William James

View of the Grand Canal, Venice

18th century

This Neo-Impressionist landscape by the French artist Achille Laugé captures an orchard in late spring in his celebrated, highly modern style. The work displays a thick impasto thanks to the artist's distinctive technique of applying his paint in quick dabs, a characteristic of his later works. One of the foremost painters of the Post-Impressionist period, Laugé’s works are beloved for his sensitivity to light, shade and tone, and his mastery of medium is clearly on display in Almond Trees...

This lyrical landscape entitled Dance of the Nymphs was composed by the French Barbizon painter Paul Désiré Trouillebert. A joyful scene of nymphs dancing the morning fog, the work closely resembles an important work by the great Camille Corot, which is now housed at the Musée d'Orsay (Paris). Renowned for his unique individuality that toed the line between the traditional and modern, Corot and his landscapes helped pave the way for an entire generation of Impressionists who followed him. Trouillebert perfectly captures the poetic atmosphere of Corot’s groundbreaking works, while also imbuing this scene with a freshness and character that is all his own. Trouillebert's oil on canvas is exemplary of the tradition of historical painting. The work perfectly combines a realistic depiction of the natural world with a spirited romanticism as his idealized nymph figures frolic playfully beneath a crisp morning sky. As a whole, it is a lovely composition executed with a level of skill and artistry that proves Trouillebert's exceptional talent in the arts. Born in Paris in 1831, Paul Désiré Trouillebert was a student of the academic painters Ernest Hébert...

André Brasilier b. 1929 French Les buisson ardents Signed “André Brasilier” (lower right); signed, dated and inscribed "Pour Alexis. Mai 1982" (en verso) Oil on canvas Swirling w...

Achille Laugé 1861-1944 French The Garden Near Cailhau Signed "A. Laugé 96" (lower left) Oil on canvas “Laugé’s art is one of great sensitivity and controlled reason; he is a mas...

William Didier-Pouget 1864-1959 French Soleil levant, vallée de la Dordogne (Sunrise, Dordogne Valley) Signed "Didier-Pouget" (lower right) Oil on canvas The majesty of the Frenc...

Jane Peterson 1876–1965 American Gondolas, Venetian Canal Signed “Jane Peterson” (lower right) Oil on canvas This remarkable painting, Gondolas, Venetian Canal, by the esteemed A...

This delightful turn of the century (early 20th century) oil on canvas painting represents an Italian landscape with one of the most famous squares in the world: Piazza San Marco in ...

"Houses And River" Signed A. Huntington (English School) Oil on canvas Measures: Canvas - 60x110 cm (Gilt Wood Frame - 76x126 cm) Private collection. Framed

This very fine quality 19th century oil on canvas in dark brown wood frame with gold leaves details throughout is signed by Joseph Brunner (Vienna 1826-...

A luxuriant forest is the romantic and lyrical landscape where the dance of the nude nymphs takes place in this joyful 19th Century antique oil on canvas painting featuring a mythological scene. Dance of the Nymphs and Naiads is a myth inspired by the tales of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, a subject already much loved in the Renaissance period as an allegory of rebirth - as in one of the most famous paintings in the world the Spring by Sandro Botticelli- then reproduced throughout the neoclassicism by academic painters -due to the renewed interest in classical artworks following the discovery of archaeological sites- and taken up later, with ecological purposes and meanings, also by the Barbizon school and Impressionist artists. The present artwork – signed Vagner low left and datable to the second half of the 19th century - is closely inspired by an important work by the great Camille Corot, which is now housed at the Musée d'Orsay (Paris). This historical oil on canvas painting, featuring a joyful scene with the three graces and other dancing nymphs...

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

Jamel Akib Born in Leigh-on-sea, Essex in 1965 to English and Malaysian parents, Jamel moved to North Borneo at the age of five. At thirteen he returned to England to pursue his edu...