's workshop. Together they specialised in the painting of palace façades. They were to produce some forty façades decorated with grisaille paintings imitating antique bas-reliefs. The Sack of Rome in 1527, during which his friend Maturino was killed, led Polidoro to flee first to Naples (where he had already stayed in 1523), then to Messina. It was while he was preparing his return to the peninsula that he was murdered by one of his assistants, Tonno Calabrese, in 1543. In his Vite, Vasari celebrated Polidoro as the greatest façade decorator of his time, noting that "there is no flat, palace, garden or villa in Rome that does not contain a work by Polidoro". Polidoro's facade decorations, most of which have disappeared as they were displayed in the open air, constitute the most important lost chapter of Roman art of the Cinquecento. The few surviving drawings of the painter can, however, give an idea of the original appearance of his murals and show that he was an artist of remarkable and highly original genius. 4. The façade of the Milesi Palace Giovanni Antonio Milesi, who commissioned this palace, located not far from the Tiber, north of Piazza Navona, was a native of the Bergamo area, like Polidoro, with whom he maintained close friendly ties. Executed in the last years before the Sack of Rome, around 1526-1527, the decoration of Palazzo Milesi is considered Polidoro's greatest decorative success. An engraving by Ernesto Maccari made at the end of the nineteenth century allows us to understand the general balance of this façade, which was still well preserved at the time. The frescoes were not entirely monochrome, but alternated elements in chiaroscuro simulating marble bas-reliefs and those in ochre simulating bronze and gold vases...

Adam-Frans van der Meulen (Bruxelles, 1632 - Paris, 1690) Louis XIV and his army at the crossing of the Rhine 12 June 1672 Signed A.F VANDERMEULEN at the right low corner Oil on can...

Olio su tela. Il modello deriva da un'incisione di Marcantonio Raimondi su disegno di Raffaello, appositamente realizzato per l'opera grafica, e derivato da un dipinto posto nella Stanza della Segnatura (1513-1515) nei Musei Vaticani. Questo modello fu ripreso e variato successivamente sia in opere dipinte che in altre incisioni, in particolare in quella di Raphael Sadeler del 1589, attualmente presso il gabinetto dei Disegni e delle Stampe dell'Accademia Carrara di Bergamo: il dipinto qui proposto difatti mostra le stesse modifiche apportate rispetto all'originale raffaellesco. Al centro della scena mitologica immersa in un paesaggio naturale, si trovano le tre dee che si contendevano il titolo di più bella: Giunone con il pavone...

Olio su tela. La grande scena racconta la Deposizione di Cristo dalla Croce, condensando due momenti della narrazione: il Compianto della Madonna sul corpo del Cristo e la deposizion...

OIL PAINTING By ? Beautiful lady of Nobility in a Neoclassical Frame FINE Portrait OIL PAINTING Old Master Early 19th Century French artist ...

Oil on Canvas. The painting offers a half-length portrait of a young man in deshabillé who is lighting his pipe by drawing fire with a stick from the candle placed in front of him o...

17th Century French School Saint John the Baptist in a landscape oil on copper 17 x 11.5 cm In good condition except very small loss of painting in the lower left part In a modern f...

The painting features Our Lady holding the Child, who extends his hand toward the wooden cross, the symbol of the future Passion, and St. John. Behind the three figures a rocky mount...

Diana The Huntress and her Cherubs Northern European artist, circa 1680's period oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 20 x 60.5 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: some p...

Cerchia di Marco Ricci (Belluno 1676 – Venezia 1730) – River landscape with characters. 34 x 26 cm without frame, 43 x 35 cm with frame. Oil on canvas, in carved and gilded wooden ...

an important and large painting 220x208 cm of a dutch village with building characters and animals. The painting present a group of farmers in a convi...

Work on canvas 18th century work Black wooden frame 55 x 78 x 3 cm

HUGE OLD MASTER LATE 18th CENTURY CIRCLE of SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS OIL PAINTING Fine OIL PAINTING Old Master 18th Century R.A artist in a Large ...

Peruvian 18 century Spanish colonial

17th century old master Portrait painting of Anna Maria De Camiudo Anna Maria de Camiudo was a Spanish noblewoman and daughter of Don Pedro Velasques de Camiudo and Dona Maria de l...

DESCRIPTION OLD MASTER OIL PAINTING 18th CENTURY Scottish School FINE DETAIL GOLD GILT FRAME NEW COLLECTION Of RARE PIECES OF Scottish HISTORY Description ( Late 18th centur...

The Venetian Canal Italian artist, 18th century circle of Francesco Guardi (Italian 1712-1793) oil on canvas, framed framed: 23.5 x 32.5 inches canvas: 20 x 29.5 inches provenance: p...

Dutch painter (18th-19th century) - The spanking. 60 x 99 cm without frame, 67 x 106 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on wood, without frame. Condition report: Wooden support s...

The Blacksmiths Forge British artist, late 18th century Circle of Julius Caesar Ibbetson (1759-1817) oil on board, unframed board: 11 x 14.5 inches provenance: private collection, En...

English Fox Hunting Scene English School, 18th century oil painting on metal, framed painting size: 15.75 x 19.75 inches framed: 22 x 26 inches condition: very good and presentable p...

The painting, of which the subject is Saint Catherine from Alexandria with the breaking wheel used for her martyrdom, can be attributed to the mannerist artist of Emilia Romagna region Luca Longhi...

Italian School, 18th century Depicted are the Madonna and Child Jesus, the virgin Mary is holding the Child Jesus lovingly in her arms. The child, lying on a bundle of cloth and with...

Charming tavern scene depicting drunken peasants enjoying dancing and drinking in front a farmhouse/ tavern in a landscape. Painted in great detail in vivid colors on a hand cut oak ...

18th Century Military portrait of a young officer in Napoleonic period military dress. The painting is not signed but the subject is Major Alexander Brown. The work is oil on canvas later mounted on board and presented in a fine 'Regence style' carved gilt frame. There are labels to the back referring to the subject, 'Major Brown of Trinity' and a framers trade label from Edinburgh. A magnificent and imposing portrait of a young military officer in the prime of his life. His red uniform adorned with fine buttons, fringed epaulettes and high gilt collar. His ruddy complexion offset by his stylish hair, a quiff and swept forward to the sides as was the fashion at the time. Sir David Wilkie RA (18 November 1785 – 1 June 1841) was a Scottish painter, especially known for his portraits, including formal royal ones, and scenes from his travels to Europe and the Middle East. He painted successfully in a wide variety of genres, including historical scenes. His main base was in London, but he died and was buried at sea, off Gibraltar, returning from his first trip to the Middle East. He was sometimes known as the "people's painter". He was Principal Painter in Ordinary to King William IV and Queen Victoria. Apart from royal portraits, his best-known painting today is probably The Chelsea Pensioners Reading the Waterloo Dispatch of 1822 in Apsley House. Sir David Wilkie was actually admitted in 1799 (despite only being 14) through the influence of the Earl of Leven...

Portrait of a Clerical Gentleman Italian artist, mid 18th century Circle of Giovanni Battista Carboni (1725-1790) oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 26 x 22 inches provenance: private c...

This unique painting is called 'Ectasi of Saint Cecilia' and was painted by the Italian painter Bartolomeo Guidobono, nickname The Savona Priest (1654-1709) Work of great pictorial ...

17th century Old Master painting depicting the Infant Christ with Mary and St. Anne attributed to Nicolas de Liemaker The artist of the present work wonderfully captured the loving gaze of Maria, looking in awe at her child. One can sense the tenderness and love in her eyes. The eyes of Christ appears to be filled with wisdom and love and a finely painted aura crowns his and his mother's heads. St. Anne, Mary's mother, gently holds the infant whilst gazing adoringly at him. The painting is not only a beautiful depiction of Christ and his mother and grandmother, but also a sweet image of the tender bond between a mother's and their children. The vibrant and soft colours of the fabric create a soft cocoon around the figures and seem to further emphasis the beauty and importance of the depicted scenery and its protagonists. Nicolaas de Liemaecker (also spelled as Liemaker or Liemackere) was a Flemish painter born in Ghent in 1601. He was also known under the name Nicolaas Roose. His father was Jacobus de Liemaecker, a painter upon glass. Nicolaas is reported to have been trained by his father and Gaspard de Crayer II (1), an apprenticeship with Otto Van Veen has also been suggested. In 1624 he worked at the Court of the Bishop of Paderborn and for Ferdinand of Bavaria. He later returned to his native city, where he focused on religious and historical paintings. He was a very accomplished and celebrated artist who attained a high rank in his profession. He witnessed the baptisms of Pieter and Janne-Marie Van Hulle...

Cristofano Rustici called il Rusticone was an artist active in Siena between the 16th and 17th century, son of Lorenzo Brazzi called il Rustico (Siena 1521-1572). Even if his artistic training started in the family workshop, he was mostly very influenced by the Flemish artist Bernhard van Rantwijk, who was also living in the Tuscan town at the same time. The subject of the four paintings are the Cardinal Virtues...

Jacques Courtois, known as il Borgognone (Saint-Hyppolite 1621 - Rome 1676) circle of - Battaglia. 53 x 80 cm without frame, 73.5 x 97.5 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canv...

Italian master (17th century) - Resurrection of Christ. 128 x 103 cm without frame, 148 x 123 cm with frame. Oil on canvas, in carved and gilded wood...

17th century Flemish Old master painting "Adoration of the Shepherds" by Victor Wolfvoet the Younger Surrounded by an elegant and broad black frame, i...

The painting represents Clelia crossing the Tiber. Clelia was a Roman heroine, who was given as a hostage, together with other girls, to the Etruscan king Porsenna during the peace n...

Stormy Seas English School, 18th century oil on thick wood panel, unframed panel: 25 x 30 inches provenance: private collection, East Anglia, England condition: very good and sound c...