18th Century and Earlier Art

"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...

Portrait of a young lady By Henri Millot (Paris, active between 1699 and 1756) Signed "peint par h. millot" and dated 1706 on the entablature Oil on canvas: h. 81 cm, l. 64 cm A Loui...

Northern painter active in Rome in the second half of the 17th century, View of Ponte Milvio Oil painting on canvas 73 x 97 cm in coeval Roman Salvator Rosa frame.

JUAN DE ARELLANO Spanish, 1614 - 1676 Cesta de Flores signed Juan de Arellano (lower lright) oil on canvas original period carved, gilt and polychrome...

A very good, richly-inked impression of this etching with strong contrasts and no sign of wear. Anchor or fleur-de-lys in a double circle watermark. From "Prospectus locorum urbis Ro...

Portrait of James Stanley (1750 - 1810), circa 1775-1778, full-length, wearing a red coat and breeches and a gold embroidered waistcoat, hold...

Extraordinary in its beauty and rarity, this early 16th-century German painting of an illuminated manuscript showcases a masterful trompe l’oeil effect. Unequivocally among the finest of only 17 known works of its kind, the oil on panel is both rare and captivating. With illusory pages that appear to leap from the panel, this virtuosic painting of a hand-colored book suspended into space is exceptional. Created more than four centuries ago, the composition evokes a strong sense of realism. Executed by a masterful Northern Renaissance artist of the German school, the illuminated manuscript pictured shows the astonishing splendor of the historical books of the period. Sumptuously decorated with scrolling floral motifs in the margins, the manuscript appears before a deep black background, heightening the trompe l’oeil illusion of depth through its strong contrast and the naturalistic shadows falling across the fluttering pages. It has been said that of the 17 known versions of this composition, ours stands alone in its precision in both perspective and the play of light and shadow. The visible folios feature choral arrangements and other texts, indicating the pictured manuscript likely served a role in the celebration of church services. In fact, other examples of manuscript paintings...

Gaspare Diziani (Belluno, Italy, 1689 – Venice, Italy, 1767) Title: Cupids at play Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 85 x 175 cm – with frame Publications: La Pittura...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "a. Pisum Minus sine Putamine, b. Pisa Indicum". It is plate 819 in Weinma...

Artist: François-Nicolas Martinet (French, 1731-1800) Title: "Sacelle male, de la cote de Coromandel" (Plate 949) Portfolio: Histoire Naturelle Des Oiseaux *Signed by Martinet in the...

This reproduction of Eugène Bléry's etching Le Charlemagne depicts the Forêt de Fontainebleau, a renowned forest located south of Paris. The print is produced by La Calcographie du L...

Carlo Ceresa (San Giovanni Bianco 1609 - Bergamo 1679) attributable Full-length portrait of Giacomo Pesenti Oil on canvas (206 x 121 cm - in frame 212 x 133 cm.) This fascinating portrait, portraying a full-length gentleman and datable to the 17th century, illustrates the stylistic and compositional details typical of the pictorial production of the Lombardy area, Bergamo in particular. This reference is reflected in elements such as the natural light, the sober and austere setting and, above all, the subtle psychological characterisation of the face. We are inclined to identify the hand of portrait painter Carlo Ceresa, one of the most illustrious Bergamasque figure painters of the 17th century, capable of developing a style of intense realism and acute psychological investigation. In his works, and our portrait perfectly reflects his canons, an extraordinary naturalistic imprint, great realism and remarkable essentiality are evident. Those traits of severity, moral rigour and austerity typical of his portraiture find a perfect balance here: never courtly or rhetorical, his portraits are profoundly linked to the concept of counter-reform. Immortalising the main personalities of the time, he established himself as a point of reference for the Bergamasque aristocracy, from the Vertova to the Pesenti to the Secco Suardo. The subject of the portrait is Giacomo Pesenti, here immortalised life-size in a rigorous black suit, his left hand resting on a table, on which is placed the necessities for writing and a manuscript, and his right hand, with a sealed ring on his little finger, abandoned along his side while he holds his gloves. He wears a suit of incredible rigour, dressed as befits a man of his high social standing, while the sharp light focuses on his face, with an intensity that seems to be accentuated by the reflection of the white collar, with its sharp profile. For Ceresa, it is not the richness of the garment that gives value to the person portrayed, it is the need to give feeling and bring out the character of the person, and this he succeeds in marvellously, aided by his ability to capture the essence of the person and return it to us in painting through the face and light used as a strong expressive element. In fact, the image highlights that 'counter-reformed' composure typical of the portraiture of painters active in this area and era, adhering to a verism...

Veduta del Romano Camipidpglio con scalinata che va alla chisea d’Araceli (The Capitol and the Steps of S. Maria in Aracoeli) Etching, 1775 Watermark: Double Circle Fleur de Lys A lifetime impression with the price etching in the plate Printed in Rome, before the plates are moved to Paris and the numerous posthumous editions Reference: Hind 38 ii/IV Robison 38 ii/V with the price Wilton Ely 190 Condition: A fine Roman...

Lady Dormer, Mary Browne c. 1592 oil on panel 35 x 29 inches, unframed; 41 x 34.75 inches, inc. frame Inscribed 'Lady Dormore' Mary married Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton who gave birth to Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton - one of the great figures in Shakespears"s circle and founder of the Virginia company, developers of Virginia USA. Henry Wriothesley, born 6 October 1573 at Cowdray House, Sussex, was the only son of Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, by Mary Browne, the only daughter of Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montague, and his first wife, Jane Radcliffe.[5] He had two sisters, Jane, who died before 1573, and Mary (c. 1567 – 1607), who in June 1585 married Thomas Arundell, 1st Baron Arundell of Wardour.[6] After his father's death, Southampton's mother married firstly, on 2 May 1595, as his second wife, Sir Thomas Heneage (d. 17 October 1595), Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, and secondly, between 5 November 1598 and 31 January 1599, Sir William Hervey. She died in November 1607.[7] Early life When his father died on 4 October 1581 Southampton inherited the earldom and landed income valued at £1097 6s per annum. His wardship and marriage were sold by the Queen to her kinsman, Charles, Lord Howard of Effingham, for £1000. According to Akrigg, Howard then "entered into some further agreement, of which no documentation can now be found, which transferred to Lord Burghley personally the custody and marriage of the young Earl, but left Howard holding his lands", and late in 1581 or early in 1582 Southampton, then eight years of age, came to live at Cecil House in the Strand.[8] In October 1585, at age twelve, Southampton entered St John's College, Cambridge,[9] graduating M.A. on 6 June 1589.[10] His name was entered at the Gray's Inn legal society before he left the university, and he was admitted on 29 February 1588.[11] On Southampton's 16th birthday, 6 October 1589, Lord Burghley noted Southampton's age in his diary, and by 1590 Burghley was negotiating with Southampton's grandfather, Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montague, and Southampton's mother, Mary, for a marriage between Southampton and Lord Burghley's eldest granddaughter, Elizabeth Vere, daughter of Burghley's daughter, Anne Cecil, and Edward de Vere...

A 17th century hand-colored map entitled "Guineae Nova Descriptio" by Gerard Mercator and Jodocus Hondius, published in their 'Atlas Minor' in Amsterdam in 1635. It is focused on the...

French painter (18th century) - Portrait of Louis XV as a child. 64.5 x 49.5 cm. Antique oil painting on canvas, without frame. Condition report: Lined canvas. Good state of conse...

Procession Of A Daimyo - Original Woodblock Print Original woodblock print depicting the procession of a Daimyo. Ten Japanese soldiers are seen as they aid in transporting the Daimy...

The Archangel Gabriel, 17th Century workshop of Guido RENI (1575-1642) Huge 17th century Italian Old Master depiction of the Archangel Gabriel, oil on canvas. Excellent quality an...

The Painting is Signed Description: Fabbio Fabbi (1861-1946) was an Italian painter renowned for his Orientalist artworks and his ability to capture the beauty and allure of Eastern...

This stunning French 17th century Old Master oil painting is by Baroque artist Laurent de la Hyre. It was painted circa 1645 and has excellent prove...

George Knapton (London 1698 - 1778), attributable Portrait of a young aristocratic maiden sitting by a fountain in a garden in the company of a lamb Oil on canvas (127 x 102 cm - Fr...

Artist: William Cavendish (English, 1593-1676) Title: "Captain Mazin Rides, and the Marquis Gives the Lesson" (Plate 17, Page 76) Portfolio: Methode et Invention Nouvelle de Dresser ...

Haarlem: c1700. Mezzotint on watermarked laid paper, 11 1/2 x 18 1/4 inches (290 x 462 mm), thread margins. In good condition with expert repairs at the right corners, and upper-lef...

This lovely Dutch Old Master oil painting is attributed to artist Pieter Wouwerman. Painted circa 1660 it is figurative landscape with horseback travellers and their dogs in the foreground approaching ruins on their left. Beyond is a river snakes through the landscape, beneath the fading light of approaching dusk. There are some superb details making this an excellent Dutch Golden Age oil painting...

Virgin Mary and Jesus is an original old masters' artwork realized by the Flemish painter Theodor Mathon (1606-1676) in the 17th century. Mixed ...

Oil on Canvas. Central European school of the late 1700s. The large painting depicts a rural landscape, with a peasant dwelling on the left, the shepherdess in the left foreground wa...

Athena Goddess - Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an original etching on paper realized by Filippo Morghen in the 18th Century. ...

The Witch of Endor conjures up the specter of Samuel in front of King Saul is an old master artwork realized by a follower of Georg Andreas Wolfgang I between 18th and 19th century. Mixed colored oil painting on canvas. On the back probable signature of the author traced by brush "P. So [mita] rt [...] Fac. ". The subject of this painting, the witch of Endor, a necromancer mentioned in the Bible whose power was to evoke the spirit of the dead, is a very rare theme in painting and there are few artists who represented it. In Italy it was especially Salvator Rosa (1615-1673) who had a deep interest in necromantic subjects and, in particular, he produced many paintings of this kind when he stayed in Florence in the 1840s. Rosa's inventions were exported throughout Europe and, in particular, in the German cities of Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Augusta through the works of Johann Heinnrich Schonfeld (Stuttgart, 1627 - Habsburg, 1684), an artist who worked in Naples and who remained sensitive to figure of Salvator Rosa. In this context, in addition to Schonfeld, the Swiss Joseph Werner II (Berne, 1637-1710) was also responsible for the diffusion of this pictorial genre, introducing Rosa's works on witchcraft among his knowledge of Augsburg. He was also the inventor of the scene represented here from whose drawing (Bern, Kunstmuseum, inv. A1196), executed in 1677, the engraving made immediately after by Georg Andreas Wolfgang the Elder (1631–1716) and by which derives precisely the work examined here. The engraving, which was part of a series of biblical images, was dedicated by Wolfgang to Leonhard Weiss, probably a municipal employee of Augsburg or tis mayor. Reference bibliography: - Susan Broomhall, Gender and emotions in medieval and early modern Europe...

Sacred Scene is an original watercolor, realized by an Anonymous artist of the XIX century. There is The state of preservation of the artwork is very good. Sheet dimension :32x31.5 ...

Pierre-Antoine Demachy (Paris 1723 - 1807) Architectural capriccio oil painting on canvas 92 x 70 cm Criticism and expertise of Prof. Giancarlo Sestieri (Rome [...] With regard to ...

A masterful example of Italian Mannerist painting, this exceptional panel was composed by the renowned Florentine painter Domenico Puligo. Alongside Jacopo Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino, Puligo is remembered as one of the foremost figures of the Mannerist movement that rose to prominence during the 16th century in Florence. This panel of the Virgin Mary with the Christ child and Saint John the Baptist is a characteristic example of his celebrated devotional images, which grace museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Museo del Prado (Madrid), Palazzo Borghese (Rome), and Palazzo Pitti (Florence), among many others. Puligo’s skill with color is fully demonstrated in the beautifully preserved work. Considering its age, the vibrancy and the sheer range of color is remarkable. The Virgin Mary’s crimson dress...

Oil on Canvas. 17th century Dutch school. The young nobleman, very serious, looks out from an oval painted frame, on which he rests his hand to flaunt the family ring. The painting...

'London Bridge' Aquatint by JC Stadler after J Farmington. Published c1795 for Boydell's 'History of the River Thames'. Joseph Constantine Stadler (fl London, 1780-1822) was an eng...

Hand-coloured mezzotint engravings from: ""Phytanthoza Iconographia"", c1739, presented in hand-made parcel-gilt, ebonised and decalcomania frames. Johann Weinmann (1683-1741), a G...

This painting seduced us with its rich colors. Depicting Diana and her companions surprised by Actaeon, it was inspired by an engraving by Aegidius Sadeler II after a painting by Jos...

This is an original antique colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving of banana plants, which is finished with hand-coloring. It is entitled "Banana 2. Mauze, Baradis-feigen", p...

Circle of Gerard van Honthorst 1592 - 1656 Portrait of a Gentleman Oil on wooden panel Image size: 29 x 23 inches Contemporary gilt frame Gerard van Honthorst was a Dutch Golden Age...

Pieter van der Aa (1659-1733), after David Loggan (1634–1692) The University Church of St Mary the Virgin, University of Oxford Engraving 12 x 16 cm An eighteenth-century view of the University Church, engraved by Pieter van der Aa after David Loggan, the noted engraver, draughtsman, and painter. St Mary's was the first building of the University of Oxford and its parish consists almost exclusively of university and college buildings. Its eccentric Baroque porch, designed by Nicholas Stone, faces the High Street, and it boasts a spire which is claimed by some church historians to be one of the most beautiful in England. Radcliffe Square lies to the north and to the east is Catte Street. The 13th-century tower is open to the public and provides magnificent views across the heart of the historic university city, especially Radcliffe Square, the Radcliffe Camera...

Attributed Charles François Grenier de Lacroix or Charles - François Lacroix de Marseille (1700 - 1782) as signed lower left on the stone “Lacroix”. The scene of the departure of nobles on a ship, somewhere among the Mediterranean landscapes at sunrise. Lacroix's sense of color and attention to detail are particularly impressive: the sea is calm, the sun is rising and as a soft pink hue begins to emerge in the clouds, the morning haze has not yet cleared and the air is clear and clean, large ship...

18th century French School François de Troy (1645 – 1730), Paris, circa 1725 Portrait of a Woman as the Goddess Ceres Oil on canvas: h. 39 in, w. 31.3 in Regen...

The Resurrection of Lazarus Flemish Old Master, 17th century oil on canvas, framed framed: 30 x 38 inches canvas: 19 x 27 inches Provenance: private collection, Paris, France Condit...

This beautiful 18th century Italian Old Master oil painting is something rather special. Painted circa 1750 the subject matter is Saint John the Baptist as a very young child. He is ...

Ecce Homo is a superb, striking and emotive Old Master in oil on copper after the renowned Italian Baroque artist Carlo Dolci. The "Ecce Homo" shows the figure of Christ before His c...

Louis-Gabriel BLANCHET (Versailles, 1701 – Rome, 1772) Presumed self-portrait of the artist Oil on canvas H. 73 cm; W. 60 cm Circa 1730 Originally presented in a Restoration period frame with a "Mignard" cartouche, this beautiful painting initially appeared to us as a work from northern Italy. However, it exuded a rather French form of refinement, suggesting that its artist may have assimilated a dual influence from both sides of the Alps. We thank our colleague and friend Philippe Mendès for spontaneously and judiciously "bringing out" the name of Louis-Gabriel Blanchet, a Romanized French portraitist, whose spirit and stylistic characteristics we clearly recognize here. Blanchet's "French" years, before his final departure for Rome in 1728, following his winning of the second Grand Prix for painting after Subleyras in 1727, are extremely poorly documented. His father, Gabriel, was valet to Blouin, himself Louis XIV's first valet at the time. According to Thierry Lefrançois, Blanchet was one of the few students of Nicolas Bertin (1667-1736), whose studio he is said to have joined in the early 1720s. At a baptism on March 24, 1724, where he was godfather, he is mentioned as a painter in the picture store of the Duke of Antin, the director of buildings between 1708 and 1736. At this time, he was probably already married to Jeanne Quément, with whom he had a daughter also named Jeanne, who would marry Nicolas Aviet, the son of a valet in the queen's wardrobe, in Versailles in 1738. When Blanchet arrived in Rome in October 1728, he was accompanied by Subleyras, Trémolières, and Slodtz. He enjoyed the goodwill of Vleughels, the director of the Académie de France, which had been based at the Palazzo Mancini since 1725, even though the latter was not always kind to our resident. From 1732, he was under the protection of the Duke of Saint-Aignan when he took up his post as ambassador to Rome. Along with Slodtz and Subleyras, they formed a trio of friends, joined by Joseph Vernet shortly after his arrival in Rome in 1734. Slodtz and Blanchet, on the occasion of Subleyras's marriage in 1739, were there to attest that their friend was not bound by any marital commitment, and Blanchet was a witness at Vernet's wedding in 1745. It is most likely from these early years in Rome that our portrait of the artist dates, the expression and turn of his face irresistibly reminiscent of a self-portrait. The still relatively youthful features may correspond to Blanchet's thirty-something years, and the fluffy wig was still fashionable at this time. The painting fits well with the depiction of a young painter wanting to display both the beginnings of success and a certain simplicity or restraint. A slight smile expresses a form of assurance in this man with a gentle, sincere gaze and a face radiating a keen sense of wit. We find here the air of intimacy present in almost all of Blanchet's portraits, even those from the 1750s and 1760s, as well as an almost complicity with the viewer. The spirit of the painting is quite close to that of the presumed portrait of Bouchardon (painted around 1730) and the portrait of Pannini, painted in 1736, but it possesses a more natural quality, notably thanks to the absence of decorum. Our work exhibits the characteristics of Blanchet's paintings: elegance, luminosity (especially in the whites), vibrant and refined colors (here, the harmony of the garnet of the garment and the slate blue of the background, whose uniformity is tempered by a very sketched landscape and a grove of greenery), light complexions, rather rosy cheekbones, often full lips, and rather tight framing. According to the Academy's rules, Blanchet's stay should have ended in the spring of 1732, but, for reasons unknown, he remained in the Eternal City until his death, as did his friend Subleyras, with whom he shared accommodation until the late 1730s. The latter regularly called upon him to collaborate on his paintings, such as The Meal at Simon's. Through Saint-Aignan's intervention, Blanchet was employed in the late 1730s by the Stuart princely family, then exiled in Italy. He notably produced copies (now lost) after Liotard of the portraits of Charles Edward and Henry Benedict, the sons of James III Stuart. The latter also commissioned three other portraits (now in the National Portrait Gallery in London), whose more formal character contrasts with the intimate spirit of Blanchet's portraits. Blanchet frequented English painters, such as the landscape painter Richard Wilson, and studied with the Scottish portraitist Katherine Read...

Inscribed, upper left: “Miss Laura Keppel” Provenance: Commissioned from the artist and by descent in the Keppel family estate, Lexham Hall, Norfolk, to: Major Bertram William Arnol...

After François Girardon 1628-1715 French Pluto Abducting Proserpine Bronze This High Baroque period composition captures the famed narrative of Pluto and Proserpine from Roman mythology. The late 17th-century patinated bronze, created after François Girardon's marble composition, captures the very moment that Pluto seizes Proserpine. The anguished goddess reaches skyward, attempting to escape the god’s grasp while Pluto’s stoic face betrays his knowledge that his ploy will succeed. This pivotal moment in the mythological tale has captured the imagination of many art historical greats, from Bernini to Rubens. François Girardon’s version of the climax demonstrates incredible finesse and artistry, modeled expertly in bronze in the present work by a later sculptor. The statue brings a twist of intertwined bodies into a dynamic frenzy, paralleling the tension of the legendary story. In ancient Roman mythology, Proserpine, the beautiful daughter of Ceres — known as Persephone in Greek mythology — was picking flowers in the fields when she was suddenly abducted by Pluto, the god of the underworld, and taken to his kingdom. Consumed with grief, her mother Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, scorches the earth, stopping the growth of grain and fruit. Jupiter attempts to intervene and secure Proserpine’s return to earth, negotiating a compromise with Pluto and the Fates that allows Proserpine to be released for part of the year before returning to Pluto’s underworld. Proserpine’s journey back and forth is an allegory for the changing seasons; when Prosperine is with her mother, the earth warms and provides bountiful harvests. Upon her annual return to the underworld, however, the earth once again becomes cold and barren. After returning to France after years of training in Rome, François Girardon quickly rose to become one of the greatest artists in France. He was elected a member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1657 and would become Chancellor of the Royal Academy in 1695. The artist was approached frequently for royal commissions and Girardon’s Pluto was originally commissioned by Louis XIV for the gardens at his Palace of Versailles. It was one of four monumental marble groups intended to decorate the corners of Charles Le Brun’s never completed garden at the chateau, the Parterre d’Eau. Each group of three figures symbolized one of the four elements: earth, air, fire and water. Pluto’s association with hell made him the apt...

Letter C is an Etching realized by Luigi Vanvitelli. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “Le Antichità di Ercolano Esposte”)...

Hendrick de Somer, known as Enrico Fiammingo (Lokeren 1602 - Naples 1655) Saint Jerome penitent in the cave oil on canvas 103 x 130 cm. - In original period frame 123 x 152 cm. Th...

Portrait of a lady, half-length in a feigned oval wearing a ruby coloured silk gown holding entwined strings of pearls across her bodice. Signed 'PNason' and dated 1667 (lower right)...

Gilded bronze sculpture - Mars, god of War. Rome, 17th century. 9 x 9 x h 31 cm. Entirely in cast, chiseled and gilded bronze, resting on an ebonized wooden pedestal decorated with...

Rococo design for a gate, etching, by Joseph Baumann (active 1740-1760), circa 1750. Published by Martin Engelbrecht (1684–1756). Similar works ar...

18th century style, “Young aristocrat with pet dog”. The work is a modern copy of a portrait of Pierre Van Cortlandt, first lord of Van Cortlandt manor in NY. ...

Antique oil on canvas of a Russian or Polish nobleman, painted by Rembrandt van Rijn in 1637. There is much controversy about this painting, currently housed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. and has previously been owned by such luminaries as Catherine the Great and Andrew Mellon. It has been referred to as both a Polish and Russian nobleman, the sitter wears a Russian sable hat...

The Marriage, 15th/16th Century school of BALDASSARE ESTENSE (1443-1504) Large 15th Century Ferrara School portrait of a husband and wife worshipping outside a small hillside town,...

Rembrandt van Rijn, After by Amand Durand, Dutch (1606 - 1669) - Christ Appearing to the Apostles, Year: Of Original 1656, Medium: Etching, Image Size: 6.5 x 8.25 inches, Size: 14 ...

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...