17th century Italian still-life with flowers, fruits and game

French 18th century old master portrait of a majestic lady dressed "à la Turque" The sitter at the viewer with a kind and enigmatic smile and twinkling eyes. She looks elegant and kind, yet also has an intelligent and determined aura, reflecting the character of someone who is in charge of her own life and destiny. De Silvestre paid great attention to her spectacular outfit, which is striking in its portrayal of the sumptuous fabrics and their decorative richness. She is wearing a luxurious royal blue robe à la...

Dutch 17th century old master portrait of a boy, accompanied by his playful dog, blowing bubbles This captivating portrait shows a young boy who is looking at the spectator with ey...

18th century Architectural Capriccio's of Roman temples with hunters This pair of paintings portrays hunters gathered before the imposing remnants of Roman temple ruins, each canvas...

17th century Old Master painting depicting the Infant Christ with Mary and St. Anne attributed to Nicolas de Liemaker The artist of the present work wonderfully captured the loving gaze of Maria, looking in awe at her child. One can sense the tenderness and love in her eyes. The eyes of Christ appears to be filled with wisdom and love and a finely painted aura crowns his and his mother's heads. St. Anne, Mary's mother, gently holds the infant whilst gazing adoringly at him. The painting is not only a beautiful depiction of Christ and his mother and grandmother, but also a sweet image of the tender bond between a mother's and their children. The vibrant and soft colours of the fabric create a soft cocoon around the figures and seem to further emphasis the beauty and importance of the depicted scenery and its protagonists. Nicolaas de Liemaecker (also spelled as Liemaker or Liemackere) was a Flemish painter born in Ghent in 1601. He was also known under the name Nicolaas Roose. His father was Jacobus de Liemaecker, a painter upon glass. Nicolaas is reported to have been trained by his father and Gaspard de Crayer II (1), an apprenticeship with Otto Van Veen has also been suggested. In 1624 he worked at the Court of the Bishop of Paderborn and for Ferdinand of Bavaria. He later returned to his native city, where he focused on religious and historical paintings. He was a very accomplished and celebrated artist who attained a high rank in his profession. He witnessed the baptisms of Pieter and Janne-Marie Van Hulle...

Onofrio Loth (Naples, Italy, 1665 – 1717) Title: Still life Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 37.5 x 47.5 cm – with frame 50 x 57 cm Original ebonised wooden frame wit...

Nicolas Van Houbraken (Messina, Italy, 1668 - Pisa, Italy, 1733) Title: Still life with mushrooms Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 26 x 32 cm - with frame 38.5 x 33.5...

17th Century Dutch Maestro Title: Still life with bird, carp & lobster Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 116 x 97 cm - with frame 153 x 133,5 cm Antique frame "a casset...

Still life with macaw, squirrel and dwarf spaniels Attributed to Reynaud LEVIEUX (Nîmes, 1613 – Rome, 1690) 17th century French School Oil on canvas, dimensions: h. 67 cm, l. 87 cm (26.38 in. x 34.25 in) Magnificent Louis XIV period giltwood frame, early 18th century Dimensions with frame: h. 95 cm, l. 115 cm (37.40 in. x 45.27 in) Like a magic trick, the illusionist power of our painter reveals to us a baroque world where in a theatrical setting, the southern light exalts the colors and materials. In the opulence and extravagance of this exhibition, the tight framing propels forward the earthly beauties against a luxurious background of precious dyes created by the hand of man. The tray laden with fruit is placed on an entablature covered with a sumptuous Persian carpet in shimmering colors. Offering figs, bunches of grapes, apples and burst pomegranate, it transports us to the south of France. A Macaw with red feathers seem to watch over the contents and courageously confront two small toy spaniels installed on a luxurious red velvet cushion generously embroidered with gold threads and decorated with pompoms. Captivated by this tense atmosphere, we barely see another intruder: a squirrel quietly nibbling a bunch of grapes. On the left in the foreground our eye is immediately drawn to two melons, one of which is half-open and ripe. The realistic rendering of his skin with its bumpy texture awakens our sense of touch, it seems that this rough surface created thanks to generous serifs can break the canvas, like a fruit ready to burst. Scattered warm lighting creating chiaroscuro betrays the Italian influence. This is how fruits and animals emerge from the darkness with aesthetic force and a three-dimensional appearance. Our work is a variant of the lost composition of Reynaud Levieux known through replicas and its publication in the catalog of Jean Wytenhove Reynaud Levieux and classical painting in Provence (Aix-en-Provence, 1990, p. 58, repr.), our painting wonderfully illustrates the fame of this composition in its time. Related works by Reynaud Levieux: • Still life – fruit, parrot, dogs and squirrel, Villa Vauban, Luxembourg City Art Museum, oil on canvas, sizes unknown. • Parrot confronting two spaniels on a trimmings cushion, oil on canvas, 76.2 x 96 cm, Christie's Paris, 12/19/2007, lot 489 • Still life with spaniel, oil on canvas, 75 x 90 cm, Inv .: L.83.2, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Marseille Reynaud Levieux, known above all for his religious production imbued with an austere classicism inherited from Raphael and Correggio, his model painters, produced during his long career subtle still lifes intended for a clientele of amateurs and the ornamentation of private mansions. This aspect of his production is less known today, and is an essential milestone for better understanding the talent he displays in this genre. As evidenced by his paintings, the painter was greatly influenced by the Italian master of the Roman Baroque still life Franceso Noletti or Fieravino active in Rome between 1636 and 1654, the period of Reynaud Levieux's first stay in Rome. This period corresponds to a turning point in the art of Italian still life. The first Italian still lifes, around 1600, are meticulous and precise, often with symbolic meanings, linked to religion, the vanity of earthly foods, and the transience of life. A few decades later, Italian still life adopted the baroque style, which suited it wonderfully: it always sought illusion, the faithful rendering of materials, but in abundance, heaps and luxury. Having become a decorative object, it gains in virtuosity and ease what it loses in spirituality. Reynaud LEVIEUX (Nîmes, 1613 – Rome, 1690) Son of a glass painter, Protestant from Uzès, settled around 1612 in Nîmes, Reynaud Levieux was born on January 6, 1613. After initial training in his father's workshop, of whom he will always keep the taste for smooth, contrasting painting and impeccable technique, he left for Rome in 1635. He was part of a team of six painters with Pierre Mignard, Jean le Maire, Charles Errard, Jean Nocret and Nicolas Chaperon. Under the direction of Nicolas Poussin, he copied Raphaël - two painters who would have a profound impact on him. His paintings from this period are not all known and we are beginning to discover them, sometimes hidden under illustrious names, such as Theseus discovering his father's arms which was attributed to Laurent de La Hyre...