18th Century and Earlier Art

Mattheus Terwesten (The Hague, 1670 - 1757) Portrait of a young woman with palette and brushes, as Allegory of the art of Painting Oil on canvas 160 x 91 cm. - In frame 178 x 107 cm...

Celestial Music is an original black and white etching on cream-colored paper, realized by Charles-Nicolas Cochin the Elder (1688-1754), the well-known ...

The Internal Organs is an original etching realized as plate no. 3 of Andrea Vesalio's "De Humani Corporis Fabrica". The "De Humani Corporis Fabrica is commonly considered a major ...

A charming watercolour showing a mother and father raising a small child onto the back of a horse while three more children sit on a wooden sled pull...

Ancient Roman Bust, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an original etching on paper realized by Michele Sorello and Nicolaus Vanni in the 18th century. Signed on the ...

Philippe Mercier (also spelled Philip Mercier; 1689 – 18 July 1760) born in Berlin, was an artist of French Huguenot descent from the German realm of Brandenburg-Prussia (later Kingd...

Artist: (after) Johann Daniel Preissler (German, 1666-1737) Title: "Meridies; Der Mittag (Noon; The Midday)" Portfolio: Die Vier Tageszeiten (The Four Times of Day) Year: 1723 Medium: Original Etching and Engraving on laid paper Limited edition: Unknown Printer: likely Johann Balthasar Probst, Augsburg, Germany Publisher: Jeremias Wolff (Erben), Augsburg, Germany Reference: Le Blanc No. 255, 38; Nagler No. 23 Sheet size: 22.5" x 16.32" Image size: 18.13" x 14.32" Condition: Soft handling creases and folds to sheet. A few light areas of staining and scattered small areas of discoloration in margins. Two small tears skillfully repaired from verso in margins. Has been professionally stored away for decades. It is otherwise a strong impression in good condition with full margins Extremely rare Notes: Provenance: private collection - Aspen, CO. Engraved by German artist Johann Balthasar Probst (1673-1750) after a drawing by German artist Johann Daniel Preissler (1666-1737). Comes from Preissler's 1723 "Die Vier Tageszeiten (The Four Times of Day)" portfolio of four etchings and engravings. Printed from one copper plate in one color: black. Descriptions of the portrayed image are printed in Latin and German. Biography: Johann Daniel Preissler, or Preisler (1666–1737) was a German painter and director of Nuremberg's Academy of Fine Arts. He was a notable member of a German artistic family, originating in Bohemia. His children included Johann Justin Preissler (1698–1771), Georg Martin Preisler (1700–1754), Barbara Helena Preisler (1707–1758; married to Oeding), Johan Martin Preisler (1715–1794), and Valentin Daniel Preisler (1717–1765), all in their time renowned artists. Most notable for his portraits, nudes and history paintings, Johann Daniel Preissler also produced drawings and frescoes. He was particularly known beyond his native Nuremberg for his "Die durch Theorie erfundene Practic", a sequence of works on art theory – the individual works were translated into several other languages and served as textbooks for students such as the Swiss Salomon Gessner...

Letter of the Alphabet D from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century. Signed on the plate. Good condition...

Ancient Roman Statues from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Vincenzo Campana in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions ex...

Capital Letter for the Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed, original etching from the end of the 18th century, made by Various Old Masters. In very good...

Ancient Roman Fresco from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Carlo Ortij in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions ex...

Urbino con la neve is an original artwork realized by an artist of the 17th century. Beautiful etching on ivory paper. Image Dimensions: 20...

De Humana Physiognomonia - Libri IIII Original Title: Io: Bap-tistae Portae Neapolitani. De Hum. Physiognomonia. Libri IIII. Ad Aloysium Card. Estensem Vici Aequensis, Apud Iosephum Cacchium, 1586. Vol. In-4° / cm. 32x22 272 pp (typographic mystake for page 265 indicated as 272 an vice-versa) Circulation: Rare First Edition Format: In-4° Pages: 272 Cover on ancient parchment, with title in ink (ancient calligraphy) on spine and “archivistic” decorations in leather and rope on same spine. Binding restored using original contemporary cover. Frontispiece fully engraved with portrait of author within an imaginary composition; portrait of Cardinale d’Este, whom the work is dedicated to, follows with full page engraving. Includes 85 engravings 4 of which full page, showing human physiognomies compared to animals’ in order to demonstrate the relationship between physical aspects and moral features. Good and clean copy, in a nice state. Black stain on p. 97 and minor tear on p. 198. Some whitening on 3-4 pages which do no affect reading. Rare first edition of a pillar of modern anthropology, and one of the most popular essays of Italian Renaissance, with important influence during the following 300 years. First book to be printed in Vico Equense...

This exceedingly charming mid-18th-century English oil painting depicts a girl wearing a red gown with a train over a white petticoat. She’s holding a posy or nosegay. Evidently once commissioned for an English country house, the identity of this young lady remains a mystery. Her gown appears to be inspired by the popular ‘robe à la française...

Antique Flemish panel from the first half of the 17th century. Oil painting depicting a splendid Madonna with child inside a niche surrounded by a garland of masterfully painted flow...

King Solomon Worshipping The Idols, 17th Century FRANS FRANCKEN II (1581-1642) - signed sales to $6,000,000 Large 17th Century biblical account of King Solomon worshipping the Idols, oil on panel Frans Francken. Excellent quality and condition Old Testament biblical scene on a cradled panel depicting the Idolatry of Solomon, son and successor of King David. Exceptional detail and would be enhanced with a light clean. Presented in an antique period frame. Signed. Measurements: 47" x 34" framed approx Artist Biography Frans Francken II or the Younger is the third in order of descent in the Francken family tree. Born in 1581, the son of Frans Francken I or the Elder, he was the brother of Thomas, born in 1574, of Hieronymous II, born in 1578 and died in 1623, and of Ambrosius II, the last in line, who died in 1632. Hieronymous II, who died at the age of 56, is only known for his painting Horatius Cocles at Sublicius Bridge. Frans the Younger was initially a pupil of his father, who was then at the height of his career. In his father's studio he imbibed all the teaching of the tradition of Frans Floris. He also spent long periods in Italy, where he familiarised himself in particular with the masters of the Venetian school. Such study in situ enabled him to break away from the well-worn methods of Flemish Italianism, as practised by his father and uncles. It is conceivable that the young artist met Rubens, who was in Italy at the time. In 1605, at the age of 24, on his return to Antwerp, Frans the Younger became a master in the Antwerp Guild of St Luke. In 1607 he married Elisabeth Placquet in Antwerp. Three sons and eight daughters resulted from this marriage. His children made up the fourth generation in the dynasty. Better known are Frans III (1607-1667) and Hieronymus, born in 1611. The latter had a son, Constantinus (1661-1717), who marks the end of the line. The family of Francken painters runs from 1520 to 1717. As one of the most active masters in Antwerp, Frans II was appointed dean of the guild in 1614. He was also a member of the Violette, a major literary association, for which he painted an award-winning symbolic coat of arms. He was intimate with the most celebrated artists, in particular van Dyck, who executed a very fine portrait of him, judging by the engraving by Willem Hondius and Pieter de Jode. It is also likely that he was on familiar terms with Rubens who was his near contemporary. He died in Antwerp on 6 May 1642 at the age of 61, outlived by both Rubens and van Dyck. The first securely dated work of Frans the Younger is Christ on the Cross from the gallery in Vienna, painted in 1606. Witches' Sabbath (Vienna) and The Works of Mercy (Antwerp) are dated 1607 and 1608 respectively. In these two latter works the painter proves himself adept at painting figures and allegorical scenes. The Works of Mercy represents various groups of figures, symbolising the different activities inspired by Christian charity. Paupers and beggars occupy the foreground, the ensemble being dominated by the figure of the glorious Christ. While Frans the Younger cannot be compared with the masters of this great first generation of Antwerp, which was illuminated and steered by the genius of Rubens, he does nevertheless merit attention. He succeeded in developing and bringing into fashion an anecdotal genre on a more modest scale, elements of which were to inform the last representatives of the Francken family for over a century. Frans the Younger was undoubtedly the most talented draughtsman in the family. While his art may be criticised for its lack of grandeur and solemnity, the execution shows great talent. His brush stroke was vigorous and his imagination, albeit restrained, was brilliant. His interest in tonal values was highlighted by his study and appreciation of his remarkable contemporaries. This enabled him to carry out landscapes and also fleshy figures, which made him altogether worthy of the brilliant period to which he belonged. While detail certainly preoccupied him, he treated it with intelligence and even esprit, as witnessed in The Parable of the Prodigal Son and A Prince's Visit to the Treasury of a Church(both in the Louvre). The scenes painted in grisaille, which surround the principal motif of the Prodigal Son, are characteristic of his style. He excelled in painting jewellery, ornaments, and textiles with shot silk effects. A large number of his figures inhabit the neutral backgrounds of the interiors of apartments and galleries. He carried out such work not only under his own auspices, but also for other artists, such as Peeter Neeffs, van Bassen, Josse de Momper...

Seascape With Monuments and Figures is an Etching realized by Niccolò Vanni (1750-1770). The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title...

18th century portrait painting of a clergyman Pieter Van Bleeck (follower) A fine late 18th century/early 19th century portrait oil on canvas three quarter length study of a clergyman The artist has managed to capture the gentle demeanour of the sitter. housed in a gilt frame by a follower of Pieter Van Bleeck the size being 58 x 69 cm approx whilst overall the picture is 76 x 90 cm In very good condition having been cleaned and relined at some point. Pieter Van Bleeck Petrus Johannes (Pieter) van Bleeck (baptized 25 June 1697 in The Hague – 20 July 1764 in London) was an 18th century Dutch portrait painter and mezzotint engraver active in London, where he moved in 1723. Van Bleeck is especially known for theatrical subjects such as Owen Swiny, Kitty Clive...

Offers to the Sun God among the Incas Etchings, Hand-Watercoloured. Tom.VIII , Plate LXXVI Image Dim: cm 25.5 x 18; Sheet Dim: cm 37.5 x 23.8; Passepartout Dim: cm 49 x 34 Very fi...

Still Life from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Giovanni Guerra in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions and aged with some folding...

Landscape is an original drawing is realized by Jan Peter Verdussen. The artwork has some folds and foxings and is repaired on the middle line. The artwork represents a landscape. ...

Ancient Roman Decorations from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is a etching on paper realized by Giovanni Morghen in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditio...

Studio of Sir Peter Lely Dutch, (1618-1680) Portrait of a Lady Oil on canvas Image size: 29.25 inches x 24.25 inches Size including frame: 37...

Dutch Fishing Boats & Naval Ships Offshore, 17th Century circle of LUDOLF BAKHUIZEN (1630-1708) Large 17th Century Dutch Old Master scene of Dutch fishing boats and naval ships offshore, oil on canvas. Good quality and condition early Dutch maritime...

A wonderful selection of hand-coloured mezzotint engravings from: ""Phytanthoza Iconographia"", c1739, presented in hand- made parcel-gilt, ebonised and decalcomania frames. Joha...

Palazzo Pontificio sul Quirinale is an original etching of the Late 18th century realized by Giuseppe Vasi. Signed and titled on plate lower margin. Good conditions and aged margi...

Beyond life-sized, allegorical, Renaissance figural oil painting of Summer, featuring a nymph recessed in an alcove, swathed in drapery, wearing a foliate crown. In her right hand, a...

Rome is a beautiful artwork realized by Jan Peter Verdussen in 1741. In good condition except for some pencil marks and traces of sealing wax on the back and some diffused foxings. ...

Ostiakes Engraving, 1718 From: Voyages de Corneille le Brun par la Moscovie, en Perse, et aux Indes Occidentales (French translation, 1718), Chapter XXI The Ostyak are a member of an...

Black and white etching on wire rod paper, representing the Greek myth of Phineus. Beautiful plate with fresh impression and sharp details, from the volume “Le Temple des Muses”, pu...

Ancient Roman Fresco from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Francesco Cepparoli in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions....

Magnificent print by Robert John Thornton; aquatint and mezzotint, printed in colour and finished by hand, heightened with gum arabic, from The Temple of Flora. [London 1799] First state. Thornton was a prolific medical author and became a Doctor of Medicine at St Andrews University and licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians. However, he is best remembered for this great botanical publication The Temple of Flora, which formed a part of the larger work - New Illustration of the sexual system of Linnaeus. In 1797, he also began advertising for subscribers to his planned natural history publishing venture, which eventually comprised of 30 folio botanical plates. For these remarkable illustrations, he engaged the services of the leading artists and engravers of his day: Sir William Beechey, James Opie, Henry Raeburn, John Russell, Philip Reinagle...

Crispin van de Passe The Younger (c. 1594-1670) Caesar August de Bellegarde Conte de Montbar Marquis de Termes grand Ecuyer de France, c. 1660 Engraving Sight: 11 3/4 x 15 3/4 in. Fr...

Chiesa di Sant'Athanagio e Collegio della Natione de' Greci is a wonderful black and white etching on cream-colored paper realized in the second half of the XVII century by Giovanni Battista Falda. Signed on plate on the lower left margin "Giò Batta Falda dis. et fece". Title etched on plate at the center, with a urbanistic caption and a dedication to "Gio. Iacomo Rossi" on plate on the right corner of the lower margin. In excellent conditions, except for the wavy paper. An ivory-colored cardboard passepartout is included (34 x 49 cm). A beautiful urban landscape of Rome with full blacks and precise lines, to admire a disappeared view of the eternal city. Giovanni Battista Falda (Valduggia, 1643 - Rome, 1678) was an Italian engraver, who documented architectures and urban planning in Rome in the second half of the seventeenth century. Born in the province of Vercelli, he soon showed a passion for drawing. He was thus placed in the workshop of a local painter, and then, at the age of 14, sent to Rome to stay at his uncle's, who spoke about him to Gian Lorenzo Bernini. He also studied with Giovanni Giacomo De Rossi. From De Rossi, the adolescent...

A richly detailed engraving after the original design by Jacob Herreyns the Elder, showing an elaborate pageant for Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (Maria Theresia (1717–17...

A superb impression from an important mid-19th century collection. Etching on white laid paper with a partial crown and shield watermark, 4 x 2 7/8 inches (102 mm x 73 mm), margins....

Tuscan painter active towards the end of the 16th century Portrait of Captain Niccolò Orsini (Pitigliano, 1442 - Lonigo, 1510), count of Pitigliano and Nola. Tuscany, end of the 16th century Oil on canvas, 64 x 47 cm., Framed 89 x 73 cm. The portrait we present to you shows the effigy of a vigorous high-ranking male figure in armor, in the most typical Renaissance pose, half-length and taken in profile, with his face and gaze turned to the side; the serious and intense expression and the facial features evoke at first glance the portraiture of early Florentine mannerism. He is Niccolò III Orsini (Pitigliano, 1442 - Lonigo, 1510), count of Pitigliano and Nola and son of Aldobrandino Orsini, famous leader and captain (or capitano di ventura) who lived between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, who served for the state Pontifical in Naples and Florence and above all for the Republic of Venice. Portraiture with these characters, which derives from ancient coinage, was used in the sixteenth century in the sequences of Portraits of Illustrious Men, both in painting and in sculpture. The profile portrait was in fact a genre reserved, according to the Renaissance tradition, for celebrations, presenting those characteristics of imperturbability typical of the military role covered. Our painting is a work created by an author active in Tuscany towards the end of the sixteenth century, adhering to those pictorial styles made famous by the portraitist Cristofano di Papi dell'Altissimo (1530-1605), a pupil of Bronzino and then of Pontormo, known for having created a collection of about 500 portraits of illustrious men, known as the 'Gioviana Series' (now in the Uffizi Gallery); and among these it is possible to identify one dedicated to Niccolò Orsini. Our painting is inspired, in particular, by a print taken from the collection of prints...

Richard Bankes Harraden (1778-1862) Italian landscape with Monte Socrate (after Jan Both) Signed and dated 1823 on the reverse Oil on canvas Canvas size ...

This unique painting is called 'Ectasi of Saint Cecilia' and was painted by the Italian painter Bartolomeo Guidobono, nickname The Savona Priest (1654-1709) Work of great pictorial ...

Vincenzo Re (Parma, Italy, 1695 - Naples, Italy, 1762) Title: Christ Healing a Paralytic Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 50 x 62 cm - with frame 70 x 92 cm Expertise...

Ancient Roman Fresco from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Giovanni Morghen in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions exc...

Aries is an original etching on paper realized by Charles De la Haye after Andrea Stech, in the 18th century. Signed in the plate on the lower. Good conditio...

Lofty pair of 18th Century French hand colored engravings of parrots in natural settings as discovered by noted naturalist George Louis Leclerc Comte de Buffon. Presented under glass...

Grande Vierge à l'Enfant en chêne de la fin du 13ème siècle ou début du 14ème siècle. La plastique des visages et du Christ évoque le 13ème siècle (le visage de la Vierge évoque le visage de la Sedes Sapientiae...

A magnificent print by Robert John Thornton; aquatint and mezzotint, printed in colour and finished by hand, heightened with gum arabic, from The Temple of Flora...

ITALIAN RENAISSANCE MARBLE RELIEF WITH GRIFFIN Central Italy, 16th Century marble 42 x 28.5 x 5.5 cm 16 1/2 x 11 1/4 x 2 1/4 in

Ancient Roman Statue, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an original etching on paper realized by Pietro Campana in the 18th century. Sig...

Wonderfully detailed steel engraving of the earth, locations labeled in French: Afrique, Grande Tartarie, La Chine, etc., by By Francois Halma (Dutch, 1653-1722), 1705. Interesting f...

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...

Ancient Roman Drawing, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an original etching on paper realized by Carlo Nolli in the 18th century. Signed on the plate. Good conditio...

Ancient Roman Bust, original etching from the end of the 18th century, made by Various Old Masters. Good condition. Units of measurements typical of the period in the lower center...

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,...

Étienne Jeaurat (Vermenton 1699 - Versailles 1789) Game of children intent on harvesting grain (Allegory of Summer) Mid-18th century Oil on canvas 97 x 129 cm - Framed cm. 112 x 14...

Antiquities of Herculaneum - Letter of the Alphabet E, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by V. Aloja in the 18th century. Good conditio...

Landscape is an original drawing in pencil on ivory-colored paper realized by Jan Peter Verdussen. The artwork has some folds and foxing and is repair on the middle line. The artwo...

Magnificent boxwood sculpture made in the famous workshop of Brustolon, a master carver active in the Veneto region between the 17th and 18th centuries. This masterpiece depicts the ...

This charming mid-18th-century half-length French portrait depicts a lady wearing an olive green gown, together with a red cloak, and exquisite sapphi...

Ancient Roman painting - The offering scene with the angel from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an original etching on paper realize...

The Human body is an original etching, plate no. 13 of the famous "De Humani Corporis Fabrica" by Andrea Vesalio. The "De Humani Corporis Fabrica is com...

The Human Body is a original etching realized as plate no. 33 of Andrea Vesalio's "De Humani Corporis Fabrica". The "De Humani Corporis Fabrica is comm...