Giovanni Agostino Cassana

Birds with an Upturned Basket of Fruit 1

Emily Beatrice Bland (1864-1951) British Road to Biot, Provence Oil on board. 8 x 10 in. Frame.12 x 14 in. Signed and titled on label on reverse...

Rene Charles Edmond His (1877 – 1960) French 'A Church on a Hill' A View of Villefranche, South of France Oils on canvas: 13x16 in. (Frame: 20x2...

Rene Charles Edmond His (1877 – 1960) French Col de Villefranche, South of France Oil on canvas: 13x16 in. (Frame: 20x23in.) Signed& inscribed ...

Yakov Besperstov (1929-1989) A Venetian Canal Scene Oil on canvas: 13 x 18in. Frame: 18 x 23 in. Circa 1970’s Yakov Tarasovich Besperstov was a Soviet painter who lived and did much ...

Vernon Southward (1911-81) British Winter in Sussex `78 Exhibited: Paris Salon1980. No.2959, illustrated. Oil on Canvas: 16 x 20 in. frame. 23 x 27. Signed& dated ’78. Original Ga...

Alexander Averin (Born 1952) Russian ‘Walking in a Wild Flower Meadow’ Young Girls with a Small Dog in a Field. Oil on Canvas.24 x 32 in. Frame: 30 x 38 in. Signed, and Inscribed i...

Provenance: The Marchesi Strozzi, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence Sale, Christie’s, London, May 20, 1993, lot 315, as by Carl Borromaus Andreas Ruthart...

Artist: John Frederik Hulk II Title: Grazing Sheep Medium: Oil on Wood Panel Dimensions: Unframed 13.5" x 13.5" Framed 19.5" x 16" Frederik Hulk II paints a rural landscape. His careful brushstrokes create the fluffy, wool coats of the sheep as well as the detailed facial features in the foreground. These farm animals are dusted with bright and light. Behind them, Hulk’s forest provides a dark contrast as trunks and boughs crisscross and entangle. Hulk’s oil painting is both a playful and realist representation of 19th century Dutch landscape...

A fine 20th Century Modernist figurative oil painted by Christian Pedersen Bellinge (1897-1984) oil on canvas 60cm x 70cm painted wooden frame 68cmx 78cm A good late work by the well...

Wild Horses by Mark Tobey (1890-1976) Oil on panel 10 ¾ x 16 ½ inches unframed (27.305 x 41.91 cm) 14 x 19 ½ inches framed (35.56 x 49.53 cm) Signed on bot...

17th Century Old Master, Figurative and Landscape Painting by Jan Van der Bent So far, little is known about the life and work of Jan van der Bent. He was...

Flemish school, 17th century Orpheus and the animals Oil on canvas, 146,5 x 217 cm Provenance: South German private collection. On an impressive, room-filling format, this painting depicts "Orpheus and the Animals." The harp-playing Orpheus sits centrally in front of a tree whose trunk bifurcates above his head. This central tree frames with its crown the scenery towards the horizon and at the same time offers through branches the possibility for many birds to find space. The left half of the picture is characterized by a seascape, at the edge of which the ruins of a castle can be seen deep in the background. This seascape, framed by mountains on the horizon, is the only area where sky can be seen. On this side, waterfowl such as storks, swans and ducks can be seen. In the right half, the viewer looks into a deep European forest. On this right side, more land animals can be found, such as deer, rabbits and lions, among others. Orpheus wears opulent red and gold trimmed clothing, under his blue breastplate we see a white shirt. His feet are adorned by elaborate sandals. His head is surrounded by a radiant laurel wreath ("poeta laureatus"). The young man is clearly identifiable as the singer and poet of Greek mythology, Orpheus, by his harp, the laurel wreath and the animals surrounding him. Orpheus was one of the Argonauts who, under Jason, was searching for the Golden Fleece. He sang so beautifully that he even conquered the angry sea and enemies by the magic of his lyre. During the journey, Orpheus is said to have drowned out even the sirens with his singing. It is said that he was the greatest of all poets and charmed people, animals, stones and trees with his singing. In total, 51 birds and 37 different species are depicted in the painting. The animals are mostly depicted in great detail and, except for a few, can be identified. Mainly European species of animals are shown. Exceptions are the ostrich-like nandu peeking out from behind the deer, as well as the large parrot on the upper left, and the two lions. Similar is the case for the large animal directly behind Orpheus on the right. The shape of the head suggests an arctic fox from the polar regions, even though the body is much too large. The arctic fox was first described in 1555 by Olaus Magnus. However, it could also be a depiction of a brown or black bear. An unusual detail is the animal, which is relatively isolated in the right background and looks to the left. It is not clearly identifiable, but it shows certain similarities with the Australian kangaroo. This was first described by Vespucci in 1500 and further by Francisco Pelsaert in 1629. If it is indeed a kangaroo, this would be one of the earliest surviving pictorial representations. In this painting, Orpheus is accompanied by a small monkey playing a viola da gamba. This is an iconographic peculiarity. In general, this painting has some peculiarities compared to other paintings with "Orpheus and the animals". The central positioning of Orpheus is quite common, but he usually holds a lyre and is dressed in an antique style, but not as opulently. The choice of animals is also remarkable: European animals in particular are seen, hardly any exotic features, such as camels or elephants. The two lions in the right foreground are a quotation from Peter Paul Rubens and his depiction of "Daniel in the Lion's Den", which was realized in an engraving. The present painting can be classified as belonging to the Flemish School of the 17th century on the basis of its painterly and compositional conception. From the circle of Jan Brueghel the Younger are numerous representations of this Orpheus - theme, which take it as an opportunity to show as many exotic animals. There are also echoes of Spanish painters such as Juan de Arellano...