Old Masters Landscape Paintings

Artist: Oriental School, 18th century Title: Chinoiserie scene, figures fishing by a pond Medium: oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 29.25 x 52.25 inches Provenance: from a pri...

S Lawson Booth : Country House in extensive landscape with cattle in the foreground, oil on canvas signed and dated '98, 60cm x 90cm (35x23 inches approx image) size with frame appro...

Roman landscape painter of the eighteenth century - Entourage by Paolo Anesi (Rome 1697 - 1773) River landscape of the Lazio countryside, with the Tiber fl...

Artist/ School: 17th Century Dutch School Title: An Extensive River Landscape with Figures in the foreground Medium: oil painting on canvas, framed Pai...

Pandolfo Reschi known as Monsù Pandolfo (Danzica 1643 - Florence 1699), attributable Coastal landscape with fortified city, castle with tower, and battle scene oil painting on canvas Measurements: canvas 90 x 120, with frame 104 x 134 This expansive coastal landscape, with a fortress-city overlooking the sea and a small castle with a watchtower, serves as the stage for an eventful battle scene between soldiers and, presumably, a band of brigands. It is an illustrative typology attributable to Pandolfo Reschi (Danzica 1643 - Florence 1696), known for his works in which he perfectly combines the airy landscape of Tuscan-Roman matrix with images of knights in battle or brigands intent on their raids. Pandolfo Reschi was born in Gdansk but from an early age he moved to Rome where he began his brilliant career following the style of Salvator Rosa, even if his real teacher was the Flemish-Italianized Livio Mehus. With Mehus and Rosa he refined his skills as a battle painter and was later taken to the workshop by the Borgognone, even if his main occupation was that of a genre painter. The decisive turning point in his career came after his transfer to Florence, around the middle of 1660, where he continued his studies with Livio Mehus. After a decade he was now an established and highly coveted painter, so much so that in 1670 he was hired by the Medici court as protege of Cardinal Francesco Maria de Medici...

In this painting, Gabriel de Saint-Aubin, the great chronicler of the reign of Louis XV, takes us to the annual parade of the Swiss Guards at the Plaine de...

Here Gaspard Dughet offers us an idyllic vision of the Roman countryside. The stages follow one another in a perfectly structured composition, revealing here a lake, there travellers walking along, gradually leading our eye to the blue horizon. But behind its classical composition, this landscape is particularly interesting because of three anthropomorphic details that the artist has hidden, opening the way to a radically different interpretation... 1. Gaspard Dughet, a landscape artist in the light of Poussin Gaspard Dughet was born on June 4th, 1615 in Rome where his father, of French origin, was a pastry cook. He was probably named Gaspard in honour of his godfather Baron Gaspard de Morant, who was, or may have been, his father's employer. His older sister Jeanne married the painter Nicolas Poussin (1594 - 1655) on September 1st, 1630. The young Gaspard was apprenticed with his brother-in-law at the beginning of 1631, which led his entourage to name him Gaspard Poussin. The first preserved works of the painter date from the years 1633-1634 and were painted in Poussin’s studio. Around 1635, Gaspard Dughet became emancipated and began to frequent the Bamboccianti circle. In 1636, he became friends with the painter Jean Miel (1599 - 1656), but also with Pier Francesco Mola (1612 - 1666) and Pietro da Cortona (1596 - 1669). This was also the time of his first trips throughout Italy. The painter, although of French origin, appears never to have visited France. In 1646 he settled permanently in Rome. A recognized painter with a solid book of orders, he remained faithful to landscape painting throughout his life, alternating between cabinet paintings and large decorative commissions, using both oil and fresco. Nailed to his bed by rheumatic fever at the age of 58, he died on May 25, 1675. 2. Discovering an idealized landscape Beyond a relatively dark foreground that takes us into the landscape, we discover a vast bluish horizon: a plateau surrounded by deep ravines advances to the right, overhanging an expanse of water that sparkles below. A road winds through a mountainous mass as if leading us to the fortress that crowns it; another town appears in the distance at the foot of three conical mountains. The composition is rigorous, mineral, and structured by geometric volumes. The various stages in the landscape lead one to the next attracting the eye towards the horizon located in the middle of the canvas. The general impression is that of a welcoming and serene nature. In many places the paint layer has shrunk, or become transparent, revealing the dark red preparation with which the canvas was covered and accentuating the contrasts. Human presence is limited to three jack players, leaning against a mound in the foreground. Their long garments, which may evoke Roman togas, contribute to the timelessness of the scene. Close examination of the canvas reveals two other travellers on the path winding between the rocks. Made tiny by the distance, their introduction in the middle register, typical of Dughet's art, lengthens the perspective. While it is difficult to date the work of a painter who devoted his entire life to the representation of landscapes, it is certain that this painting is a work from his later years. The trees that occupied the foreground of his youthful compositions have been relegated to the sides, a stretch of water separates us from the arid mountains counterbalanced by two trees represented on the opposite bank. The introduction of this stretch of water in the middle of the landscape betrays the influence of the Bolognese and in particular of the Dominiquin (1581 - 1641) A number of similarities with a drawing in the British Museum might suggest a date around 1656-1657, since, according to Marie-Nicole Boisclair , it has been compared with the Prado's Landscape with the Repentant Magdalene, painted at that period. 3. Three amazing anthropomorphic details While some late Renaissance landscapes offer a radical double reading, allowing one to see both a face or a human body behind the representation of a landscape, it seems interesting to us to hypothesize that Gaspard Dughet had fun here by slipping in a few details that, taken in isolation, evoke human or animal figures. We will give three examples, looking closely at a cloud, the trunk of a broken tree and the top of a cliff. The main cloud could thus evoke a Christ-like face or that of an antique god...

Dutch School End Of 18th Century Lively Marine on the bank of Estuary Oil on wood Panel recently consolidated on the back (see picture) No crack or filure on the wood panel Framed by...

Attributed to William Marlow (English, 1740-1813) Elegant Figures alongside the River Wye 1790 131 x 152 cm, inc. frame This quiet bucolic scene shows figur...

Remembering the magic of everyday life moments in the art of David Teniers: The art of David Teniers the Younger (1610–1690) coincided with the heyday of the Flemish Baroque and captured a great variety of motifs of his time. In this painting of a seemingly simple peasant scene lies keys to understanding both the imaginative mind of Teniers as well as why this time period produced some of the most iconic works in all of art history.  As indicated by the name, Teniers was more or less born into his profession. As the son of David Teniers the elder, himself a painter who studied under Rubens, the younger David received training in art from a very young age and had no less than three brothers who also became painters. Because of his father’s frequent financial failures that even at times saw him imprisoned, David the younger helped to rescue the family from ruin through painting copies of old masters. Essentially, the young Teniers was confronted with painting as both a passion and creative expression as well as a necessity during difficult times, an experience that would shape much of his capacity and sensitivity in his coming life. Despite the hardships, the talent and determination of Teniers was recognized and quickly expanded his possibilities. He had already spent time in France and possibly also England when he was hired by his father’s former teacher Rubens to help with a prestigious commission with mythological paintings, now considered lost, for Philip IV the king Spain. In 1644–54 Teniers was appointed dean of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke, manifesting his esteemed position within the artistic community. A few years afterwards he took an important step when relocating to Brussels, where Teniers yet again found new career opportunities that would prove to be very successful. As the keeper of the collections of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, a role similar to what we now refer to as an art advisor, Teniers purchased hundreds of important artworks that manifested the prominent status of the Archduke’s collection while at the same time providing an unusual access to inspiration and knowledge for Teniers himself. Since he kept on painting during the same time, his creative scope must have seemed almost bewildering in the great variety of images and stories that he surrounded himself with.  Regardless of how glamorous and culturally stimulating the career of Teniers was, he was as open to the charm and existential importance of everyday life as he was to works of great masters and luxurious collectibles. In his impressive repertoire of genres with everything from exquisite royal portraits, interiors, landscapes and history paintings he always added something new and inventive, highlighting the possibilities of art and importance of an experimental and intuitive mind. It is difficult to single out one aspect or genre to summarize his legacy, since it lies much more in the broad virtuosity across many motifs, although he is particularly remembered for farm scenes and meticulously depicted interiors where other paintings and artworks are captured with an astonishing precision. However, the fact that he is still today one of the most known and celebrated names of the Dutch Golden Age is a proof to the magic of his work, which continues to spark dialogue and wonder in the contemporary viewer of his works. The farm boy in the field in this painting, which likely dates to the mature part of his career, is a wonderful entry into the mind of Teniers. In the tightly cropped motif, we see him standing right in the middle of the busy harvest when men, women and everyone capable were sent out in the field to collect the crop that formed the very core of their diet and survival. In the background we see a fresh blue sky interspersed with skillfully painted clouds, some trees reaching their autumnal colours and in the far distance the glimpse of a small church and village. The presence of a church in a landscape, so typical of Dutch art, served both a symbolic and visual function as a representation of faith while at the same time defining scale and distance. In the field, the work is in full action with the farmers spread out in various positions, all in the midst of hard and sweaty labour. While they are portrayed as having nothing else than the work on their mind, our farm boy seems to have his attention directed elsewhere. Standing there with his white, half open shirt, flowy curls and strong, sturdy body; his gaze is directed away, out of the picture and the scythes in his hands. He looks almost smirking, expressed with tremendous subtlety in the slight smile of his lips and big eyes, being just in the middle of losing focus on the work. What is it that steals his attention? What has he seen, or realized, or felt – to break him free of the arduous task of harvesting, if but for a moment? Here starts the wondering and the questions that are the hallmark of a great piece of art. Instead of explicitly locking in the motif in overly clear symbolism Teniers has chosen an open ended, subtle yet striking moment for us to consider. While it of course can be related to numerous other farm scene depictions of this time, and clever usages of gazes and real-life scenes to underscore various moral or symbolic meanings, the painting can be much more of a contemplation than an explanation or illustration. The ordinary nature and understated yet emotionally textured composition of the motif gives greater space for our own reactions and thoughts. Has he seen a pretty farm girl just passing by? Is he fed up with the farm life, joyously dreaming away for a minute, imagining another future? Or is he simply in need of distraction, looking away and ready for anything that can steal his attention? One quality that never seem to have escaped Teniers was that of curiosity. During all of his career he constantly investigated, expanded and experimented with not only the style and technique of painting, but with the vision of art itself. Being credited with more or less introducing farm motifs for a broader audience not only tells us of his ability to understand the demand for different motifs, but the sensitivity to transform seemingly ordinary parts of life into deep aesthetic experiences, far beyond their expected reach. The farm boy in this painting is, of course, exactly that. But with the help of one smirk the entire picture is charged with a different energy, awakening many contrasts and relationships between the calm landscape, the hard work and his own breach of effectivity, holding sharp scythes while thinking or seeing something else. It is no wonder Teniers chose to work with farm scenes as a way of investigating these intricate and delicate plays on expectations and surprises, clarity and ambivalence. It invites us to an appreciation of human everyday life that connects us with the people of 17th century...

Provenance: Robert Hollberton, Antigua, ca. 1841 Private Collection, New York The present painting depicts Old St. John’s Cathedral on the island of Antigua. The church was erected in the 1720s on the designs of the architect Robert Cullen. It measured 130 feet by 50 feet with north and south porches 23 x 20 ½ feet. The tower, 50 feet high with its cupola, was added in 1789. The church was elevated to the status of a cathedral, but disaster struck in the form of an earthquake that destroyed the building on 8 February 1843. A memorandum of that date relates the event: “On Wednesday, 8th February, 1843, this island was visited by a most terrific and destructive earthquake. At twenty minutes before eleven o’clock in the forenoon, while the bell was ringing for prayers, and the venerable Robert Holberton was in the vestry-room, awaiting the arrival of persons to have their marriage solemnized, before the commencement of the morning service, the whole edifice, from one end to the other, was suddenly and violently agitated. Every one within the church, after the first shock, was compelled to escape for his life. The tower was rent from the top to the bottom; the north dial of the clock precipitated to the ground with a dreadful crash; the east parapet wall of the tower thrown upon the roof of the church; almost the whole of the north-west wall by the north gallery fell out in a mass; the north-east wall was protruded beyond the perpendicular; the altar-piece, the public monument erected to the memory of lord Lavington, and the private monuments, hearing the names of Kelsick, Warner, Otley, and Atkinson, fell down piecemeal inside; a large portion of the top of the east wall fell, and the whole of the south-east wall was precipitated into the churchyard, carrying along with it two of the cast-iron windows, while the other six remained projecting from the walls in which they had been originally inserted; a large pile of heavy cut stones and masses of brick fell down at the south and at the north doors; seven of the large frontpipes of the organ were thrown out by the violence of the shock, and many of the metal and wooden pipes within displaced; the massive basin of the font was tossed from the pedestal on which it rested, and pitched upon the pavement beneath uninjured. Thus, within the space of three minutes, this church was reduced to a pile of crumbling ruins; the walls that were left standing being rent in every part, the main roof only remaining sound, being supported by the hard wood pillars.” The entrance from the southern side into the cathedral, which was erected in 1789, included two imposing statues, one of Saint John the Divine and the other of Saint John the Baptist in flowing robes. It is said that these statues were confiscated by the British Navy from the French ship HMS Temple in Martinique waters in 1756 during the Seven Years’ War and moved to the church. The statues are still in situ and can be seen today, much as they appeared in Bisbee’s painting, but with the new cathedral in the background (Fig. 1). Little is known of the career of Ezra Bisbee. He was born in Sag Harbor, New York in 1808 and appears to have had a career as a political cartoonist and a printmaker. His handsome Portrait of President Andrew Jackson is dated 1833, and several political lithographs...

Grand Tour Study Italian School, 18th century monogrammed, lower right hand corner, Watercolour wash painting on board, glazed frame Framed size: 9 x 11 inches The painting captures...

"The Working Landscape" Italian School, 17th century oil painting on canvas, framed canvas: 42.5cm x 60cm framed: 50.5cm x 68cm Fine quality Italian Old Master oil painting on can...

Regatta in the gulf - John Stevens Italia 2006 - Oil on canvas cm.40x80. Using thin washes of oil paint, John Stevens slowly builds up his highly detailed paintings of scenes of nava...

Two Arcadic Landscapes are a couple of original oil paintings by a follower of the Flemish artist, Jan Frans Van Bloemen (1662-1749). These old master's original paintings represen...

Bibliography: A.Busiri Vici, Jan Frans Van Bloemen Orizzonte e l’origine del paesaggio romano settecentesco, Ugo Bozzi Editore, Roma 1974, n.41 This artwork is shipped from Italy. U...

Russian oil painting 'The Chase' signed C. Stoiloff Russian, early 20th Century Frame: Height 84cm, width 122cm, depth 7cm Canvas: Height 66cm, wi...

Provenance: Sotheby’s December 5th 2006, Lot 388 Bout was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and etcher. He is known mainly for his landscapes, city, coast and country views and archite...

John Wilson Ewbank (1799 - 1847) Shipping in the Harbour, South Shields Oil on canvas 39.5 x 58 inches unframed 47.75 x 66.5 inches framed Provenance: Christie's October 2002; Lot 11. Fine Art Society; Private Collection This marvellous up to scale Ewbank is full of light and warmth and almost certainly his greatest work of the sort rarely - if ever - seen on the market. John W. Ewbank (4 May 1799–28 November 1847), was an English-born landscape and marine painter largely operational from Scotland. The Humber river is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. Life Ewbank was born at Darlington on 4 May 1799, the son of Michael Ewbank, an innkeeper. He was adopted as a child by a wealthy uncle who lived at Wycliffe, on the banks of the River Tees, in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Intended for the Roman Catholic priesthood, he was sent to Ushaw College, from which he absconded. In 1813 Ewbank was apprenticed to Thomas Coulson, an ornamental painter in Newcastle. In around 1816 he moved with Coulson to Edinburgh, where he had some lessons with Alexander Nasmyth. He found work both as a painter and a teacher. He was nominated in 1830 one of the foundation members of the Royal Scottish Academy. In 1833 he is listed as living at 7 Union Street on the eastern fringe of the New Town in Edinburgh. Works His sketches from nature were especially admired, and a series of 51 drawings of Edinburgh by him were engraved by W. H. Lizars for James Browne's Picturesque Views of Edinburgh (1825). He also made a reputation with cabinet pictures of banks of rivers, coast scenes, and marine subjects. As an illustrator he illustrated some early editions of Scott's Waverley Novels and one edition of Gilbert White...

Ruisdael is regarded as the principal figure among Dutch landscape painters of the second half of the 17th century. His naturalistic compositions and style representing massive forms...

William Louis Sonntag Sr. was an American Landscape painter and a member of the Hudson River School movement. He was an Academician of the National Academy of Design. His work is in ...

Amaizing 19' century Roman landscape depicting a part of Villa Borghese with Trinità dei Monti. With a finely carved gilt wood coeval frame. Measurements with frame cm 65 x78 wit...

"Town Scene" is an original oil on canvas by Petrus Gerardus Vertin. The city scene shows an idyllic view of a bustling European city of the pas...

Old master oil from 1661 - Majestic hunting landscape with lions This captivating painting captures the raw intensity of a lion hunt amidst a mysterious forest landscape, presumably inspired by the works of Roelandt Savery...

A fine little landscape signed 'P. Wagner' by the German painter Philipp Jakob Wagner (1812-1877). It is painted on canvas and depicts a peasant with his dog driving his herd of cows...

Attributed to Philips Wouwerman (Dutch, 1619 – 1668) The departure of hunters near a ruin Oil on canvas 24 x 28.3/4 in. (61 x 73 cm.) Provenance: A Schonlank Gallery, Cologne; 28th A...

Venetian painter (19th century) - Padua, Caffè Pedrocchi. 37.5 x 48.5 cm without frame, 50.5 x 60 cm with frame. Oil on canvas, in a carved wooden frame. Condition report: Good st...

Tzar Peter the Great of Russia Arriving in Amsterdam in August 1697 Dutch School, 17th century Circle of Abraham Jansz Storck (c.1635-1708) Dutch Oil on canvas, in a carved giltwood ...

Figures under Archway Italian School, 18th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 13.5 x 16.5 inches provenance: private collection, United Kingdom condition: very good and sound co...

Nicolas Poussin (Les Andelys 1594 - Rome 1665), Circle of Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist in a landscape Oil painting on canvas 56 x 68 cm. in frame 72 x 85 cm. We present this splendid work that depicts the episode, taken from the Old Testament, of the meeting of the Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the little Saint John. Saint Joseph, in the background, is between Saint Elizabeth, sitting on the ground, and the Madonna. The two hold their respective children on their knees, San Giovannino and Jesus playing with a scroll from which you can glimpse the inscription "Ecce Agnus Dei", evoking the words with which John the Baptist, as an adult, will address Christ, recognizing in him the awaited Messiah, the savior of men. The setting is simple but eloquent, intrinsic with solemnity but softened by the strong sentimental understanding between the characters, underlined by their crossed gazes full of great humanity. The arrangement of the figures also emphasizes their intimate relationship, with the Madonna supporting the Child Jesus balanced by the presence of the other characters, arranged concentrically to enhance the importance of each. There is a strong search for delicate formal correspondences, in the rhythm of the stroke and curves, as well as the psychological ones; in fact, looks and gestures are wisely intertwined, in a highly studied complex but with an extremely simple and natural effect, with a serene and calm tone. Also of great effect is the attention paid to the landscape in the background, in which views of the city and various landscape views appear, rich in detail, with hills, perched villages and architectural ruins, which evoke the area surrounding Rome. The work takes up a composition conceived, during his long stay in Rome, by Nicolas Poussin (Les Andelys 1594 - Rome 1665) *, and is an excellent example of how the author was able to amalgamate and merge the ideal of French...

George Morland (1763 London - 1804 Brighton). Sheltering from the Storm. Oil on canvas, relined, 37.5 x 29.5 cm (visible size), 53.5 x 45.5 cm (frame), signed and dated at lower left...

We wish to thank Mrs. Bożena Anna Kowalczyk who suggested this drawing be attributed to Giuseppe Bernardino Bison during a direct examination of the artwork. This drawing, perfectly representative of Giuseppe Bison's technique, represents an episode in Caesar's life that may have been inspired by his incursions on the Brittany coast. It is presented in an exceptional 18th...

Attributed to George Morland. 19th Century English Antique, Two Country farmers drinking beer in a landscape. Wonderful early 19th-century original oil on canvas. A classic 'Morland' composition as the painter was a big fan of English Pub scenes...

Flemish painter of the 17th century Christ and the Samaritan woman at the well Oil painting on canvas cm. 76 x 104 - In frame cm. 93 x 121 The work is ascribed to a Flemish painter, active in the seventeenth century, and illustrates the episode, taken from the Gospel of John (Jn 4, 1-30), of the dialogue between Christ and a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, near of the city of Sicar, from which the woman has just drawn water and then placed it in a jug. The theme (one of the most frequently used in Counter-Reformation Christian art) celebrated the main concepts of the Council of Trent: the encounter with the Samaritan woman has the symbolic meaning of the innovation brought by Christ who offers the good news even to those who are not considered pure Jew. Even the place of the event, rather unusual and certainly not religious, according to biblical tradition, was rich in meanings and historical salvific evocations. The Gospel episode is reflected in our canvas with an interesting translation both in terms of composition and pictorial quality, finding its culmination in the graceful figure of the Samaritan woman, with her elegant pose, underlined by the skilful drapery of her clothes and her gestures. . The author broadens the horizon of the scene, showing the glimpse of the city of Sicar, illuminated by the light of the dawn of a new day, and from which the disciples of Christ are returning - in the Gospel account John, Peter and Andrew are named - followed by others and by the inhabitants curious to see the new Messiah in person. The conservation conditions of the work appear very good. The painting is sold together with a nice frame. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The work is sold with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic card. We take care and organize the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. It is also possible to see the painting in the Riva del Garda...

Peak Moment of Drama is capatured. canvas: 36"w x 50.75"w overall (with frame): 42"h x 56.5"w Artist's placard affixed lower center Provenance: Collection of William and Irene ...

Wonderfully painted early 19th-century English rural landscape with cattle in a cowshed. Very similar to the work of Edward Williams who was a very well-known English landscape pai...