Alexis Nys

Journal Amusante (Life-Size 19th-Century European Oil, Manheim tag $25000)

c. 1890

A lovely portrait of a turn-of-the-century elegant woman, perhaps commissioned by a devoted husband (she has a ring on her right hand, which is more common as a wedding ring in north...

Joseph Jacobus Heppener was a Dutch painter who lived and worked in the heart of the Victorian era, painting in a straight Academic style with a...

This absolutely charming exhibited British Victorian oil painting is by female artist Maria Louisa Angus. Painted in 1891, it was exhibited at the Royal Academy that same year. The composition is an interior scene with two young girls on a sofa, looking at a picture book and keeping 'out of mischief' as it is entitled. The room holds an exotic mix of oriental objects and a gorgeous umbrella plant in a gleaming terracotta pot. The girls themselves are sat on a beautifully detailed fur throw, looking at a book, with a marine painting on the wall behind them. The brushwork and colouring are superb and the pink of the older girl's dress is picked up throughout the room. A really lovely painting by a very talented Victorian female artist. Signed and dated M.L. Angus 1891 lower left. Provenance. Exhibited at the London, Royal Academy, 1891, no. 841 entitled Out of Mischief. Anonymous, sale, Doyle, New York, May 20, 1998, lot 161, illustrated. Private collection, Newport, Rhode Island. Condition. Oil on canvas, 27 inches by 20 inches unframed and in good condition. Frame. Housed in a gilt frame, 34 inches by 27 inches framed and in good condition. Maria Louisa Angus (1863 - 1934) was born in Southwark on 29th July 1863, the daughter of a printer. She studied at the Lambeth School of Art in 1886 and established a studio at 1a Cowley Street in Westminster, later she worked out of Powers Studio in Ruskin House, Rochester Row. She specialised in genre subjects and some landscapes. She exhibited 10 pictures at the Royal Academy between 1888 and 1893 as well as many London Galleries and Societies. In 1913 she exhibited in the Anglo German Exhibition...

This 19th-century oil on mahogany board titled 'The Cut Finger' by William Hemsley, R.B.A., depicts a familial pairing in a cottage home. The girl tends to the eponymous cut with a white cloth pressed on the boy's finger. A dim light is cast from the window to the left, illuminating a cut loaf of bread, a knife, and simple stoneware to set the scene. The girl sits in a wooden chair wearing a salmon-colored blouse, while the young boy is dressed in a golden overshirt. William Hemsley, R.B.A., (1819-1906) was a prolific draughtsman and painter of genre scenes depicting English provincial life. Hemsley’s scenes of everyday reality, which were usually painted on a small scale, follow the gentle tradition of Webster and F. D. Hardy. He was, like them, fond of painting children at play. Many of his works depicted rustic domestic scenes, leading to him being described as "pre-eminently the painter of cottage life". He was also a member of the Society of British Artists. He exhibited frequently in London, particularly at the Royal Academy and the Suffolk Street Gallery. This gentle painting faithfully represents a moment between two people caring for one another. Hemsley painted in a style reminiscent of earlier golden-age Dutch genre painting, using light and color in a vibrant but elegant manner—signature on the lower left-hand corner. In the 19th century, it was common to paint on wood due to its durability, smooth surface, and long-standing tradition. Wood panels were preferred for their sturdiness and versatility, suitable for detailed artworks and various shapes and sizes. While wood was popular, especially for smaller works, canvas started gaining popularity later in the century for its lighter weight and ease of use. This rustic genre scene resides in an ornate Louis XIV Régence style convex frame with foliate shell cartouche corners, strap work, and c-scrolls on a cross-hatched ground with white pigment dispersed throughout. In the early 18th century the Louis XIV styles blended into the Régence frame style (c.1715-1723) which placed greater emphasis on the corners and centers. The full Regency style was both opulent and delicate, with the order and linearity of this period giving way to the swirling delicacy of the Rococo. This painting would be a wonderful addition to a home office, entryway, or library...