15th Century and Earlier Art

Venetian School, late 15th century Saint Paul the Apostle oil on panel unframed 44.5 × 23.5 cm (17.5 × 9.3 in) framed 64 × 42 cm (25.2 × 16.5 in) No signature Provenance: Private ...

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...

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...

Vincenzo di Antonio Frediani (Lucca 1481 - 1504) - Predella panel with the beheading of a female saint. 38 x 56 cm (without frame) - 50.5 x 67.5 cm (with frame). Oil on panel, in a...

This 15th century bishop - sculpted ca AD1460 - has a smile on his lips and a benevolent presence. He is also something of an Adonis - one tends to forget that in the medieval churc...

Beautiful Khmer head of Buddha. Angkor period, style of the post-Bayon. 14th century. Carved sandstone. Height 12 5/8 inches, width 5 5/8 inches, profile 5 ...

Figure of a Chanting Warrior Ceramic with bitumen highlights 300-600 CE (Classic Period) Mexico, Veracruz, possibly Nopiloa Veracruz Culture Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Vera Cruz culture...

With a style-critical analysis by Dr. Arthur Saliger, former curator of the medieval department in the Belvedere, Vienna and a scientific pigment analysis by Prof. Dipl.Ing. Dr. Manf...

Gypsum cast-medieval tile, inspired from Central Europe. Adjusted in a frame, ready to hang or install.

Beautiful late 15th-century Burgundian Netherlandish portrait of a woman. Carved walnut. Original polychrome has been removed with traces at base and lower portions of figure. Minor ...

Wooden sculpture depicting Saint Catherine of Alexandria Provenance Lower Rhine or Southern Tyrol Late 15th century (circa 1480) Linden wood (single trunk, hollowed back), trac...

Museum Madonna Nikolaus Weckmann Ulm 1481 - 1526 Ulm Carved limewood Polychrome painted & gilded Height 132 cm Niklaus Weckmann was an important sculptor who was active in the l...

Gypsum cast - medieval tile, from Central Europe. Adjusted in a frame, ready to hang or install.

Moses Parts the Red Sea & Receives the Ten Commandments - Leaflet from the 1497 'Pirate' Nuremberg Chronicles The Nuremberg Chronicles were first published in 1493 by Anton Ko...

Textile size 8.5 x 10 in. Frame size 13.5 x 15 in. This piece is an ancient Coptic Egyptian textile fragment, dating from the 3rd to 5th century CE. It is composed of a coarse, plai...

Fabulous antique Chinese watercolor The colors are incredible. I was told by a Chinese Art Dealer that this is from or after Emperor Qin Shi Huang Qin dynasty. The scene is people pl...

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...

Untitled From: The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, printed by Johannes Prüss Woodcut on 15th cen. laid paper, 1488 Unsigned (as issued) Woodcuts attributed to the "Master of the Berg...

Corpus Christi around 1150/70 Southern France or Catalonia carved oak wood

 height 109 cm, width 96 cm Remains of polychromy

MUSEUM CORPUS CHRISTI Spain/Catalonia or Asturias Around 1250 Corpus hardwood, arms softwood Remains of the original polychrome setting Height 109.5...

Seated Shaman Colima culture Mexico ca. 300 BCE - 300 CE Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A hollow-cast and highly-burnished terraco...

Gothic Virgin and Child - Eastern France. Mid-14th century. Carved in the round from walnut, this work relates to the output of workshops in eastern France in the mid-14th century. S...

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...

They may be damaged and battered, but real historic objects will always give you a sense of awe. Can you sense it, looking at this ancient carved granite which depicts, as it is call...

Coppia di capitelli medievali decorati a motivi fogliacei, Lombardia, XII secolo. La forma slanciata da cui si dipartono le foglie lanceolate, sormontata da una spessa mensola, è ti...

Original leaflet from Johann Prüss' 1479 printing of "Das Heldenbuch." The Heldenbücher is the title given to a group of late medieval/early renaissance Germanic manuscripts primari...

Woodcut on laid paper, 8 3/8 x 9 1/8 inches (212 x 233 mm), the full sheet. In excellent condition with text and portraits of Empedocles, Sapho, Zeuxis and others on the verso, as is...

Antique Chinese Four-Panel Lacquer Screen with Scenic Landscape Description: This exquisite antique Chinese four-panel lacquer screen is a remarkable example of traditional craftsma...

French Romanesque historiated capital. Herod and the Massacre of the Innocents. Romanesque historiated capital in dolomitic limestone, carved in high relief on three figured faces, t...

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...

Rare, Late Roman Empire (3rd to 5th centuries, C.E.), solid marble bust of a young man. Beautiful patina. Mounted on a later, Carrara marble base.

Virgin and Child with Goldfinch Workshops of Metz, Lorraine, circa 1330 Limestone carved in the round with remains of polychromy Height: 61 cm This sculpture is sold with a certific...

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...

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...

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...

Gypsum cast-medieval tile, inspired from Central Europe. Could be also adjusted in a frame, ready to hang or install ( price will be different).

The Mezcala culture refers to an ancient Mesoamerican civilization based in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, particularly within the upper Balsas River region. Though not well...

SEDES SAPIENTIAE Pornic / Loire-Atlantique, France Second half of the 12th century Carved from walnut Remnants of polychrome paint Height 61 cm Bibliography: Illustrated in “THE STU...

This Chinesco bowl was from a pre-Columbian society from around 300 BCE. It features abstract, geometric designs in red and black. The diameter is 8".

'Couture' by Faile, 2022 24 x 26 Inches Archival pigment print on 280gsm Entrada Cotton Rag fine art paper. Limited Edition of 300 Hand-signed by the artist duo bottom right. Artist...

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...

ROMAN MARBLE MOSAIC PANEL, 4TH CENTURY A.D. Tiger chasing its prey 40-1/4 x 84 inches (102 x 213 cm.) Within an iron metal frame PROVENANCE Private Collection, Germany Spanish Colle...

This large geode is an intriguing sculpture with immense depth and contrasting textures. Size: 31 x 25 x 5 inches Size with base: 41 x 25 x 5 inches

Corpus Christi. Burgundy 13th century. Crowned Christ from the borderlands between northern Burgundy and southern Champagne, dating from the last third of the 13th century. Carved in polychromed and gilded walnut, this Christ preserves significant traces of its original polychromy and gilding. On the torso, particularly on the ribs, the flesh tones are still clearly visible, as are the gilded areas on the perizonium and on the crown. This Corpus Christi, of striking presence, perfectly illustrates the Rayonnant Gothic style with reminiscences of Classic Gothic, notably in its representation of Christ the King. The anatomy of Christ is characterised by a language that is both graphic and sensitive, typical of workshops working in the orbit of the great northern building sites. The ribcage with its prominent ribs derives from an archaic stylisation intended to underline the emaciation of the crucified body, while the suppleness of the abdomen, slightly distended, bears witness to a new naturalistic observation. The head, tilted towards the right shoulder, breaks with the axial rigidity of earlier periods. Crowned with a royal crown, of which the bases of the fleurons are still preserved, the face retains an expression of peaceful interiority, far removed from the expressionist renderings that would mark the 14th century. The long perizonium is tied relatively high on the hips and unfolds in a complex lateral fall over the left hip, creating a dynamic imbalance. The sculptor has carved the material with great virtuosity, organising the drapery into deep undulations and folds that catch the light. This treatment of volume, heir to the early-13th-century Muldenfaltenstil, achieves a synthesis between the elegance of Parisian ivories and the robustness of Burgundian sculpture. This sculpture may be compared with the Corpus Christi in the Rijksmuseum, dated to around 1260 (see below), and also with the ivory Christ...

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...

A gray sandstone head of Avalokiteshvara, Khmer, Cambodia, Bayon Style from the 13th century. The artwork is unsigned. Provenance: Charles Craig, Privat...

A Chinese, Tang Dynasty, Sancai-glazed, three colors of brown, green and creamy, sculpture of a horse with a cut fur blanket. This Chinese, Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), glazed earthenw...

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...

Resurrected Christ appearing to his Mother, the Virgin Mary Woodcut, 1471-1472 Unsigned (as issued) The resurrected Jesus, holding a banner with a cross, appearing to Mary while she ...

Koma-inu “lion dogs”, symbolic guardians at temples or shrines. Cypress burl wood (hinoki) According to ancient Chinese philosophy, the animal with its mouth open embodies the mascu...

Lithograph measures 38 x 26 inches. Good/Fair, slight creasing at bottom of lithograph.

Important elm-wood sculpture carved in very high relief and hollowed at the back. Anne is seated in majesty, veil and wimple framing a composed face, holding at her left the blessing...

"World Water Day is Monday and is a fitting day to precede the release of these Wave of Distress prints. World Water Day not only focuses attention on the water crisis and drinking w...

This piece is a pot made by an unknown artist in Pre-Columbian Peru. It takes the shape of an owl and has a circular handle with the opening on its back. This pot is a light beige an...

Upper Italy 2nd half 12th century Maple Original version Height 67 cm

APOTROPAIC DEVIL FIGURE Romansh South Tyrol or Grisons Around 1120/50 Carved pine wood Original version Height 151 cm This singular figure is a demonic, devil-like figure carved fro...

North African Maghribi Manuscript Leaf Gold Illumination, c.15th Century North African, c. 15th century Print: Height 39cm, width 31cm Frame: Height 73cm, width 62cm, depth 4cm Prod...

Sensitively carved, solid marble bust of a young boy mounted on a custom, Lucite base. Carved fully in the round, though originally the figure was pa...

This sculpture explores the coexistence of parallel worlds, connected through subtle points of energy and meaning. Across its surface appear codes, numbers, and symbolic signs rooted...

Albrecht Dürer 1471-1528 German The Penance of St. Chrysostom Monogrammed in the plate lower center "AD" Copper engraving on laid paper “Whatever was mortal in Albrecht Dürer li...