Pre-Raphaelite Figurative Paintings

This stunning British Victorian Pre-Raphaelite Royal Academy exhibited oil painting is by noted historical female artist and suffragette Jessie MacGregor. She was tutored by Lord Frederick Leighton at the Royal Academy art schools in the 1870's and his influence can be seen here. Painted in 1892 and exhibited that year, the subject matter is when Dante, (1265-1321) later an Italian Florentine poet, first met Beatrice, the love of his life when he was nine. They met in a gathering at her father's palazzo in Florence. She was a few months younger than Dante and dressed in a crimson dress. They never actually spoke for another nine years although Dante often observed her. They were both married off during this time, as was the custom then and Beatrice died aged only 24. Dante remained devoted to Beatrice for the rest of his life and she was his principal inspiration for much of his well known work, such as La Vita Nuova (The New Life) and La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy). (see below biography for more details on Dante and Beatrice). This stunning Pre-Raphaelite oil painting depicts Beatrice kneeling on the grass, holding flowers and gazing up at Dante as he stands beside her, hands over her head, perhaps miming crowning her. Other children and their maids dance around them. Beyond them is a Florentine garden with beautiful arches and some figures to the right. To the left one can glimpse the landscape under a summer's sky. MacGregor has portrayed superb detail in the figures expressions and clothing with rich red and gold tones and the vivid blue sky echoing in the little boy's tunic. The brushwork is fantastic. MacGregor painted some fantastic paintings in her time, many of which were exhibited and now hang in art galleries. This painting is a superb example of her work, with excellent provenance and would grace any wall. Signed twice 'Jessie Macgregor/1892' lower right. Provenance. Anon. sale, Sotheby's, Belgravia, 11 December 1972, lot 195. Exhibited London, Royal Academy, 1892, no. 905 entitled In the Childhood of Dante. From this time forward love ruled my heart. Literature Royal Academy Illustrated, 1892, p. 78. Condition. Oil on canvas, 65 inches by 35 inches and in good condition. Frame. Housed in a gilt frame with ornate flower corners and reeded edge, 87 inches by 57 inches, in good condition. Jessie MacGregor (1847–1919) was a British painter. She was born in Liverpool to a Scottish father, Alexander (1820-1898) and Liverpudlian mother, Sarah (1820-1894). She had an older brother and 7 younger siblings. MacGregor first learned drawing at the drawing academy in Liverpool run by her grandfather Andrew Hunt, a landscape painter. Her mother taught her to use water colours. Her parents went to live in London and she began to study painting there, becoming a pupil at the Royal Academy Schools in 1870 for seven years where her teachers were Lord Leighton, P. H. Calderon, R.A., and John Pettie, R.A. She won a gold medal at the Royal Academy for history painting in December 1871, the prescribed subject being An Act of Mercy. She was the second woman after Louisa Starr's gold medal in 1867, and the last woman to do so until 1909. She first exhibited at the RA whilst still a student, in 1871. She continued with a historical genre when history paintings were broadening their reach towards literature and romance. Her subjects were almost always women or children. MacGregor was made an Academician for the Liverpool Academy of Art in 1874. By 1880 she was using a studio on Elm Tree Road and exhibiting regularly at the Royal Academy. in 1884 her brother Archibald also started working from this address and they both had paintings at the RA that year. In 1888 she moved studio to Hill Road St John's Wood. In 1892 MacGregor had two painting at the RA, a portrait of Miss Phyllis Eden and our painting, In the Childhood of Dante. This was described as a fresh bit of Italian Childhood and harmonious colour grouping by the Western Daily Press. Portraits rarely got a mention in the papers but narrative works were much more popular. She lectured widely for the Victorian University extension scheme at the Arts Clubs of Liverpool, the National Gallery and Leighton House museum and other regional centres. MacGregor had a studio in Chalcot Gardens Hampstead from 1900 and began to get involved with women's issues. In 1904 she was on the committee of the Lyceum Club London along side Henrietta...

‘Vigilance, Loyalty, and Devotion’ by Arthur Wardle R.B.C. R.I. (1864-1949). The painting – which depicts a young beauty surrounded by poppies and her three faithful canine companio...

‘Awakening’ by Herbert James Draper (1864-1920). This monumental masterpeice oil painting – which depicts two wood nymphs rising to meet the morning sun – is signed by the artist an...

The Knight Errant English School, circa 1900 after the painting by John Everett Millais (1829-1896) oil painting on board, framed board: 13 x 10 i...

‘Guinevere’ by Norman Prescott-Davies R.B.A, R.C.A. (1861-1915). The painting – which depicts an English medieval portrait of Queen Guinevere at Amesbury Priory contemplating her lov...

The Female Artist Sketching in the Garden by Arthur Rankley (British, 1819-1872) signed and dated 1862 with monogram oil painting on canvas, in antique period gilt frame canvas: 24...

Artist/ School: English School Circa 1900 Title: Portrait of a young woman, head and shoulders Medium: oil on board, framed within an antique 'Florentine' gilt frame. actual pain...

Cattle By Pond At Dusk, Mid-19th Century Tonalist Landscape by William Keith Gorgeous mid-19th century landscape painting by William Keith (American, 1838-1911), circa 1860. This impressive Tonalist landscape, titled "In the Woods", depicts cattle beside a pond in the forest at dusk. Keith uses loose, blended brush strokes and a muted earthy palette to create an atmospheric mood that Tonalism is known for. Signed "W. Keith" lower left. Museum label on verso from Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Presented in an antique giltwood frame. Image size: 9"H x 13"W. With frame measures: 16"H x 20"W x 3"D. Provenance: Mrs. Eugene Patterson; Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Authenticity guaranteed and certificate include. Condition: Very good. Cleaning and restoration required signature to be re-touched, original images pre-restoration available. About the Artist: Brought to New York City in 1850, William Keith was apprenticed to a wood engraver in 1856 working for "Harper's" magazine. In 1858 (or 1859) he visited California for "Harper's" and then after a trip to Great Britain, settled in California as an engraver in 1862. He began exhibiting paintings in 1864 in San Francisco where he opened his studio, after having been taught painting by his wife. The Northern Pacific Railroad...

Attributed to James Holland (1799 -1870) and William Henry Hunt (1790-1864) A Portrait of a Young Girl Wearing a Garland of Morning Glory Flowers Oil on canvas: 17 ½ x 18 in. Frame: 23 ½ x 24 in. Circa 1820 An enchanting head and shoulders portrait of a young girl wearing a white shift...

This stunning circular 19th century oil painting is by noted prolific Royal Academy exhibited artist Rudolf Lehmann. A portrait artist, German born Lehmann moved to England in 1866 w...

‘Melancholic Sappho’ by Arthur Hill RBA (1841-1908). The painting – which depicts the celebrated poet of Ancient Greece appealing to the Goddess Aphrodite, with the Parthenon on the...

‘Diana Nemorensis’ by Max Nonnenbruch (1857-1922). The painting – which depicts the Roman Goddess Diana of the Woods beside Lake Nemi – is signed by the artist and presented in a fi...

A wonderful painting of a beautiful woman in the style of the Pre-Raphaelites. It is signed Arnhold. It is in very condition and in the original frame. Picture Size: 21 x 21" (51 ...

This stunning British Victorian Pre-Raphaelite oil painting is by noted artist Arthur Hughes. It was painted circa 1874 and has extensive provenance. The composition is of a novice n...

Hebe with Zeus mythological nude by Eduard Buchler 19th Century Hebe is the daughter of Zeus and his sister-wife Hera. Pindar in Nemean Ode 10 refers to her as the most beautiful of...

The Madonna in Pensive Thought English 19th Century, Pre-Raphaelite artist Oil painting on board, framed Framed: 15 x 10.5 inches Board: 13 x 9 inches Condition: The painting is in o...

The painting (oil on canvas 97 x 63 cm, with gilded wooden frame 104 x 71 cm) depicts one of the most dramatic and salient moments in the Christian Catholic religion, namely the cruc...

The Carpenters Workshop British School, late 19th century based on the Pre-Raphaelite painting by Millais oil on canvas, framed framed: 27.5 x 39 inches canvas: 24 x 36 inches proven...

Albert LYNCH (1851-1936) French "Rêverie" Oil on canvas Signed lower left Canvas: 43 1/4" high x 24 3/4" wide Frame: 49 5/8" high x 30 3/4" wide Albert LYNCH: Born in Lima in 1851, Albert Lynch studied art at L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris and in the studios of the figure painters Gabriel Ferrier and Henri Lehmann...

A Large and impressive antique oil on canvas Pre-Raphaelite painting by the German artist, Hermann Frobenius (1871-1954), signed and dated 1900. Frobenius had classical training and studied both in Rome and Florence, he later was in the circle of Arnold Bocklin and Hans von Marees, he settle in Munich but also in Dresden briefly and latterly in Berlin. He, like many other European painters was fascinated with North Africa and painted many oriental scenes of Algiers, Tunis and Cairo, he was represented at many exhibitions, including the "Great German Art Exhibition" in Munich 1941. This painting (an early example of the artist's work) is very finely painted in the Pre Raphaelite style, depicting a medieval costumed...

Watercolor on paper laid on board: An exceptional watercolor in terms of quality and presentation. During this earlier period of Day's career he exhibited extensively and was inspir...

Francis Plummer 1930 - 2019 Exiled Oil on board Image size: 20 ½ x 24 ½ inches Framed This rare collection of works from the artists estate, painted i...

Babies are falling from the sky and not bombs. British female artist and illustrator Noel Laura Nisbet makes a passionate twist to the reality of En...

Adolphus M. Madot Circa 1833 - 1861 Oil on canvas Image size: 36 x 24 inches (91.4 x 61 cm) Arched Pre-Raphaelite style frame The subject of the present picture is the dialogue between the court jester Touchstone and the shepherd Corin in the Forest of Arden ( As You Like It, Act III, scene 2). The work of William Shakespeare 'As You Like It' was a popular literary source in Pre-Raphaelite circles, inspiring such artists as John Everett Millais, Walter Howell Deverell and Arthur Hughes. The present picture is comparable in style to the work of Edward W. Rainford and Henry Stacy Marks...

SALE ONE WEEK ONLY In “My Best Friend” Girard has captured a tender symbiotic relationship between the woman and her sweet pet. The entire piece swirls with the soft beauty and magical exchange shared by the two individuals. The frame does not enclose so much as enfolds the scene and its decorations are an integral part of the work. Upon close inspection tiny animal figures cavort in the air adding to the spell - almost like fairy characters from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dream.” The jewelry is beautifully render as are the loving expressions of the faces of both the animal and the woman. The composition is filled with objects and figures but captured softly and in rich detail. The figures appear to be completely self-absorbed and the decorative elements about their heads could suggest the intensity of their thoughts and feelings. Girard was a Detroit figurative painter and teacher at College for Creative Studies, Detroit, Michigan where he taught for 30 years. Other College for Creative Studies (formerly Center for Creative Studies) faculty and graduates include Richard Jerzy, Harry Bertoia, Doug Chaing (currently director of Lucas Film), Stephen Dinehart (game maker, writer, designer connected with The David Lynch Foundation), Tyree Guyton (international artist), Herb Babcock, Jerome Feretti, Kevin Siembieda (writer, designer and publisher of role-playing games), Renee Radell, Philip Pearlstein, Charles McGee (nationally recognized African American sculptor of animal and dancing spirits), Philip Pearlstein (2000 Honorary Doctorate, Modern Realism style), and John Louis Krieger...

Signed and dated figurative oil on canvas by English Pre-Raphaelite painter John Edward Brett. In 1896 John Brett and his wife Mary went to Paris, the first time the artist had been ...

Jane Shore doing Penance Richard Redgrave 1804-1888 Oil on canvas, signed with monogram (centre right) Image size: 14 x 27 inches (35.5 x 68.5 cm) Original gilt tabernacle frame Ex...