Alabaster Paintings

Shizico Yi embarked upon an odyssey this summer, surrendering to the irresistible garden which is compelling her to create a series of plein air paintings that transcended the bounda...

Painting on Alabaster ‘THE ANNUNCIATION’ Italy, 17th Century Oil on alabaster 19 x 19 cm 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 in

This beautiful composition on stone is still an enigma, despite our research. The representation of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is directly inspired by an engraving by Schelte Adams Bolswert (ca. 1586 - 1659), after an altarpiece by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), completed in 1621. The presence of a label on the back indicating that this panel was brought from Rome, suggests that it is a Roman work, however, at this stage, it has not been possible to establish the exact name of the artist. The French framing makes it a true European work of art, testifying both to the circulation of forms between Flanders and Italy thanks to the spread of engravings, but also to the circulation of works of art between Italy and France. Oil on alabaster panel, probably of antique origin 9 7/16” (24 cm) diameter; 18 ½” x 16 ½” (47 x 42 cm) framed French frame from the Louis XIV period in a mixture of gilded and carved wood and ebony marquetry inlaid with pewter fillets. 1. A well identified source of inspiration: the altarpiece of the Assumption by Rubens The Assumption of the Virgin is based on a large altarpiece designed by Rubens between 1611/14 and 1621. This altarpiece was originally executed for the cathedral of Antwerp but was exhibited from 1621 to 1776 in the Marian chapel of the Jesuit church in that city. It is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna (Austria) . The figure of the Virgin in Rubens' altarpiece is reversed on our panel, and the colors of the Virgin's garments are different. These two elements show that the real source of inspiration for the painter of our panel is probably the engraving made from this altarpiece by Schelte Adams Bolswert (ca. 1586 - 1659) for the printer Martinus van den Enden (1605 - after 1654). A comparison between the engraving made after Rubens' work and our work shows that the treatment of the Virgin and her drapery are very similar. 2. A panel probably of Roman origin Stone painting appeared in Rome around 1530, and then spread to other Italian artistic centres (Florence, Venice, Genoa, Milan and Verona) as well as outside the peninsula, particularly to Antwerp. It is interesting to note the role of Rubens in the spread of this pictorial tradition on stone in Flanders. Rubens had in fact learned this technique while working in Rome between 1606 and 1608 on a triptych on slate for the church of Santa Maria in Vallicella. It was after his return to Flanders that certain painters discovered stone painting in their turn. It seems however, that, despite the Rubenian inspiration, our panel is a Roman work. A label on the back indicates that the panel was brought from Rome. This inscription, made partially illegible by the addition of a suspension hook, reads as follows "This table [...] is painted by * (*The Correggio) on oriental alabaster of a choice (particularly ?) [...] perfectly imitating a glory all the more [...] as the lights come from above; which has (decided?) the skilful painter to compose his figure to take advantage [...] of the contrasts (of ?) lights accidental - so that the composition has been so studied that it could not be otherwise flawless. [...] belongs to Mr. Henri François Bernard who [...] from someone who had it [...] from Rome. " Beyond the erroneous nature of the attribution to Correggio, typical of an era in which knowledge of the great artists was in its infancy, this label leads us to believe that this painting was indeed purchased in Rome, unframed, allowing it to be transported more easily, and then brought back and framed in France - we will come back to this. The very high quality of the alabaster used...

"Still life of Flower Bouquet on Alabaster" circa 1820's Gouache on alabaster 6 1/2 x 4 1/2 (12 3/4 x 10 3/4 frame) inches Follower of Pierre Joseph Redouté 1759-1840, the artist brought all the finesse and care required for this work to seduce us and hold our attention at first glance, delicately painted in gouache on an alabaster plate, he added here and there a drop of water which adds freshness to the whole while showing us his virtuosity. A white rose, a parrot tulip and a few forget-me-nots to enhance the composition and the harmonious bouquet bursts with gaiety against a background of luminous alabaster. Unsigned, this gouache dates from the years 1820 - 1830, it is enhanced by a channel frame which has retained its original gilding. Redouté was an official court artist of Marie Antoinette, and continued painting through the French Revolution and Reign of Terror. He survived the turbulent political upheaval to gain international recognition for his precise renderings of plants, which remain as fresh in the early 21st century as when first painted. He combined great artistic skills with a pleasing, ingratiating personality which assisted him with his influential patrons. After Queen Marie-Antoinette, his patrons included both of Napoleon's wives -- Empress Joséphine and Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma—as well as Maria Amalia...

LEON D'USSEAU "RESTING NUDE" OIL ON PANEL, SIGNED CALIFORNIA, C.1955 14 X 40 INCHES 48 INCHES OVEALL, ORIGINAL FRAME Leon D'Usseau 1918-1991 Born in Los Angeles, CA on March 21, 1918. Leon was the son of an art director at Paramount Pictures. He anglicized his name to Dusso and studied under Merrill Gage and Archipenko at the Chouinard Art Institute. He was active as an artist in his native city and a resident of Sherman Oaks, CA in the 1960s. He died in Lake Elsinore, CA on Nov. 23, 1991. His painting style was influenced by Mayan or Incan designs. Exh: LACMA, 1937-40; CPLH, 1941; MM, 1942; LA AA, 1944; Audubon Ass'n, 1945; Calif. WC Society, 1946; Laguna Festival of Arts. In: Marshall Field and Palmer House (Chicago); Dallas Museum He began training under the guidance of his father, who was among the first of the fine art directors in motion pictures. Dusso was twelve years of age when he started drawing seriously. At a mere fifteen years, he received a working scholarship at Chouinard School of Art in Los Angeles where he taught a quick sketch class in life drawing. According to Dusso, after spending eight years as a make-up artist at M.G.M. a growing need for deeper personal expresson caused me to abandon this lucrative occupation for one more spiritually rewarding. Dusso is listed in Who's Who in Western Art. His oil paintings have been purchased and used in the making of the film Man in the Grey Flannel Suit, and the film Anything Goes, as well as the Perry Mason...

Evelyn Metzger 1911-2007 Biography from an exhibit catalog published by Frank Partridge Inc in 1964. As a child, Evelyn Metzger attended the drawing classes of George Bridg...

This Diptych is a combined art work from the Vertical series by Natalia Sitnikova made with sand, alabaster and oil paint on canvas to create a specific texture that allows to mixed art and other ways to underline a uniqueness of the work. It consists of two painting of smaller art works...

Antonio Tempesta (Florence 1555 - 1630 Rome) Adoration of the Magi Signed on the quiver-strap of the black soldier holding the two white horses...

Moose and Moose antler sculpture

Oil on artist board. Housed in a custom hand-carved gold leaf frame; outer dimensions measure 18.25 x 22.25. Image measures 12 x 16 inches. Expedited and International Shipping is Available; please contact us for an estimate. Provenance: Estate of the Artist About the Artist: As a young child in Sweden, John F. Carlson was introduced to art by an uncle who decorated carriages with landscapes. At the age of twelve, Carlson moved with his family to the United States and settled in Buffalo, New York. Carlson's early interest in art grew and he apprenticed with a lithographer and received guidance from an amateur artist named Frederick Mayor. He later worked as a Lithographer at Cosack & Company to help support his family. His formal training began at the Albright School of Art (Albright Art Gallery) where he studied under Lucius Hitchcock. In 1902, Carlson earned a scholarship to the Art Students League in New York where he was a pupil of Frank Vincent DuMond. Following his two years of study at the Art Student's League, Carlson went to Woodstock, New York, with a scholarship to study at Byrdcliffe, a fledgling art colony (later known as the Woodstock Artists Association). He received instruction from Birge Harrison, a Tonalist, who became both a mentor and a friend to the young artist. In 1906, Carlson, who was then a member of the Art Students League's Board of Control, was instrumental in the decision to move the League's summer school from Connecticut to Woodstock. Birge Harrison was named director of the new school of landscape at Woodstock and he hired Carlson as his assistant. Carlson became the school's director following Harrison's retirement in 1911, hiring Frank Swift Chase as his assistant. By that time, there were over one hundred students studying at the school. Enrollment was at its greatest under Carlson's directorship which lasted until his resignation in 1918. In June of 1920, Carlson and his family moved to Colorado Springs...

Framed dimensions measure 23.5 x 31.5 inches. Expedited and International Shipping available; please contact us for a quote. About the artist: Seeking the spiritual in art, Raymond Jonson developed an abstract style of painting that was unique in pre-1940s New Mexico. While his colleagues in the Transcendentalist Painting Group similarly shared his interest in the metaphysical, Jonson alone found his means in a non-objective relationship of forms. Strongly influenced by Kandinsky, the painter moved from stylized representations of nature to formalist expressions of universal harmony. In order to achieve his aims, he became a master of materials, known for his meticulous working methods. Born in Iowa, Jonson spent his early years moving around the country with his family, necessitated by his minister father's work. They finally settled in Portland, Oregon, in 1902, and this same year Raymond had a spiritual experience in which he sensed the presence of God. When his family's Baptist faith disappointed him, he transposed this feeling to art, to which he committed his life. When the Portland Art Association established its Museum Art School, Jonson enrolled as its first student. His dedication led him to Chicago to study at the Academy of Fine Arts, a very good commercial school, which afforded a strong grounding in drawing. Here he met B.J.O. Nordfedlt, a Swedish immigrant, who introduced the younger Jonson to the colorist experimentation of the Fauves. The Arthur Dove exhibition and the Armory Show brought to Chicago both expanded his awareness of the emotive possibilities of modernist art movements. From 1912 to 1917, Jonson was lighting, stage set, costume, and graphics designer for the Chicago Little Theater, America's first experimental theater. Among their bold departures was a minimalist aesthetic, which reduced the stage elements and enhanced the dramatic content with light. Devising the 9-switch dimmer board, Jonson (going by C. Raymond Johnson) became an international theater figure. He also met his wife, Vera White, secretary for the theater and poet. On a trip to the Colorado Rockies in 1917, Jonson was moved by the power of this sublime landscape and its clarity of light. He began to consider how paint could express light -- material into immaterial. Teaching at the Chicago Art Institute, he was able to get away to the MacDowell Art Colony in 1919, and his elevated sensibilities increasingly perceived the oppressive side of city life. Believing the aim of life was toward harmony, Jonson placed new emphasis on design as a unifying principle. Reading Kandinsky's "The Art of Spiritual Harmony" further convinced him that the mission of art was to make this harmony visible. In 1922, he spent the entire summer in Santa Fe, and his experience there filtered into his work upon returning to Chicago. When his mother supplied the money for a studio, he moved to New Mexico in 1924, building his home across the street from his friend Nordfeldt. Jonson pursued the concept of order as found in "simple basic motives of spaces and interesting variety of shapes and spaces, a balance of line direction." In the work of the late 20s, he submits natural forms, such as mesas and even the Grand Canyon, to a dynamic patterning in which the quality of light becomes a design element. Significantly, Jonson thought that emotion could be included by creating juxtaposed rhythms within the composition. Influenced by Indian design, these paintings recall Art Deco ornamentation in the combination of organic and geometric motifs and the electric color effects. Taking the next leap, Jonson set about purifying his work of all representation. Beginning in the thirties, he explored new ways applications of color and tonality to suggest the quality of transparency, which created the sense of different planes within one surface. Philosophically, this transparency was the artistic means to "expose the spirit of man." Carefully painting gradations, he achieved luminosity and, with colors close to each other, vibration. He eventually used an airbrush for further ethereal effects. Rather than suggest the metaphysical with subject matter, Jonson proposed an approach to painting which de-materialized the actual physical object. In 1938, he and Emil Bisttram were the core of the Transcendentalist Painters Group, which advanced these principles among other artists in Santa Fe and Taos. As advocate and impresario, Jonson casts a long shadow. Although there was strong sentiment against it, he organized the modern wing of the Museum of New Mexico. In 1934, he painted six murals for the University of New Mexico, which began his relationship with the Albuquerque institution. For many years, he commuted there from Santa Fe but in 1950 he moved there to the gallery/studio provided. Upon his retirement in 1954, he continued to stage exhibitions, thus making the gallery a citadel of modernism in the Southwest. The building itself is a landmark of Pueblo Revival...