Emil Rau

'Portrait of a Young Bavarian Woman' Alpine Figural Landscape oil, Munich School

Circa 1915

Signed lower left, 'John Fulton' (American, 1933-1998) and painted circa 1995. The original oil painting for the poster advertising the appearance of Manolo Gonzalez at the prestigious Maestranza bullring in Seville and showing famous bullfighter in an emerald suit of lights, holding his espada at the ready while deflecting the enraged bull with his red cape. John Fulton was an American bullfighter and painter who settled in Seville. Born in Philadelphia, he received a scholarship to an art school in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, in the early 1950s. During this time, he studied both painting and bullfighting, killing his first calf there in 1953. In 1954, Fulton joined the U.S. Army and continued and continued painting and bullfighting on his downtime. After his release in 1956, he moved to Spain where he studied bullfighting under Juan Belmonte and performed as a novillero (novice) with some of Spain’s leading matadors. In July 1963, Fulton was sponsored by José María Montilla to take his 'alternativa' at the Plaza de toros...

Initialed lower right 'A.H.'; signed verso, "Alfred Helberger", inscribed "Gertrúd" and dated 1914. Bearing the original 1962 exhibition label from the Senator fur Folksbildung, Ber...

Signed lower right 'K. Buzzell Benepe' and dated 1936. A psychologically penetrating character study by this early California woman artist. Benepe captures the essential sensitivity of her subject as she gently cradles her doll while gazing at the viewer with both candor and charm. Katherine Buzzell Benepe first studied at the University of California in Los Angeles and, later, with Nicolai Fechin...

Signed lower left, 'Clement' for Gad Frederick Clement (Danish, 1867-1933) and painted circa 1920. Titled, verso, on old exhibition label, 'Fra Haven' (From the Garden). Additionally signed, verso, on stretcher bar and titled, 'Vesterby, Skagen' Exhibited: Skagen Museum, circa 1920, from label, verso. 'Helsinki Art Gallery, 1928', from label, verso. 'Danish Art Convention Forum, 1929', from label, verso. Gad Clement created this luminous painting in the garden of the Vesterby beach house where he and his wife, the artist Martha 'Tupsy' Clement, summered from 1908-1920. A substantial and well-exhibited work, it shows Tupsy at her easel beside their daughters, Bitten (b.1912) and Lillemor (b.1909). Fusing the ideal with the intensely personal, the artist has lyrically captured both the bonds of maternity and the dreamland of childhood. Gad Frederick Clement first studied at Copenhagen's Technical School (1883–1885) before attending the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1885-1888). Returning to Denmark, he continued his studies under Laurits Tuxen...

Signed lower right, 'Sanchez Palacio' (Latin-American, 20th Century) and dated 1950.

An early 19th century, figural oil of a young woman with chestnut hair, shown wearing a headscarf and glancing towards the viewers left. A detail from a copy of 'Rebeca at the Well',...

Léon François Comerre 1850-1916 French L'odalisque à l'éventail (The Odalisque with the Fan) Signed "Léon Comerre" (upper left) Oil on canvas Combinin...

The son of the legendary Napoléon Bonaparte, Napoléon François Charles Joseph, takes a spirited stance in this remarkable oil painting attributed to the Austrian portraitist Johann Peter Krafft. Believed to have been exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris, this work stands as a testament to both Austrian artistry and the legacy of one of the most powerful men in history. After Napoléon's exile to the island of Elba in 1814, his son was seen by many of his supporters as the last hope of France. The child was named the ruler of half of Europe, holding the titles of Napoléon II...

John William Godward 1861-1922 British A Pompeian Lady Signed and dated "J.W. Godward 1904" (lower right, partially covered by frame) Oil on canvas One of the last and greatest Victorian neoclassical painters, John William Godward is celebrated for his flawlessly executed images of graceful women posed in idealized ancient settings. In this work, entitled A Pompeian Lady, a classical beauty is caught idling in a moment of quiet, solitary reflection. Godward's elegant subjects are depicted with a degree of technical mastery that remains unsurpassed, and the work's dramatic palette, luxurious fabrics and classical vision are all characteristics of his unique take on the neoclassical style. Godward was unmatched in terms of his technical skill and attention to detail. A master of contrasting textures, he paints a diaphanous gown draping against the model’s smooth, milky white skin, which sits against the painstakingly rendered individual hairs of a tiger’s pel. Scintillating color permeates the canvas as well, energizing the otherwise static scene. Each element is given careful attention, and the overall effect is one of both immaculate technique and sensual tactility. Along with his contemporary and mentor, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Godward set the tone for the Victorian neoclassicist movement. He built his career upon creating images of idealized feminine beauty infused with a Greco-Roman-inspired style. Though greatly influenced by Alma-Tadema, Godward distinguished himself through his predilection for the solitary female figure. His fame rose dramatically in the first few years of the 20th century, when the present work was completed, due to the burgeoning strength of the British Empire and the Victorian society’s preoccupation with ancient Rome. To many of the newly affluent, Roman society was, as Iain Gale writes, “a flawless mirror of their own immaculate world.” The sensuality and mystery of Godward’s maidens, combined with his impressive antique backdrops...

Attributed to Lemuel Abbott 1760-1803 | English Portrait of Horatio Nelson Oil on canvas This previously unknown portrait is an important discovery in British Naval history. In Admiral Lord Nelson's illustrious and well-studied life, there existed a "silent period" spanning 16 years during which no known portraits of Nelson existed. The discovery of this 1790 portrait, rendered just before his reentry into the Navy, is a significant development for Nelson scholars, adding new insight into the leader's life prior to his legendary command as Admiral of the British Navy. Almost certainly painted by Lemuel Abbott, the official portraitist of Admiral Nelson, the rendering depicts the naval titan in casual dress. This is one of the two final depictions of Nelson before he acquired the war-inflicted injuries that marked his later years. In 1790, Britain was at peace, and Lord Nelson found himself residing in Burnham Thorpe with his newlywed wife, Frances. Having served with great distinction in South America and the West Indies, he garnered much local acclaim. Yet, the uncertainty of returning to the sea weighed heavily on his mind. At the age of thirty, he lived the life of a country gentleman managing his estate. Only one other much smaller portrait of Nelson in civilian attire exists, a much smaller rendering from 1800 currently held at the National Portrait Gallery. Compelling and atmospheric, the oil on canvas offers viewers a rare glimpse into the visage of a youthful and resolute Nelson, a man driven by an unwavering desire to forge his reputation in the art of naval warfare. This portrait had long been believed by the Nelson family to portray Edmund Nelson, Horatio Nelson's father. When connoisseur Jeremy Knight acquired this treasure directly from the Nelson family, he postulated that the work actually depicted the famed Admiral and not his father, as it was painted around 1790, and the elder Edmund Nelson would have been 68 years old at that time. Knight then hired the renowned Nelson scholar Martin Downer, the former Sotheby's expert and author of the bestselling books Nelson's Purse and Nelson's Lost Jewel, to confirm his hunch. It has now been confirmed by Martin Downer that this portrait is the missing...

John Falter arranges figures and faces in a way that rival the old masters in their compositional perfection. And he makes it look easy. The expressions are captured so the emotion...

Giuseppe Gandolfo (Catania 1792 - 1855), Portrait of a lawman in his study Oil painting on canvas 87 x 68 cm signed and dated 1831 (or 1851) lower left, always in the lower left co...