15th Century and Earlier Paintings

Watercolor and ink French town buildings over a River by Bernard Labbe (French mid 20th century) original watercolor and ink on card image size: 7.5 x 6 inches card overall: 9.4 x 8....

St. Francis of Assisi Italian School, circa 1500 oil paint on copper, unframed copper: 6.75 x 10 inches provenance: private collection, Loire Valley, France condition: for a work tha...

Christ Crucified (Christus Patiens) with God the Father, the Virgin and St. John In the manner of 14th century Tuscan painting Tempera on panel Height: 150 cm Width: 99 cm Perform...

Unknown French Art and Workshop, Middle 15th century Roundel depicting St. Catherine (?) Gouache, ink gold wash and gold burnishing on vellum Book of Hours folio attributed to the C...

Anonymous 15th Century Italian, Probably Milan area The Nativity of Christ Pigments, ink and gold leaf on vellum Unsigned as is always the case with illuminated manuscripts The Virgi...

Village work by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed signed lower left stamped verso A figure works on the land by traditional village b...

Architectural Study of a Grand Stone Archway by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed unsigned stamped verso Beautifully composed work wh...

This rare and fascinating series of 10 ceiling tablets, painted in tempera on poplar wood, represents a remarkable example of 15th-century Lombard decorative art. Originating from a ...

15th century, Italian Circle of Antonio del Pollaiuolo (1429-1498) Portrait of an Italian Noblewoman Oil and tempura on poplar panel With partial inscription: ALZETAPIN Provenance:...

Provenance: with “Mr. Scheer,” Vienna, by July 1918; where acquired by: Jindřich Waldes, Prague, 1918–1941; thence by descent to: Private Collection, New York Literature: Rudolf Kuchynka, “České obrazy tabulové ve Waldesově obrazárně,” Památky archeologické, vol. 31 (1919), pp. 62-64, fig. 5. Jaroslav Pešina, “K datování deskových obrazů ve Waldesově obrazárně,” Ročenka Kruhu pro Pěstování Dějin Umění: za rok (1934), pp. 131-137. Jaroslav Pešina, Pozdně gotické deskové malířství v Čechách, Prague, 1940, pp. 150-151, 220. Patrik Šimon, Jindřich Waldes: sběratel umění, Prague, 2001, pp. 166, 168, footnote 190. Ivo Hlobil, “Tři gotické obrazy ze sbírky Jindřicha Waldese,” Umění, vol. 52, no. 4 (2004), p. 369. Executed sometime in the 1380s or 1390s by a close associate of the Master of the Třeboň Altarpiece, this impressive panel is a rare work created at the royal court in Prague and a significant re-discovery for the corpus of early Bohemian painting. It has emerged from an American collection, descendants of the celebrated Czech industrialist and collector Jindřich Waldes, who died in Havana fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe. The distinctive visual tradition of the Bohemian school first began to take shape in the middle of the fourteenth century after Charles IV—King of Bohemia and later Holy Roman Emperor—established Prague as a major artistic center. The influx of foreign artists and the importation of significant works of art from across Europe had a profound influence on the development of a local pictorial style. Early Italian paintings, especially those by Sienese painters and Tommaso da Modena (who worked at Charles IV’s court), had a considerable impact on the first generation of Bohemian painters. Although this influence is still felt in the brilliant gold ground and the delicate tooling of the present work, the author of this painting appears to be responding more to the paintings of his predecessors in Prague than to foreign influences. This Resurrection of Christ employs a compositional format that was popular throughout the late medieval period but was particularly pervasive in Bohemian painting. Christ is shown sitting atop a pink marble sarcophagus, stepping down onto the ground with one bare foot. He blesses the viewer with his right hand, while in his left he holds a triumphal cross with a fluttering banner, symbolizing his victory over death. Several Roman soldiers doze at the base of the tomb, except for one grotesque figure, who, beginning to wake, shields his eyes from the light and looks on with a face of bewilderment as Christ emerges from his tomb. Christ is wrapped in a striking red robe with a blue interior lining, the colors of which vary subtly in the changing light. He stands out prominently against the gold backdrop, which is interrupted only by the abstractly rendered landscape and trees on either side of him. The soldiers’ armor is rendered in exacting detail, the cool gray of the metal contrasting with the earth tones of the outer garments. The sleeping soldier set within a jumble of armor with neither face nor hands exposed, is covered with what appears to be a shield emblazoned with two flies on a white field, somewhat resembling a cartouche (Fig. 1). This may be a heraldic device of the altarpiece’s patron or it may signify evil, referencing either the Roman soldiers or death, over both of which Christ triumphs. This painting formed part of the collection assembled by the Czech industrialist and founder of the Waldes Koh-i-noor Company, Jindřich Waldes, in the early twentieth century. As a collector he is best remembered for establishing the Waldes Museum in Prague to house his collection of buttons (totaling nearly 70,000 items), as well as for being the primary patron of the modernist painter František Kupka. Waldes was also an avid collector of older art, and he approached his collecting activity with the goal of creating an encyclopedic collection of Czech art from the medieval period through to the then-present day. At the conclusion of two decades of collecting, his inventory counted 2331 paintings and drawings, 4764 prints, and 162 sculptures. This collection, which constituted the Waldesova Obrazárna (Waldes Picture Gallery), was first displayed in Waldes’ home in Prague at 44 Americká Street and later at his newly built Villa Marie at 12 Koperníkova Street. This Resurrection of Christ retains its frame from the Waldes Picture Gallery, including its original plaque “173 / Česky malíř z konce 14 stol.” (“Czech painter from the end of the 14th century”) and Waldes’ collection label on the reverse. The Resurrection of Christ was one of the most significant late medieval panel...

Provenance: Achillito Chiesa, Milan Luigi Albrighi, Florence, by 1 July 1955 with Marcello and Carlo Sestieri, Rome, 1969 Private Collection, Connecticut Exhibited: Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, South Hadley, Massachusetts (on loan, 2012) Literature: Carlo Volpe, “Alcune restituzioni al Maestro dei Santi Quirico e Giulitta,” in Quaderni di Emblema 2: Miscellanea di Bonsanti, Fahy, Francisci, Gardner, Mortari, Sestieri, Volpe, Zeri, Bergamo, 1973, pp. 19-20, fig. 18, as by the Master of Saints Quiricus and Julitta (now identified as Borghese di Piero). This fine predella panel depicting the Baptism...

Provenance: Dr. James Henry Lancashire, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, by 1925; probably by descent to: Private Collection, Cumberland Foreside, Maine, until 2018 This unpublished panel is a characteristic work of the Master of the Apollo and Daphne Legend, an anonymous Florentine painter in the circle of Bartolommeo di Giovanni, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Sandro Botticelli. The artistic personality of the Master of the Apollo and Daphne Legend was independently recognized by Everett Fahy and Federico Zeri at roughly the same moment in time. Fahy originally dubbed this artist the Master of the Ryerson Panels but later adopted Zeri’s name for the artist, which derives from his eponymous works from the Samuel H. Kress collection (Figs. 1-2). Fahy posited that the artist was most likely a pupil of Ghirlandaio active from roughly 1480 to 1510, and that he may be identifiable with one of Ghirlandaio’s documented pupils to whom no works have been securely attributed, such as Niccolò Cieco, Jacopo dell’Indaco, or Baldino Baldinetti. The present painting was first attributed to this master by Everett Fahy in 1989, who became aware of its existence only after publishing his definitive studies on the artist. The surviving body of work by the Master of the Apollo and Daphne Legend is largely composed of series of panels treating the same theme. In addition to the works illustrating the legend of Apollo and Daphne, there are also series on the themes of Susanna and the Elders and the story of Saint Joseph, among others. The subject of the present panel is drawn from Genesis 24, the story of Isaac. It is possible that our painting relates to another work by the artist depicting the Sacrifice of Isaac formerly in the collection of E. A. McGuire in Dublin, Ireland (Fig. 3), and that these two panels were originally part of a decorative scheme based on the story of Isaac. Although the Master’s paintings of this type have traditionally been considered painted fronts of wedding chests, known as cassoni, the scale of these paintings and the fact that they are often part of a series indicates that they are more likely spalliera panels—paintings set into furniture or the wainscoting of a room. The biblical episode depicted in this painting centers on the theme of marriage, which suggests that this work was likely commissioned for the domestic interior of a newly married couple. The Master has transcribed into paint even the minute details of this Old Testament story, in which Abraham sends a servant to travel by camel to the land of his father and seek out a wife for his son Isaac. The servant is here shown at the well...

Attributed to Bonifacio Bembo c.1444-1477 Italy Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian Tempera on panel These exceptionally rare early Renaissance panels of Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian are an extraordinary new discovery. Based on the research of art historians Marco Tanzi and Andrea de Marchi, it is believed that these represent the missing panels from the famed polyptych formerly displayed on the altar of the Chapel of San Nicola da Tolentino in the Church of Sant’Agostino in Cremona, Italy. To find two matching early Renaissance panels outside of a museum or church, particularly in such remarkable condition, is an extraordinary rarity. The central and left-sided panels of the original five-part polyptych are currently in the collection of the Museo Civico Ala Ponzone in Cremona. These panels have luckily remained intact, and respectively portray the Madonna and Child Enthroned with Angels and Donor, Saint Nicholas of Tolentino (the chapel’s namesake) and Saint George. While the present panels have since been reduced, that they belong to the Cremonese altarpiece is confirmed by a number of stylistic elements. All five panels contain the same rich decorative arabesque pattern on their stamped gold background, while the figures’ knurled haloes are identical in both their fineness of line and use of perspective. The proportions of the figures coincide perfectly; Saints Cosmas and Damian would have originally also been depicted as full-length figures, fitting into the vertical, Gothic style of the altarpiece. According to the Christian religion, Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian were 3rd century physicians born in Arabia. Little is known about their lives except that they were reputedly twin brothers and that they were martyred in Syria during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. It was believed that the saints were skilled in healing, and when their medicines failed, their faith and prayers could always perform miracles. Thus, the saints are often depicted with their medical equipment while wearing the traditional medieval doctor’s garb of crimson robes and distinctive round red hats. The saints are similarly depicted in the present panels, though considering the manner in which they have been cut, their medical tools are not immediately evident. The saints were highly popular as patrons of wealthy families during the Gothic and Renaissance eras, particularly the Medici, and thus they occur frequently in art from the era. The twins, for instance, are found in the famed San Marco Altarpiece by Fra Angelico in the San Marco Museum (Florence), as well as in a set of Medici panels crafted by Filippo Lippi...

Oil on panel Image size: 16 x 13 1/4 inches (41 x 34 cm) Early gilt frame Saint Sebastian was a Roman centurion who converted to Christianity and, in punishment, the Roman Emperor D...

Florentine, mid-16th century Circle of Tomaso D’Antonio Manzuoli, known as Maso da San Friano (1536-1571) The Virgin and Child with the Infant Baptist After Andrea del Sarto (1486-1...

Museum-quality gold ground painting from the Renaissance period by Smeraldo di Giovanni. It depicts the “Virgin of the Roses” seated on a throne h...

Provenance: Private Collection, New Jersey The present painting depicts Saint Vincent Ferrer preaching from a raised pulpit to a group of seven peopl...

Steps Into The Town, steep stone steps lead figures down amongst town buildings. by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed unsigned to the...

Vibrant street scene by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed signed lower right stamped verso A robustly coloured and lively scene of a ...

Sailboats on the Coast by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed signed faintly lower right stamped verso A breezy day on the North French...

Sepia ink and mixed media portrait, the artist's take on the Mona Lisa by Bernard Labbe (French Mid-20th Century) original sepia ink, pencil, gouache, watercolor on paper image size:...

Fishing boats by the Coast by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed signed lower right stamped verso Appealing painting in slightly overa...

15th Century Maestro della Pala Sforzesca Title: Ecce Homo Medium: Tempera on Panel Dimensions: without frame 64.9 x 53.2 – with frame 82 x 70 x 5 cm Beautiful "cassetta" frame in e...

original impressionist acrylic painting. SOLÁ paints in a natural way, which reflects the Old Masters, soaking up the colour, air, smell and the pure scent of his environment. He d...

Red sail boat pulled up on the beach by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed signed lower left stamped verso A looser composition to muc...

Nicolò Zafuri (circle of) (documented in Candia between 1487 and 1500, died before 10 July 1501) Title: Madonna with Child Medium: Oil on panel Dimensions: without frame 49 x 40 cm ...

Sacre Coeur, Montmartre, Paris by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed unsigned stamped verso A boldly painted view with a tree in full ...

A Summer Day's Sailing by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed unsigned stamped verso A summer feel to this sunny image by a small harbo...

Travellers on a path by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed unsigned stamped verso Easy on the eye painting of figures on a path, a sig...

Fishing boats by Coastal Fortification by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed unsigned stamped verso Gentle composition of a coastal sc...

Figure by the Harbour by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed unsigned stamped verso The addition of the figure in red is a feature Maze...

River Seine View, Paris by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed unsigned stamped verso A particularly well painted Parisian view by Maze...

Figures in the shade of trees by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed signed lower right and lower left stamped verso A robust image of ...

Sepia ink and watercolor study of a mother holding a child against a backdrop of a town bridge by Bernard Labbe (French mid 20th century) original sepia ink and watercolor on paper i...

Path to the Beach by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed unsigned stamped verso A glorious summer scene of red roofed cottages lining a...

Figures in a Village by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed unsigned stamped verso Gentle composition of a rural village scene with fig...

Steps Into The Town, steep stone steps lead figures down amongst town buildings. by Maurice Mazeilie (French, 1924-2021) watercolor painting on artist paper, unframed unsigned to the...

This art - work is part of the project REFLEXUS. The paint is made in the author's technique of painting by Vasili Zianko based acrylic painting on canvas using a variety of texture...