18th Century Paintings

Artist/ School: French School, 18th century Title: Mary and Jesus Medium: oil on canvas, framed Framed: 17 x 14.5 inches Canvas: 16 x 12.75 inches Provenance: private collection...

Work on paper mounted on wood 35.5 x 45.5 x 2 cm

Stormy Seas English School, 18th century oil on thick wood panel, unframed panel: 25 x 30 inches provenance: private collection, East Anglia, England condition: very good and sound c...

Francesco Solimena (Canale di Serino 1657 - Barra 1747) workshop - Allegory of America. 76.5 x 64.5 cm unframed, 83 x 69.5 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in a lacqu...

No sentimentality on the loose here. Not with the expressions on the mother and her three children all engaged in various forms of 18th-century drudgery on this late summer’s eve. An...

Sin firmar, de autor anónimo Se presenta enmarcada la obra con un marco de la época de la obra en madera policromada (el marco presenta faltas) Medidas obra: 84 x 65 cm. Medidas...

The splendour of the tragic sea Francesco Guardi and maritime painting in Venetian art No Venetian painter was a stranger to the sea. After all, Venice was not only one of the most prominent ports of the Mediterranean, but indeed a city literally submerged in the ocean from time to time. Curiously however, the famous Venetian school of painting showed little interest in maritime motifs, favouring scenes from the iconic architecture of the city rather than seascapes. That is why this painting is a particularly interesting window into not only the painter Francesco Guardi himself – but to the significance of the element of water in art history, in absence as well as in the centre of attention. Whether it be calm, sunny days with stunning views of the palaces alongside the canals of Venice or – more rarely – stormy shipwrecking tragedies at sea, water as a unifying element is integral to the works of painter Francesco Guardi (1712–1793). During his lifetime, Venetian art saw many of its greatest triumphs with names like Tiepolo or Canaletto gaining international recognition and firmly establishing Venice as one of the most vibrant artistic communities of Europe. While the city itself already in the 18th century was something of an early tourist spot where aristocrats and high society visited on their grand tour or travels, the artists too contributed to the fame and their work spread the image of Venice as the city of romance and leisure to an international audience, many of whom could never visit in person. Still today, the iconic image of Venice with its whimsical array of palaces, churches and other historic buildings is much influenced by these artists, many of whom have stood the test of time like very well and remain some of the most beloved in all of art history. It was not primarily subtility, intellectual meanings or moral ideals that the Venetian art tried to capture; instead it was the sheer vibrancy of life and the fast-paced city with crumbling palaces and festive people that made this atmosphere so special. Of course, Venice could count painters in most genres among its residents, from portraiture to religious motifs, history painting and much else. Still, it is the Vedutas and views of the city that seems to have etched itself into our memory more than anything else, not least in the tradition of Canaletto who was perhaps the undisputed master of all Venetian painters. Born into his profession, Francesco lived and breathed painting all his life. His father, the painter Domenico Guardi (1678–1716) died when Francesco was just a small child, yet both he and his brothers Niccolò and Gian Antonio continued in their fathers’ footsteps. The Guardi family belonged to the nobility and originated from the mountainous area of Trentino, not far from the Alps. The brothers worked together on more challenging commissions and supported each other in the manner typical of family workshops or networks of artists. Their sister Maria Cecilia married no other than the artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo himself, linking the family to the most renowned Venetian name of the time. During almost a decade, Guardi worked in the studio of Michele Giovanni Marieschi, sometimes simply known as Michiel, a painted similar in both style and motif. Canaletto is, however, the artist Guardi is most often compared to since they shared a mutual fascination for depicting the architecture and cityscape of Venice. During the course of his career, Guardi tried his hand in many different genres. He was as swift in painting landscapes, Vedutas of Venice, sacred motifs, interiors and architectural compositions as he was in a number of other motifs. His style is typical of the Venetian school but also distinct and personal once we look a little closer. There is an absolute certainty in the composition, the choice of which sometimes feels like that of a carefully calculated photograph – yet it is also very painterly, in the best sense of the word: fluid, bold, sensitive and full of character. The brushwork is rapid, intense, seemingly careless and extraordinarily minute at the same time; fresh and planned in a very enjoyable mixture. His interiors often capture the breath-taking spacious glamour of the palaces and all their exquisite decor. He usually constructed the motif through remarkably simple, almost spontaneous yet intuitively precise strokes and shapes. The result was a festive, high-spirited atmospheric quality, far away from the sterile and exact likeness that other painters fell victim to when trying to copy Canaletto. The painting here has nothing of the city of Venice in it. On the contrary, we seem to be transported far away into the solitary ocean, with no architecture, nothing to hold on to – only the roaring sea and the dangerous cliffs upon which the ships are just moments away from being crushed upon. It is a maritime composition evoking both Flemish and Italian precursors, in the proud tradition of maritime painting that for centuries formed a crucial part of our visual culture. This genre of painting is today curiously overlooked, compared to how esteemed and meaningful it was when our relationship to the sea was far more natural than it is today. When both people and goods travelled by water, and many nations and cities – Venice among them – depended entirely on sea fare, the existential connection to the ocean was much more natural and integrated into the imagination. The schools and traditions of maritime art are as manifold as there are countries connected to the sea, and all reflect the need to process the dangers and wonders of the ocean. It could symbolize opportunity, the exciting prospects of a new countries and adventures, prospering trade, beautiful scenery as well as war and tragedy, loss of life, danger and doom. To say that water is ambivalent in nature is an understatement, and these many layers were something that artists explored in the most wondrous ways. Perhaps it takes a bit more time for the modern eye to identify the different nuances and qualities of historic maritime paintings, they may on first impression seem hard to differentiate from each other. But when allowing these motifs to unfold and tell stories of the sea in both fiction and reality – or somewhere in between – we are awarded with an understanding of how the oceans truly built our world. In Guardi’s interpretation, we see an almost theatrically arranged shipwrecking scene. No less than five ships are depicted right in the moment of utter disaster. Caught in a violent storm, the waves have driven them to a shore of sharp cliffs and if not swallowed by the waves, crushing against the cliffs seems to be the only outcome. The large wooden ships are impressively decorated with elaborate sculpture, and in fact relics already during Guardi’s lifetime. They are in fact typical of Dutch and Flemish 17th century ships, giving us a clue to where he got the inspiration from. Guardi must have seen examples of Flemish maritime art, that made him curious about these particular motifs. One is reminded of Flemish painters like Willem van de Velde and Ludolf Backhuysen, and this very painting has indeed been mistakenly attributed to Matthieu van Plattenberg...

Portrait of a Gentleman wearing a Ruff Collar Dutch/ French artist, 18th century oil painting on copper, unframed copper board : 6.75 x 5 inches provenance: private collection, UK co...

Oil on Canvas. Central European school of the late 1700s. The large painting depicts a rural landscape, with a peasant dwelling on the left, the shepherdess in the left foreground wa...

Escuela colonial mejicana; siglo XVIII. “San Antonio con el Niño”. Óleo sobre tabla. Medidas: 28 x 21 cm. Gran pieza para coleccionistas de arte religioso de calidad San Antonio de Padua...

This charming British 18th century Old Master portrait oil painting is attributed to noted portrait artist Thomas Hudson. Hudson was most prolific between 1740 and 1760 and, from 174...

Francesco Tironi (Venice 1745 - Venice 1797) - Venetian landscape with shepherds and herds. 95 x 130 cm without frame, 107 x 140 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in a...

John Cordrey (c.1765-1825) A light chaise and four signed 'J.Cordrey/1793' lower left Oil on canvas Canvas Size 13 x 17 in Framed Size 15 1/2 x 20 1/2 in John Cordrey (active c. 179...

Oil on Canvas. Venetian school of the 18th century. The large northern landscape, with verdant mountain slopes in the midst of which a river flows, is inhabited by several figures in...

This original oil on canvas is a refined and characterful 18th-century British portrait, signed and dated in the lower left: "Js. Jones P.X. 1780." The work depicts a gentleman of st...

Classical Figures in Ancient Landscape Italian School, 18th century oil on panel, painting: 9 x 12 inches provenance: private collection, Paris condition: very good and sound condition

US buyers pay no import tariffs on this item. This early 18th-century Spanish oil painting depicts an infant Jesus clutching a cross before a landscape. Dressed in a flowing white ...

This 18th-century painting, attributed to Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich (1712–1774), depicts a rustic inn interior, a subject frequently explored by Dutch and German genre painter...

Benjamin Marshall The Right Honourable Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne with Horse and Dog 1768-1835 Oil on canvas Image size: 33 x 39 1/4 inches Gilt frame Unsigned Provena...

Jacques-Laurent Agasse (1767-1849) A saddled hunter tethered to a stable door, a landscape beyond Oil on canvas Canvas Size - 17 x 21 in Framed Size -25 x 28 1/2 in Provenance with ...

Unknown Artist (Dutch School, late 18th century) Pastoral Scene with Goatherds, ca. 1780–1800 Oil on canvas In this lively pastoral composition, a group of figures reclines in rusti...

'India' Italian School, 18th century ink and wash drawing on paper, framed within a light oak wood frame (behind glass) image size: 10.5 x 7 inches overall framed: 17 x 13 inches con...

(After) Sebastiano Conca (Gaeta 1680 - Naples 1764) The Adoration of the Shepherds oil on canvas, (cm): 122 x 100, framed The proposed table, datable in the first decades of the e...

La obra no va firmada, es de augtor anónimo Se presenta sin enmarcar la pintura El estado de conservación de la pintura dse puede ver, presenta faltas y precisará restauración Med...

Roman Goddess "Dea Africa" Goddess Of The African Continent, 18th Century Italian School Large 18th Century Italian School portrait of the Roman Goddess "Dea Africa" holding a shac...

George Edwards: ""A History of Uncommon Birds"", 1749-1761. A prominent English naturalist and ornithologist, George Edwards (1694 -1773) is best known for his work, ""A Natural His...

A fine portrait study dated 1737 portraying a young boy from a noble family bearing his first sword. Dressed in fine military-style clothing, he clutches a small sword in one hand an...

An evocative 18th-century oil depicting St Francis Xavier - the 16th-century Catholic missionary and co-founder of the Jesuit order. The artist has depicted the figure with elements ...

An allegory of loyalty, with the subject's dog pictured seated, holding his master's chisel in his mouth; fidelity personified. Italian School, 18th century Ink wash in gray and bl...

18th Century Spanish Oil on Copper — Virgin Dolorosa Fine mid-18th century Spanish School oil on copper depicting the Virgin Dolorosa (Our Lady of Sorrows). The painting shows excel...

Circle of George Stubbs The Lions Den Oil on canvas Canvas Size 11 x 14 1/2 in Framed Size 17 x 21 in George Stubbs, one of the most celebrated animal painters of the 18th century, ...

Como pueden apreciar, la obra no va firmada Se presenta enmarcada la obra con un marco del siglo xix en madera estucada y policromada (el marco presenta algún leve descolche) El es...

Flemish school 17th or 18th century Circle of Thomas WILLEBOIRTS BOSSCHAERT (Berg-op-Zoom, 1613 - Antwerp, 1654) Oil on canvas 72 x 59 cm (90 x 77 cm with frame) This work has been painted in a style close to the Antwerp school of the middle of the 17th century, to Anton van Dyck especially. We have found in particular several paintings similar to our painting in the works of Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert. After having studied with Gerard Seghers...

This lovely 18th century Old Master portrait oil painting is by noted British artist Francis Cotes. It was painted circa 1760 when Cotes was preferring oil as a medium and comparison...

This exceedingly charming mid-18th-century English oil painting depicts a girl wearing a red gown with a train over a white petticoat. She’s holding a posy or nosegay. Evidently once commissioned for an English country house, the identity of this young lady remains a mystery. Her gown appears to be inspired by the popular ‘robe à la française...

This lovely British 18th century portrait oil painting, with excellent provenance, is attributed to circle of George Henry Harlow. Painted circa 1760, it is a standing half length po...

Marco Marcola (Verona, 1711 - 1780) Carnival scene with masks from the commedia dell'arte with Harlequin Oil on canvas, 60 x 82 cm In frame 77 x 100 cm The canvas reflects ty...

Italian painter (18th-19th century) - Female nude. 44 x 54 cm unframed, 54 x 64 cm with frame. Ancient oil painting on canvas mounted on a panel, in a carved and gilded wooden fram...

An important 18th century Italian Old Master tempera on copper panel Baroque painting, "The Road to Emmaus", circa 1700. The painting represents the early resurrection biblical story...

Giuseppe Zais (Canale d'Agordo, Belluno 1709 - Treviso 1781) Pendant of paintings - The assault of the brigands / After the assault Oil on canvas, 108 x 42 cm. each In the frame 128...

The Blacksmiths Forge British artist, late 18th century Circle of Julius Caesar Ibbetson (1759-1817) oil on board, unframed board: 11 x 14.5 inches provenance: private collection, En...

Pair of still life paintings with floral vases in Baroque style. The vertically arranged bouquets display a wonderful composition of various colorful flowers. Oil on canvas. Image s...

Work on canvas Work re-lined Plaster and gilded wood frame 86 x 105 x 7 cm

Oil on Canvas. French school of the 2nd half of the 18th century. Probably the work of a follower of Claude Joseph Vernet (1714 -1789), a French painter who specialized in seascapes ...

Antique Flemish painting from the 18th century. Framework oil on canvas depicting religious subject Holy family of good pictorial quality. Nice sized and pleasantly decorated framewo...

This impressive Old Master oil painting, created in the early 18th century, is attributed to Jan Pieter van Bredael the Younger, a renowned Flemish artist who lived at the turn of th...

Edmund Garvey (Kilkenny 1740-1813) A view of Bath Oil on canvas Canvas Size 20 x 28 in Framed Size 26 x 33 in Edmund Garvey (1740 – 28 May 1813) was an Irish landscape painter whose...

Jean-Baptiste Oudry (Paris 1686 - Beauvais 1755) circle of - Architecture with Still Life of Fruit. 59 x 97 cm unframed, 74 x 107.5 cm with frame. Old oil painting on canvas, in a ...

Portrait Of Miss Jones of Fonman Castle, Wales, circa 1730 by ENOCH SEEMAN (1689-1744) Large 18th century three quarter length portrait of Miss Jones of Fonmon Castle, Wales, oil on canvas by Enoch Seeman. Excellent quality and condition portrait of a young Miss Jones wearing a gold satin dress...

George Knapton (London 1698 - 1778), attributable Portrait of a young aristocratic maiden sitting by a fountain in a garden in the company of a lamb Oil on canvas (127 x 102 cm - Fr...

Portrait of an Eritrean Sibyl who writes the prophecy Circle of Lorenzo Pasinelli (Bologna 1629 - 1700) - Attributable to Giampietro Cavazzoni Zanotti ...

Portrait of a young boy, full-length in a blue velvet coat and breeches, standing on a stone terrace in a garden landscape, playing with a spinning top. Signed and dated ' Phil. Merc...

US buyers pay no import tariffs on this item. This early 18th-century oil painting, attributed to Italian artist Giuseppe Pesci (d. 1722), depicts a peacock alongside radiant blooms...

Two Magnificent Late Baroque Italian School Paintings Attributed to Paolo de Matteis - A Rare Pair Offered here as a single, exceptional lot are two compelling oil on canvas painting...

This mid-18th-century half-length German portrait depicts a middle-aged aristocrat wearing armour and a wig. Despite his heavily-clad appearance, it’s likely that this rather noncha...

The Madonna, Christ Child and St. John Italian School, 18th century oil on wood, framed in period gilt antique frame framed: 16 x 14.5 inches wood: 9 x 6.5 inches provenance: private...

Escuela Española siglo XVIII Se trata de un óleo sobre tela representando a San Juan Bautista Se presenta sin enmarcar la obra Medidas: 104 x 83 cm. El estado se puede ver, pres...

This superb German Old Master still life oil painting is attributed to circle of Johann Amandus Winck and also shows the influences of the Dutch Old Masters. Painted circa 1780 the p...

An oil painting by Adolf Friedrich Harper from 1799. A rare antique painting from the romanticism era. Framed in ornate gold wood frame, signed in lower left corner. Artist: Adol...

Oil Painting by Gaspare Landi representing the popular story of Muzio Scevola trying to kill the Ertuscan king Porsenna. Very good conditions. Gaspare ...