18th Century and Earlier Art

Aeneas and Dido Attributed to Pseudo-Caroselli (Rome, active c. 1630/1650) Oil on canvas (148 × 93 cm. - framed 162 × 107 cm.) (full details LINK) The episode depicted in the superb...

Italian School, 18th century Depicted are the Madonna and Child Jesus, the virgin Mary is holding the Child Jesus lovingly in her arms. The child, lying on a bundle of cloth and with...

Florentine Master (late 16th century) - Flagellation. 71.5 x 59.5 cm without frame, 89 x 76 cm with frame. Oil on panel, in an antique carved and gilded wooden frame from the 17th ...

Circle of Cornelius Johnson (1593-1661), a 17th century portrait of a lady, bust-length oval, wearing an ivory silk gown with blue silk bows and lace c...

A very fine portrait of a British military officer signed and dated Thomas Beach 1774 in the lower left. This oil on canvas is presented in a period gilt frame and is ready to hang. ...

Francis Bassano , workshop. Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. Venetian school. Late Renaissance Italian painting. Christ praying in the Garde...

This superb exhibited British 18th century Old Master Italian landscape oil painting is by noted artist Thomas Barker of Bath. Painted in 1794 and exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1...

"Lingbi - One Hole Scholar's Rock"' is a sculpture, stone on wood base from the Late Qing Dynasty, China.

Portrait Of Haman From the Book Of Esther, 19th Century School of REMBRANDT VAN RIJN (1606-1669) Large 17th Century Dutch School biblical depiction of Persian court official Haman,...

John Thomas Serres (1759-1825) Fisherfolk unloading the days catch Oil on canvas Canvas Size - 17 x 25 in Framed Size - 22 x 30 in John Thomas Serres, a luminary in the realm of mar...

This is an original 18th century hand-colored map entitled "A New & Accurate Map of The Whole Russian Empire, As Contain'd Both In Europe and Asia, Drawn from Authentic Journals, Sur...

Portrait Of Palatine Matthew III Csák of Trencin (1260-1321) Italian School - Circle of TITIAN Large 16th Century Italian School portrait of a Matthew III Csak Of Trencin, oil on c...

Judith Grasping The Head Of Holofernes By The Hair And Looking To The Left, and Old Woman to the Right. circa 1640 Etching on cream laid paper with a foolscap watermark, 10 x 7 inche...

Oil work on canvas sold with frame. Total size with frame: 58x39x5 cm

An early 18th century portrait of a young lady, half length, wearing a blue silk gown with white chemise and gold trimmed cloak draped across her arm and shoulders. Her sensitively observed soft expression and skilfully painted youthful 'dewy' complexion are reminiscent of the portrait style of John Closterman whose work Murray would have been familiar with, being a close colleague of Murray's teacher, John Riley. An old label on the reverse identifies the sitter as a young Princess Charlotte...

This is a beautifully framed engraving, printed in colors with additional hand coloring, from the famous "Cries of London" series, depicting the lives and professions of the common p...

A pair of oval drawings for Ovid, Metamophoses Left: The Triumph of Amphitrite (Book I) Right: Diana and Actaeon (Book III) From: Ovid, Metamophoses These mythological studies are after paintings by Simon Vouet (1590-1649) that decorated the Chateau de Chilly. They were commissioned by the Marquis D'Effiat in 1630-31. The scholarly record documenting the commission are a series of engravings by Michel...

17th Century Mexican Maestro Title: Virgin of Solitude Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 165 x 123 cm - with frame 194 x 152 cm Bla...

The painting, done in oil on canvas, depicts the meeting between King David and Abigail, as narrated in the biblical text from the First Book of Samuel (I Samuel 25:1-34). David, left without food in the wilderness with his army, seeks relief from the wealthy Nabal, who contemptuously denies him any help, ungrateful of the benevolence he previously received from the king. Upon hearing the rejection, the ruler intends to take revenge by killing his entire lineage. Abigail, Nabal's beautiful and wise wife, decides to right the wrong and bring David plenty of food and gifts. In the king's presence the woman humbles herself, winning his forgiveness and benevolence. Soon afterwards widowed, she will in fact become his bride. The broad scene depicts the climax of the Old Testament episode, the moment when the woman prostrates herself before David and his servants prepare to deliver the gifts. The biblical event is here a pretext, as is customary in modern-age painting, for staging the colorful description of a sumptuous procession, which can be divided into two parts, almost two wings of a crowd divided specularly: on the left David with his dignitaries and the army; on the other, Abigail's retinue, handmaids, servants leading dromedaries and donkeys laden with food. The crowded group of figures is set in a natural proscenium: above a low horizon, barely hinted at by distant blue mountains, rises on the left side a craggy rocky cliff, the shelter of the army led by the ruler. The 'somatic intonation of the characters, as well as the choice of metallic chromatics and the play of light on the shiny fabrics refer to a clear Flemish matrix, particularly the influence of the frothy and sumptuous painting of Rubens and Van Dyck. As well set forth in the expert report prepared by Professor Giuseppe Sava, the work is to be attributed to Vincent Malò...

This is a rare 18th Century hand-colored copperplate engraving entitled "Der Storch Ciconia" (White Stork) by Johann Leonhard Frisch is plate 19...

This attractive and interesting map of Bermuda by Henricus Hondius in 1633 is entitled "Mappa Aestivarum Insularum, Alias Barmudas". It is based on a ...

Four table sculptures - Concertino with musicians and singer. Venice, late 18th century. 9 x 7 x h 20 cm each. Entirely in wood, finely carved and painted in polychrome. Condition...

No Dutch draughtsman ever captured the atmosphere of the rural countryside of Holland with the same atmospheric and engaging simplicity that Van Goyen achieved in drawings such as this. Indeed, his landscapes were seminal in the development of the genre. The present sketch conveys a striking sense of movement within the natural landscape, conveyed by the deftly applied strokes of chalk, from which the artist’s hand can be sensed. The composition is characteristic of his work, with the low horizon affording significance to the broad sky and the soaring birds within. This feeling of windswept motion powerfully evokes the expansive Dutch farmland with which he was evidently preoccupied. 1. Jan van Goyen...

The Academy of Plato Plato and His Disciples Etching and drypoint c. 1662, printed c. 1710 Signed in the plate lower left Inscribed lower left: 'In villa ab Academo attributa sua[m]...

Portrait of Francisco de Reynoso y Baeza.   Secretary of Pope Pius V, abbot of Husillos and bishop of Córdoba. Francisci de Reynoso. Early 17th century. Small-format portrait from the late Renaissance period. Spanish school. Size: Cm 19 x Cm 13.5 Oil on wooden panel. On the back the fine tablet is strengthened (already in ancient times) by a sheet of parchment. About 1600-1610. As often in Mannerist / Late Renaissance portraits, the image of the character is accompanied by the writing that runs at the top, adding a celebratory, historicising touch to the effigy. Let's bring back the sentence here: DON FRANCISCO DE REINOSO. CAMARERO SECRETO IESCALCO PIO QUINTO OBISCOPO CORDOBA. 68 (? O 7?) (1534, Autillo de Campos, Spain - 1601, Córdoba) Francisco de Reynoso was a Spanish cleric, chief chamberlain, and secretary to Pope Pius V, abbot of Husillos, and bishop of Córdoba. He was the fourth of eleven children. His father was the seventh Lord of Autillo de Campos, and his mother was Juana de Baeza y de las Casas, daughter of Manuel de Baeza, a lawyer of the Royal Council and at the Court of Valladolid. Francisco de Reynoso was deeply devoted to the Virgin Mary and showed a strong inclination toward religion and piety from an early age. He studied Latin, arts, and theology at the University of Salamanca. In 1562, he traveled to Rome with his brothers Pedro and Luis. In January 1566, following the death of Pope Pius IV, Cardinal Antonio Michele Ghislieri was elected pope, becoming Pius V. From this period until Ghislieri's death in 1572, Francisco de Reynoso served as his chief chamberlain and secretary. After Pope Pius V died, Francisco de Reynoso returned to Spain and lived for several years in the city of Palencia, where his brother Manuel was a canon. He supported the Society of Jesus when it was established in Palencia, providing alms to the school's clergy and funding chairs of Letters and Theology at his own expense, as well as donating a significant number of books. During the brief outbreak of the Black Plague...

This original hand-colored copperplate engraved map of Africa entitled "Africa Vetus, Nicolai Sanson Christianiss Galliar Regis Geographi" was originally created by Nicholas Sanson d...

Portrait Of A Lady Holding A Flue, 18th Century French School Large 18th century French School portrait of a lady holding a flute, oil on canvas. Magnificent and unusual portrait ...

These two royal portraits are a major historical testimony to the stay of the Comte d'Artois (the future Charles X) and his family in Edinburgh in 1796-1797. Given by the sitters to Lord Adam Gordon, the Governor of Edinburgh, and kept by family descent to this day, these two portraits provide us with a vivid and spontaneous image of the Duc d’Angoulême and his brother the Duc de Berry. Danloux, who had emigrated to London a few years before, demonstrate his full assimilation of the art of British portrait painters in the brilliant execution of these portraits. 1. Henri-Pierre Danloux, a portraitist in the revolutionary turmoil Born in Paris in 1753, Henri-Pierre Danloux was first a pupil of the painter Nicolas-Bernard Lépicié (1735 - 1784) and then, in 1773, of Joseph-Marie Vien (1716 - 1809), whom he followed to Rome when, at the end of 1775, Vien became Director of the Académie de France. In Rome he became friends with the painter Jacques-Louis David (1748 - 1825). Returning to France around 1782, he settled in Lyon for a few years before returning to Paris in 1785. One of his first portraits was commissioned by the Baroness d'Etigny, the widow of the former Intendant of the Provinces of Gascony, Bearn and Navarre Antoine Mégret d'Etigny (1719 – 1767). He then became close to his two sons, Mégret de Sérilly and Mégret d'Etigny, who in turn became his patrons. In 1787, this close relationship with the d'Etigny family was further strengthened by his marriage to Antoinette de Saint-Redan, a relative of Madame d'Etigny. After his marriage, he left for Rome and did not return to France until 1789. It was during the winter of 1790-1791 that he painted one of his masterpieces, the portrait of Baron de Besenval. Set in a twilight atmosphere, this portrait of an aristocrat who knows that his death is imminent symbolizes the disappearance of an erudite and refined society which would be swept away by the French Revolution. The Jacobin excesses led Danloux to emigrate to England in 1792; many members of his family-in-law who remained in France were guillotined on 10 May 1794. Danloux enjoyed great success as a portrait painter in England before returning to France in 1801. During his stay in England, Danloux was deeply under the influence of English portraitists: his colors became warmer (as shown by the portrait of the Duc d'Angoulême that we are presenting), and his execution broader. 2. Description of the two portraits and biographical details of the sitters The Duc d'Angoulême (1775-1844) was the eldest son of the Comte d'Artois, the younger brother of King Louis XVI (the future King Charles X), and his wife Marie-Thérèse of Savoie. He is shown here, in the freshness of his youth, wearing the uniform of colonel-general of the "Angoulême-Dragons" regiment. He is wearing the blue cordon of the Order of the Holy Spirit, which was awarded to him in 1787, and two decorations: the Cross of Saint-Louis and the Maltese Cross, as he was also Grand Prior of the Order of Malta. Born on 16 August 1775 in Versailles, Louis-Antoine d'Artois followed his parents into emigration on 16 July 1789. In 1792, he joined the émigrés’ army led by the Prince de Condé. After his stay in Edinburgh (which will be further discussed), he went to the court of the future King Louis XVIII, who was in exile at the time, and in 1799 married his first cousin Marie-Thérèse Charlotte of France, the daughter of Louis XVI and the sole survivor of the royal family. The couple had no descendants. He became Dauphin of France in 1824, upon the accession to the throne of his father but played only a minor political role, preferring his military position as Grand Admiral. Enlisted in Spain on the side of Ferdinand VII, he returned home crowned with glory after his victory at Trocadero in 1823. He reigned for a very short time at the abdication of Charles X in 1830, before relinquishing his rights in favor of his nephew Henri d'Artois, the Duc de Bordeaux. He then followed his father into exile and died on 3 June 1844 in Gorizia (now in Italy). His younger brother, the Duc de Berry, is shown in the uniform of the noble cavalry of the émigrés’ Army. He is wearing the blue cordon of the Order of the Holy Spirit, awarded to him in May 1789, and the Cross of Saint-Louis (partly hidden by his blue cordon). Born on 24 January 1778 in Versailles, Charles-Ferdinand d'Artois also followed his parents into emigration and joined the émigrés’ army in 1792. After his stay in Edinburgh, he remained in Great Britain, where he had an affair with Amy Brown...

Engraving printed in black ink on hand-made, thin-laid paper, 3 5/8 x 3 5/8 inches (84 x 84 mm), 3/4 inch margins. In excellent condition, printed 19th century.

London: c 1750. Steel engraving on cream wove paper, 5 3/8 x 6 3/8 inches (sheet) (142 x 162 mm), margins trimmed inside the platemark. Scattered handling wear, creasing and edge nic...

This painting, created during Zuccarelli's stay in England, represents the decisive moment when Macbeth, together with Banquo, meets the three witches who announce that he will be Ki...

Francesco Fontebasso (Venice 1707 - Venice 1769) - Sketch for Venus and Vulcan. 53.5 x 36 cm without frame, 66 x 48.5 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in an antique c...

Andrea Scacciati (Florence 1642-1710) Composition of flowers within embossed vase (1 of 3) oil on canvas 130 x 90 cm In antique frame 145 x 105 cm. Work with expertise by Prof. Emi...

Circle of George Stubbs (1724-1806). English 18th century portrait of a water spaniel standing in a wooded landscape. This charming painting is a wonderful example of the style of English dog painting made popular by artists such as George Stubbs and other sporting artists working in England in the 18th century who painted the dogs and horses of the aristocracy and wealthier classes. It follows in the ancient tradition of celebrating and commemorating our faithful canine companions through portraiture. Oil on canvas in a giltwood frame Provenance: Private collection, Somerset George Stubbs (1724-1806) was classified in his lifetime as a sporting painter, and as such was excluded from full membership of the Royal Academy. He is best remembered for his paintings of horses and his conversation pieces. Having studied anatomy, Stubbs's pictures of horses are among the most accurate ever painted. Stubbs was born in Liverpool, the son of a leather worker...

This is a rare 18th Century hand-colored copperplate engraving entitled "Ciconia Nigra" (Black Stork) by Johann Leonhard Frisch is plate 197 fro...

Antonio Diziani (1737–1797) "Pond Landscape with Angler and Resting Farmer Couple" This atmospheric oil painting by Antonio Diziani, an 18th-century Venetian artist, captures a sere...

'Benj. West RA' Soft ground etching by William Daniell RA (1769-1837) after George Dance the Younger (1741-1825), 1809. Benjamin West PRA (1738 – 1820) was an Anglo-American painter of historical scenes around and after the time of the American War of Independence...

Jean-Baptiste SANTERRE (Magny en Véxins 1651 - Paris 1717) Portrait of a couple Oil on original oval canvas H. 115 cm; L. 90 cm (140 x 115 cm with frame) Around 1695 Jean-Baptiste S...

The Coronation of the Virgin. Oil on copper. All of our works are covered by our own guarantee of authenticity which covers the work for its ...

Jacob Huysmans Flemish 1633 - 1696 Portrait of a Lady Oil on canvas Image size: 49 x 40 ¼ inches Gilt frame Huysmans was born in Antwerp and came to England during the reign of Charles II where he became one of the fashionable painters of the court.. The diarist Samual Pepys noted the artist as capable of a more exact likeness than Lely. Certainly the diarist records that by August 1664 in the circle of Queen Catherine...

This is a framed 16th century hand-colored copperplate map of northern Italy entitled "Veronae Urbis Territorium a Bernardo Bragnolo Descriptium" by Abraham Ortelius from his atlas "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum", which was the first modern atlas of the world, with the first volume published in 1570. This map was part of a subsequent volume, published in Antwerp in 1584. It was based on an earlier map by Bernardo Brognoli. This beautiful map of northern Italy is focussed on Verona and its environs, including Mantua. Lake Garda and the South Tyrol mountains are prominently depicted. There is a very large striking cartouche in the upper left and a decorative distance scale in the lower right. This striking hand-colored map of northern Italy is presented in a gold-colored wood frame and an olive green-colored mat. It is glazed with UV conservation glass. All mounting materials used are archival. The frame measures 21.5" high by 28" wide by 0.75" deep. There is a central vertical fold, as issued, with slight separation of the lower portion of the fold. There are faint spots in the upper and right margins, but the map is otherwise in very good condition. Abraham Ortelius (also known as Ortels, Orthellius, and Wortels) (1527-1598) was a Dutch cartographer, geographer, and cosmographer. He began his career as a map colorist. In 1547 he entered the Antwerp guild of St Luke as an "illuminator of maps". He had an affinity for business from an early age and most of his journeys before 1560, were for business. He was a dealer in antiques, coins, maps, and books. 
His business income allowed him to acquire an extensive collection of medals, coins, and antiques, as well as a large library of books...

Vitraux in Four Sheets, Puzzle of Life, 1974, by Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Lithograph on paper 52 ¼ x 55 ½ inches unframed (132.715 x 140.97 cm) 53 ½ x ...

Work on canvas Black wooden frame 71 x 91 x 3 cm

Antique Italian painting from the 18th century. Framework oil on canvas depicting a landscape with figures of good pictorial quality. Nice sized and pleasantly decorated paintinf wit...

Se presenta enmarcada la pintura con un marco del siglo xviii El estado de la obra se puede ver, tiene faltas de capa pictórica y también comentar que la tela está reentelada Medid...

Oil on Canvas. French school of the 2nd half of the 18th century. Bucolic is this verdant countryside landscape, opening up in the background into bluish fields and mountains. In the...

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...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "A. Geniculata Wieder Kraief, B. Genipa seu Ganipaba". It is plate 531 in...

Provenance: with Leo Blumenreich and Julius Böhler, Munich, 1924 Dr. Frederic Goldstein Oppenheimer (1881-1963), San Antonio, Texas; by whom given to: Abraham M. Adler, New York, until 1985; thence by descent to the present owners While old inscriptions on the verso of this panel propose its author to be Hans Holbein and the sitter Sir John More—a lawyer, judge, and the father of Sir Thomas More—this fine portrait has long been recognized to be by a Flemish hand. Max Friedländer gave the painting to Bernard van Orley (1487/1491 – 1541) in 1924, but did not include it in the volume dedicated to the artist in his Early Netherlandish Paintings...

Carved wooden sculpture - San Mauro. Italy, 16th century. 54 x 30 x h 110 cm. Entirely in carved and painted wood with traces of polychromy and gilding. - Work registered at the b...

Goddess of Love is an original hand-colored etching on creamy-colored paper realized in the 17 century by Martino Rota. Signed on the plate on the low...

Ancient Roman Fresco / Naval Battle from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an original etching on paper realized by Vincenzo Aloja in the 18th Century. Signed on the plat...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "A. Convolvulus Major Folio Subrotundo Purpureg Albo, B. Convolvulus Major...

Provenance: Santambrogio Antichità, Milan; sold, 2007 to: Filippo Pernisa, Milan; by whom sold, 2010, to: Private Collection, Melide, Switzerland De Primi Fine Art, Lugano, Switzerland; from whom acquired, 2011 by: Private Collection, Connecticut (2011-present) Literature: Ferdinando Arisi, “Ancora sui dipinti giovanili del Panini,” Strenna Piacentina (Piacenza, 2009): pp. 48, 57, 65, fig. 31, as by Panini Ferdinando Arisi, “Panini o Ghisolfi o Carlieri? A proposito dei dipinti giovanili,” Strenna Piacentina, (Piacenza, 2010), pp. 100, 105, 116, fig. 101, as an early work by Panini, a variant of Panini’s painting in the Museo Cristiano, Esztergom, Hungary. This architectural capriccio is one of the earliest paintings by Giovanni Paolo Panini, the preeminent painter of vedute and capricci in 18th-century Rome. The attribution to Panini has been endorsed by Ferdinando Arisi, and a recent cleaning of the painting revealed the artist’s signature in the lower right. Like many of his fellow painters working in Rome during his day, Panini was not a native of the Eternal City. He first trained as a painter and stage designer in his hometown of Piacenza and moved to Rome at the age of 20 in November 1711 to study figure painting. Panini joined the workshop of Benedetto Luti (1666-1724) and from 1712 was living on the Piazza Farnese. Panini, like many before and after him, was spellbound by Rome and its classical past. He remained in the city for the rest of his career, specializing in depicting Rome’s most important monuments, as well as creating picturesque scenes like this one that evoked the city’s ancient splendor. The 18th century art historian Lione Pascoli, who likely knew Panini personally, records in his 1730 biography of the artist that when Panini came to Rome, he was already “an excellent master and a distinguished painter of perspective, landscape, and architecture.” Panini’s earliest works from this period still show the evidence of his artistic formation in Piacenza, especially the influence of the view painter Giovanni Ghisolfi (1623-1683). However, they were also clearly shaped by his contact in Rome with the architectural capricci of Alberto Carlieri...

Artist/ School: French School, 18th century Title: The Garden of Gethsemane Medium: oil painting on wooden panel, unframed. painting: measurem...

"Veduta del Sepolcro della Famiglia Plauzia per la Strada Che Conduce da Roma a Tivoli vicino a Ponte Lugano" from "Le Antichità Romane" (Roman Antiquities), one of the most famous works by Piranesi. "Antichita" illustrates the tombs along the Appian Way...

Elegant group of four Italian paintings from the second half of the 18th century. Oil on canvas artworks depicting the allegory of the four seasons, of remarkable pictorial quality a...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "A. Esula seu Tithyinalus Africanus SpinosusCera Effigie, B. Esula seu Ti...