18th Century and Earlier Art

Rembrandt van Rijn, After by Amand Durand, Dutch (1606 - 1669) - Christ presented to the people, Year: of Original 1655, Medium: Etching, Image Size: 15.5 x 18 inches, Size: 22 x 2...

Sextus Tarquinius Raping Lucretia Engraving, c. 1546-47 Signed with the intials in the plate (see photo) From: "Four Scenes of Early Roman History" An early impression with plate ton...

This is a hand-colored copper plate engraving depicting flowering "Hyacinthus Comosus Spurius" (Hyacinth), "Hyacinthus Anglicus" (Blue Hyacinth), "Palma ...

Artist/ School: 17th Century Dutch School Title: An Extensive River Landscape with Figures in the foreground Medium: oil painting on canvas, framed Pai...

This is a 17th century engraving entitled "Messire Nicolas Lambert Seigneur de Thorigny, Conseiller du Roy" by Pierre Drevet after a painting by Noicolas de Largillière, published in Paris in 1698. This portrait depicts a three-quarter length view of Nicolas Lambert de Thorigny, who is dressed in elaborate robes and collar of a wealthy Parisian nobleman of the time. He is seated directed to the left and looking directly at the viewer. He is holding an inscribed note in his right hand. A magnificent billowing curtain is in the background. Lambert's coat of arms is shown in the center of the lower inscription area. In the inscription area is lettered with title, production detail: "Nic. Largilliere pinxit" and "Petr. Drevet sculpsit", and publication detail: "Se vend a Paris chez Drevet rüe du Foin au coin du College de Maître Gervais". Nicolas Lambert, Seigneur de Thorigny (1600-1664), was a French nobleman and military commander who lived in the 17th century. He served in the French army during the Thirty Years' War, a conflict that took place from 1618 to 1648 and involved many European powers. Lambert fought in several battles during the war and rose to the rank of colonel. After the war, Lambert returned to France and became involved in politics. He served as a member of the Estates General, a legislative body that advised the king, and as a governor of several provinces. He was a counsellor and confidant of King Louis XIV. He had the title of Président de la Chambre des Comptes. He also became a member of the French Academy of Sciences, a prestigious institution that promotes scientific research and scholarship. Lambert was known for his military expertise, his intelligence, and his commitment to public service. He iInherited the Hôtel Lambert in Paris from his brother Jean Baptiste in 1644 and hired some of the most prominent artists of the time, including Charles Le Brun to decorate and furnish the building. This beautiful old master engraving was created with impressive detailed technique. It is printed on laid, chain-linked paper. The sheet measures 18.5" high and 13.38" wide. The sheet is adhered to an archival backing paper at the top. There is a faint horizontal center fold and mild discoloration in the inscription area and in the upper margin on the right, with mild wrinkling here. The print is otherwise in very good condition, considering its age. This engraving is so rare, that no comparable prints could be identified for sale online. It is currently only listed in museum collections, including: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The British Museum, The Louvre, The Riksmuseum, The Victoria & Albert Museum, The Fitzwilliam Museum at the U. of Cambridge, The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Harvard Art Museums, The Finnish National Museum, The Philadelphia Museum. It is shown in the Metropolitan Museum's Cataloque of French paintings entitled: "French Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, published in 2018, page 36. The page is included in the photos. Nicolas de Largillière (1656-1746) was a French portrait painter who achieved great success and acclaim during the late Baroque and Rococo periods. He was born in Paris and trained under the painter Antoine Goubeau. He studied in Antwerp and London before returning to France. While in England he was a favorite painter of King Charles II and King James II of England...

Old Master Drawing, Flemish School, Portrait or Sketch of a standing young boy. Condition : see photos The drawing is on paper.

Red chalk on paper Image size: 9 x 7 inches (23 x 17.75 cm) Acid free mount The Greek god Attis was the spouse of Cybele, the fertility goddess.  He was from Phrygia, a kingdom in c...

PAIR OF FLORENTINE PIETRA DURA PLAQUES WITH BIRDS IN GILT BRONZE FRAME Florence, 18 Century Pietra dura, gilt bronze frame 7.5 x 11.5 cm (3 x 4 1/2 in) without frame 11.4 x 15.5 cm ...

English School, (circa 1600) Portrait of William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke Oil on panel, oval Image size: 29¼ x 23⅞ inches Painted wooden frame Provenance: 176, Collection of Francis Greville, 1st Earl of Warwick. The Trustees of the Lord Brooks’ Settlement, (removed from Warwick Castle). Sotheby’s, London, 22nd March 1968, lot 81. Painted onto wooden panel, this portrait shows a dark haired gentleman in profile sporting an open white shirt. On top of this garments is a richly detailed black cloak, decorated with gold thread and lined with a sumptuous crimson lining. With the red silk inside it’s all very expensive and would fall under sumptuary laws – so this is a nobleman of high degree. It’s melancholic air conforms to the contemporary popularity of this very human condition, evident in fashionable poetry and music of the period. In comparison to our own modern prejudices, melancholy was associated with creativity in this period. This portrait appeared in the earliest described list of pictures of Warwick castle dating to 1762. Compiled by collector and antiquary Sir William Musgrave ‘taken from the information of Lord & Lady Warwick’ (Add. MSS, 5726 fol. 3) is described; ‘8. Earl of Essex – an original by Zuccharo – seen in profile with black hair. Holding a black robe across his breast with his right hand.’ As tempting as it is to imagine that this is a portrait of Robert Devereux, the 2nd Earl Essex, we might take this with a pinch of salt. Its identification with this romantic and fatal Elizabethan might well have been an attempt to add romance to Warwick Castle’s walls. It doesn’t correspond all that well with Essex’s portraits around 1600 after his return from Cadiz. Notably, this picture was presumably hung not too far away from the castle’s two portraits of Queen Elizabeth I. The first, and undoubtedly the best, being the exquisite coronation portrait that was sold by Lord Brooke in the late 1970s and now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. The second, described as being ‘a copy from the original at Ld Hydes’, has yet to resurface. The portrait eventually ended up being hung in the State Bedroom of Warwick Castle. Archival documents present one other interesting candidate. The Greville family’s earliest inventory of paintings, made in 1630 at their home Brooke House in Holborn, London, describes five portraits of identified figures. All five belonged to the courtier, politician and poet Sir Fulke Greville (1554-1628), 1st Baron Brooke, and were hung in the ‘Gallerie’ of Brooke House behind yellow curtains. One of them was described as being of ‘Lord of Pembrooke’, which is likely to have been William Herbert (1580-1630), 3rd Earl of Pembroke. William was the eldest son of Greville’s best friend’s sister Mary Sidney, and was brought up in the particularly literary and poetically orientated household which his mother had supported. Notably, the 3rd Earl was one of the figures that Shakespeare’s first folio was dedicated to in 1623. The melancholic air to the portrait corresponds to William’s own pretensions as a learned and poetic figure. The richness of the robe in the painting, sporting golden thread and a spotted black fabric, is indicative of wealth beyond that of a simple poet or actor. The portrait’s dating to around the year 1600 might have coincided with William’s father death and his own rise to the Pembroke Earldom. This period of his life too was imbued with personal sadness, as an illicit affair with a Mary Fitton had resulted in a pregnancy and eventual banishment by Elizabeth I to Wilton after a short spell in Fleet Prison. His illegitimate son died shortly after being born. Despite being a close follower of the Earl of Essex, William had side-stepped supporting Devereux in the fatal uprising against the Queen and eventually regained favour at the court of the next monarch James I. His linen shirt is edged with a delicate border of lace and his black cloak is lined on the inside with sumptuous scarlet and richly decorated on the outside with gold braid and a pattern of embroidered black spots. Despite the richness of his clothes, William Herbert has been presented in a dishevelled state of semi-undress, his shirt unlaced far down his chest with the ties lying limply over his hand, indicating that he is in a state of distracted detachment. It has been suggested that the fashion for melancholy was rooted in an increase in self-consciousness and introspective reflection during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. In contemporary literature melancholy was said to be caused by a plenitude of the melancholy humor, one of the four vital humors, which were thought to regulate the functions of the body. An abundance of the melancholia humor was associated with a heightened creativity and intellectual ability and hence melancholy was linked to the notion of genius, as reflected in the work of the Oxford scholar Robert Burton, who in his work ‘The Anatomy of Melancholy’, described the Malcontent as ‘of all others [the]… most witty, [who] causeth many times divine ravishment, and a kind of enthusiamus… which stirreth them up to be excellent Philosophers, Poets and Prophets.’ (R. Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, London, 1621 in R. Strong, ‘Elizabethan Malady: Melancholy in Elizabethan and Jacobean Portraits’, Apollo, LXXIX, 1964). Melancholy was viewed as a highly fashionable affliction under Elizabeth I, and her successor James I, and a dejected demeanour was adopted by wealthy young men, often presenting themselves as scholars or despondent lovers, as reflected in the portraiture and literature from this period. Although the sitter in this portrait is, as yet, unidentified, it seems probable that he was a nobleman with literary or artistic ambitions, following in the same vain as such famous figures as the aristocratic poet and dramatist, Edward de Vere...

Barbara Regina Dietzsch, 1706-1783 White Primrose, Japanese Quince, a Beetle, and a Butterfly, ca. 1730 Opaque watercolor painting inscribed on...

Etching on thin cream laid paper with a partial "M" or "W" watermark, 5 x 5 15/16 inches (126 x 150 mm), thread margins. Inscribed in the plate in the upper-right: “Antoni Waterlo fe...

Work on canvas Plaster and gilded wood frame 89.5 x 105 x 7 cm

Georges Braque Frontispiece, from La Nuit, La Faim (The Night, The Hunger), 1960 is an abstract work which takes inspiration from a poem by Georges Riebmont-Dessaignes. Georges Riebm...

Gaspar Peeter Verbruggen 1664-1730 Still Life of Fruit in a Wicker Basket with Bird Oil on oak panel Image size: 8 1/4 x 7 1/2 inches (21 x 19 cm) Contemporary Dutch ebonised style f...

Etching on paper with Schriftband watermark. Reference: Bartsch 7 III/IV (from VI). A very fine, early impression. Printed with the name of the artist, but before the addition...

Original engraving, hand-colored at publication, after the work of Mark Catesby by Johann Michael Seligmann from "Sammlung verschneider auslandischer und seltener Vogel." Nuremberg:...

Portrait Of William II Prince Of Orange, circa 1650 Dutch School Large 17th Century Dutch Schoo Old Master portrait of William II Prince Of Orange, oil on panel. Early important original court portrait on an oak panel of the young prince and father of William III, his only child and later King...

Pair of antique reverse glass paintings Continental, 18th Century Frame: Height 46cm, width 40cm, depth 3.5cm Glass: Height 38cm, width 32cm T...

Camera sepolcrale Etching 1743 Signed in the bottom left corner From: Prima Parte, 1743 Second edition: 1750-1778 Watermark: R 37-39 A lifetime impression printed during Piranesi’s life, before the plates are moved to Paris by his sons in the 1790’s Condition: Excellent Image size: 14 5/8 x 9 3/4 inches Reference: Robison 20 iii/V Piranesi In Rome: Prima Parte di Architetture e Prospettive "Although Piranesi studied architecture in Venice, he never was able to find work in the field other than a few jobs involving remodeling in Rome. While Piranesi was struggling to support his architectural endeavors upon his arrival in Rome in 1740, he spent a short period of time in the studio of master painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) in addition to his apprenticeship with Giuseppe Vasi. The first production of Piranesi’s early years in Rome and a culmination of his training under Vasi, Tiepolo, and his uncle, was the Prima Parte di Architetture e Prospettive (1743). The Prima Parte was a collection of twelve etchings of imaginary temples, palaces, ruins, and a prison. During this time, Piranesi was still developing the unique style of etching he is known for today, and as such the Prima Parte differs significantly in technique compared to later works. In the Frontispiece of the Prima Parte, Piranesi’s lines are definite and exact with very little flow to them, designed in the form of traditional etching. The detail is immaculate, and yet perspective of the piece is oddly simple and familiar to the viewer. Piranesi’s technique employs miniscule markings and lines, intricately woven together to create a stippling effect. The Prima Parte, described as “rigid” by art historian Jonathan Scott, came to be seen as a stark contrast to his later sketches, which were much lighter and freer. Influenced by the style of Tiepolo, which epitomized the lightness and brightness of the Rococo period, Piranesi adopted some of the more painterly techniques of the masters he apprenticed under. Piranesi made the medium of etching appear as though it was a sketch or a painting, hence a “freer” and more fluid design in his later works. For example, the frontispiece of the Prima Parte read as an etching to Piranesi’s audience, but in his later vedute, the style of etching almost appears to be made of brushstrokes. Moreover, at the same time Piranesi was working on the Prima Parte, he aided the artist Giambattista Nolli. There is a small section of Nolli’s map...

Hand-carved, oak statue of a putto holding a flowing tapestry and a shield mounted on a custom, Lucite base.

Parrot, Snake, Lizard and Ducks, 17th Century Genoese School Fine Large 17th Century Italian Old Master from the Genoese School of a parrot, ducks a lizard and snake, oil on canva...

Over 350 year old antique architectural engraving of the floor plan of the Asti Palace located in Italy by Italian Giacomo Rossi, 1650...

18th-Century Romantic Landscape Painting – Alpine Scene Artist: Unidentified Period: 18th Century Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: Framed: 38 x 52 cm Artwork: 29 x 41 cm Style: Rom...

This widely referenced pair of paintings is one of Francesco Conti’s most successful productions. Francesco Conti is one of the finest painters of 18th-century Florence. In the shimmering colors typical of his best work, he represents two opposite characters from the Bible: the virtuous Judith, whose courage saves her people by cutting off the head of the invader Holofernes, and the depraved Salome, who under the influence of her mother becomes responsible for the beheading of the prophet John the Baptist. The artist's talent lies in his ability to treat these two macabre subjects with a light touch, presenting us with two attractive women who seem to twirl with glee amidst the severed heads... 1. Francesco Conti, the “Florentine Tiepolo” Francesco Conti is a major painter of the Florentine school of the 18th century; he can even probably be considered, along with Giovanni Domenico Ferretti (1692-1768), as one of the two main painters of the second quarter of the Florentine 18th century. Born in Florence in 1682, Francesco Conti began his apprenticeship in the workshop of Simone Pignoni (1611 - 1698), a disciple of Francesco Furini; he was also influenced by the Venetian Sebastiano Ricci. A protégé of Marquis Riccardi, he accompanied him to Rome between 1699 and 1705, where he frequented Carlo Maratta's studio. He settled permanently in Florence in 1705. Painted exclusively on canvas, the majority of his work consists of religious subjects, altarpieces or private devotional works. It is likely that Conti himself was a devout churchgoer, as evidenced by his affiliation, in the third decade of the eighteenth century, to the Society of the Disciples of Saint-John-the-Baptist, and his entry, at the end of his life, into the fraternity of the Venerable Society of the Holy Trinity. In Florence, Conti worked for the Grand Duchy's major patrons, including the last Medici - in particular Giangastone and Annamaria Luisa, Electress Palatine - and confirmed his role as a reference painter under the Lorraine Regency, as master of the Public Drawing School, which was closely linked to the institute responsible for the manufacture of semi-precious stone mosaics, then located in the Uffizi complex. Matteo Marangoni, an art critic of the early 20th century, praised his "brushwork full of elegance and true spirit of the 18th century", pointing out that Conti was "probably one of the best colorists" of the Florentine school of his time. These two characteristics led the art historian Paolo dal Poggetto to nickname him the "Florentine Tiepolo". 2. Judith and Salome, two biblical characters opposing each other These two paintings form a pair presenting two biblical episodes, which have in common the depiction of a "heroine" carrying the severed head of a man. While the Salome episode might at first appear to be an echo of the Old Testament story of Judith, each character is the exact opposite of the other. Judith, whose story is told in the Book of Judith, is a beautiful young widow from Bethulia who, accompanied by her maid, went into the camp of the invading Assyrians and won the confidence of Holofernes, the general commanding the enemy army. Invited to a great feast on the fourth evening, she took advantage of Holofernes' drunkenness to cut off his head. “She went up to the bedpost near Holofernes’ head, and took down his sword that hung there. She came close to his bed, took hold of the hair of his head, and said, “Give me strength today, O Lord God of Israel!” Then she struck his neck twice with all her might, and cut off his head. Next she rolled his body off the bed and pulled down the canopy from the posts. Soon afterward she went out and gave Holofernes’ head to her maid, who placed it in her food bag...

A 17th century hand-colored copper plate engraving entitled "Caryophyllus Maior Sylve Strisvarie Gatus" (Wood Pink & Cottage Pink Flowers) from Basilius Besler's landmark work, Hortus Eystettensis (Garden at Eichstatt), first published in 1613 in Eichstatt, Germany near Nuremberg and later in 1640 and 1713. This engraving is presented in a silver and gold-colored wood frame with a green edge and three elaborate cream-colored French mats...

Signed and dated "N MAE / 1691" (lower right) Oil on canvas A masterful example of 17th-century Dutch portraiture, this magnificent oil on canvas comes alive with luminous color, dramatic contrast and extraordinary detail. The work was composed by Nicolaes Maes, an artist widely regarded as the most prominent portrait painter of his era in Amsterdam. Fashionably styled, Portrait of a Noble Lady exemplifies the mature style of Maes, executed with the same artistry and attention to detail he imparted on his most important private commissions. This work by Maes comes from the second half of his career and follows in the rich tradition of the great Flemish Baroque painters Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck. Like these artists, Maes excels at not only capturing his subjects with a technical perfection but also their inherent elegance and grace. The sitter is draped in luxurious white and red silks and pearls, underscoring the importance and prosperity of his wealthy clientele. She is placed against a dark backdrop, enabling a striking chiaroscuro effect characteristic of the artist’s portraits. Maes’s immense talent for detail and composition is clearly evident. In both palette and proportion, it embodies the somewhat austere style preferred by the artist, which emphasized a painstaking study of the costumes, hairstyles and accessories of his subjects. Such elaborate and highly detailed costuming in portraiture was a fashionable way to show one's wealth in the 17th century, particularly among the emerging class of wealthy merchants. Similar works by the painter can be found in the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), National Gallery (London), National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) and Philadelphia Museum of Art, among others. Nicolaes Maes was born in Dordrecht in 1634 to a prosperous cloth merchant. Around 1848, he moved to Amsterdam to study under Rembrandt for several years before returning to his native Dordrecht, where he established himself as a painter of genre scenes and portraits. In the 1650s, Maes traveled to Antwerp where he studied the work of Flemish artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Jacob Jordaens...

Georg Philipp I RUGENDAS (1666-1742) Frederick I of Prussia Red chalk, ink and brown wash on paper 45x42 cm This drawing has been long considered representative of Charles VI. In r...

Thomas Smith of Derby Matlock High-Torr Landscape Oil on canvas 27 x 34.5 inches unframed 34 x 41.5 inches including frame Thomas Smith of Derby (died 12 September 1767) was an Engl...

Alca Torda (Razorbill) - John Gould lithograph with hand-coloured size 54 cm X 36 cm Good Condition FREE SHIPPING This remarkable ornithology l...

San Francesco Saverio (Saint Francis Xavier), one of the most influential Christian missionaries in history. He was born into a noble Basque family in the Kingdom of Navarre, now par...

A stunning 18th century optical view of London from the Thames. London: 1760. Copper plate engraving with hand coloring in watercolor on cream laid paper with a large circular wate...

Sir Thomas Lawrence PRA 1769-1830 Portrait of a Young Officer Pastel with touches of black chalk on paper Signed and inscribed on an old label verso: "Be pleased to keep away / from the Damp & from dust / T Lawrence AE 13. / 1783." Wash mount and gilt frame Provenance W.E. Spooner; Anonymous sale, Phillips London, 17 April 2000 lot 196 Sothebys, Old Master & Early British Paintings, 14 April 2011 • London Lot 246 Old label verso describes how this was drawn in 1783 at the age of 14! This is a portrait of an officer from the Irish Volunteers. The Irish Volunteers was a part-time military force raised by local initiative in Ireland in 1778. Their original purpose was to guard against invasion and to preserve law and order at a time when British soldiers were withdrawn from Ireland to fight abroad during the American Revolutionary War. As a young boy Thomas Lawrence lived with his parents who ran a coaching inn near Bath. Clearly talented from this young age, he drew the passing travellers who stopped at the inn and this soldier may have been one such sitter. Lawrence was only 13 years old when he drew this work. To capitalise upon their son's talents, the family later moved to Bath and sent Lawrence to London in 1787 where he entered the Royal Academy schools at the earliest possible age. Works from such an early period of Lawrence's creativity are rarely to be found today. This rare early portrait drawn in Bath shows the level of technical skill that Lawrence had reached at 14 years old. His use of colour and tone to depict flesh and all the subtle variations in the texture and pigmentation of his sitter’s face, powdered hair and clothes show how Lawrence conceived pastel as a form of painting and partly explains how he could have made the smooth transition to oil painting so soon afterwards. When he arrived in Bath from Devizes in 1780, eleven-year-old Thomas Lawrence (1769–1830) was promoted as a natural-born genius like his Renaissance predecessor Raphael. The local press announced the arrival of the boy wonder and his ‘Striking Sketches’, inviting the ‘Nobility and Gentry’ to sit for their portraits. Thomas Lawrence was a prodigious portraitist from the age of just eight, when he began to draw his first portraits in pencil...

Aquatint printed in brownish ink with extensive hand coloring in watercolor on buff paper, 10 1/4 x 12 1/2 inches (260 x 317 mm) (sheet), uneven narrow to full margins. Laid down to a contemporary wove paper support. Scattered condition issues on the sheet (excluding the mount) include surface soiling, creasing, a significant vertical repaired tear, and toning, despite these issues, the hand coloring remains good. Suitable for framing. From A Picturesque Tour Through the Cities of London and Westminster, Illustrated With the most interesting Views, accurately delineated And executed in Aquatinta By Thomas Malton, published by Thomas Malton, London 1796. The work was published serially, in twenty-five numbers. The plates in Volume I carry the dates 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795, 1796 or 1797; those in Volume II, the dates 1797, 1798, 1799, 1800 or 1801. In most copies the title page of Volume I carries the publisher's later address, of 103 Long Acre...

Exceptional 16th-century Neapolitan nativity scene, framed by a gilded frame with elegant marbled details in shades of green. The exquisitely decorated frame lends depth and prestige...

Emperor Trajan addressing the Roman soldiers is an artwork realized by Pietro Santi Bartoli (1635-1700) in 1672. Etching. Good condition. The T...

Les Bergers Romains Copper-line engraving by Jean Jacques Leveau (1729-1786) after Pierre Mettay (1728-1759). C1755. Proof, before lettering. Laid, watermarked paper. A landscap...

Still Life Of Grapes In The Vineyard, 17th Century Pierre Antoine Lemoyne (French 1605-1665) similar to $250,000 Huge 17th Century French Old Master study of grapes in the vineyard, oil on canvas by Pierre Antoine Lemoyne. Excellent quality and condition study of the vines and grapes growing before a rustic building. Exceptional detail and rare early work of art on the subject of wine making...

Two botanical prints after Cornelis Bloemaert & Vincenzo Leonardi "Lemon", from Hesperides. Reproductive print on thick C.M. Fabriano cotton wove paper; and Pierre Joseph Buchot (17...

Portrait Of Essex Finch, Countess Of Nottingham, 17th Century circle of Sir Peter LELY (1618-1680) Large 17th Century English Old Master po...

Provenance: Private Collection, Naples Fl, to Andrew Ford Collection, Sarasota, Fl. 2018 Description: Georges Washington was born out of wedlock and held a...

The Lion of St. Mark Venetian Old Master, mid 18th century circle of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (Venetian, 1696-1770) ink and watercolour drawing on paper mounted on a card frame, unf...

Portrait of General Henry Ireton (1611-1651) Son In Law to Oliver Cromwell, 17th Century attributed Robert WALKER (1607-1658) Large 17th Century portrait of General Henry Ireton, oil on canvas. Excellent quality and condition Civil War portrait...

Portrait Of Maurice Of Nassau, Prince of Orange, 17th Century studio of Michiel Jansz Van Mierevelt (1566-1641) 17th Century Portrait of Maurice ...

This is a hand-colored 18th century map of the Meissen region of Germany, entitled "Geographischer Entwurff Derer Aemmter Meissen als Creys-Procuratur-Schul-und Stiffts-Ammt benebst ...

Oil on canvas Image size: 19 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches (49 x 39.5 cm) Original frame This is a a wonderful marine scene depicting a flotilla of battleships, warships and Admiralty yachts....

The Battle Of Sluys (1340), oil on canvas, 16th/17th Century Rare account of the opening engagement of The Hundred Years War (1337-1453) Fine huge antique history painting depictin...

Allegorical Scene is a superb original oil painting on canvas, realized by an anonymous artist during Neoclassicism's years. This old master's artwork offers us un unprecedented ap...

London: Allen & West, 1797. Engraving with hand coloring in watercolor on cream wove paper, 8 1/8 x 10 5/8 inches (213 x 270 mm), wide margins. Scattered toning, mat tone, and dog-e...

"Important Sculpture IMPORTANT SCULPTURE representing Saint Floran de Lorch in polychrome wood in its beautiful old polychromy. He is represented ...

This is a 17th century engraved mezzotint portrait of the Duchess of St. Albans by John Smith, after a painting by Sir Godfrey Kneller. It was published in London by John Boydell in 1694. The Duchess of St. Albans (1642-1712) was a woman named Diana de Vere. She was born in 1642, the daughter of Aubrey de Vere, the 20th Earl of Oxford. In 1662, she married Charles Beauclerk, the illegitimate son of King Charles II and his mistress, Nell Gwyn. As a result of her marriage, Diana became the Duchess of St. Albans, and she and Charles had several children together. Diana was known for her beauty and charm, and she was a prominent figure in the court of King Charles II. Despite her husband's illegitimate birth, Diana was highly respected in the royal court and was known for her intelligence and wit. She was a patron of the arts and supported many artists and writers of the time. Diana lived through a tumultuous period of English history, including the Great Fire of London and the Glorious Revolution, which saw King James II replaced by William of Orange. She died in 1712 at the age of 70 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Descendants of Diana and her husband, who was an illegitimate son of King Charles II, include Diana, Princess of Wales and her son William, Duke of Cambridge. An author wrote of her: "The line of Vere, so long renown’d in arms, Concludes with luster in St. Albans’s charms; Her conquering eyes have made their race complete, It rose in valor, and in beauty set." This striking mezzotint engraving depicts Diana, Duchess of St Albans in a three-quarter length pose, standing, wearing loose flowing dress and a wrap. She has a very serene, calm appearance as she is looking straight at the viewer. There is a landscape of trees in the background. The print is adhered in the corners to an archival backing, which is itself adhered in the upper corners to a larger backing. The print is trimmed to just beyond the plate mark. There are areas of discoloration in the margins and in the inscription area, but the print is otherwise in very good condition. The sheet measures 14.5" high and 10" wide. This mezzotint is held by multiple museums and institutions, including The British Museum, The National Portrait Gallery London, The Fine Arts Museum of Boston, The Lewis Walpole Library at Yale, The Yale Center for British Art, The Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge and The National Galleries of Scotland. The original Kneller painting is part of the British Royal Collection Trust and hangs in the King's Private Dining Room at Hampton Court Palace. Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) was a leading portrait painter of his time, particularly renowned for his depictions of the British aristocracy and royalty. He was born in Lübeck, Germany, and trained in Amsterdam under the painter Ferdinand Bol...

Four plates from The Wondrous Transformation of Caterpillars and their Strange Diet of Flowers. “Wolfsmelk Rupsen;" “Wolfsmilch, Raupe und Schmetterling" Amsterdam: JF Bernard, 1730. Each an engraving with hand coloring in watercolor and gouache printed on one sheet of watermarked Honig cream laid paper, each measures 6 1/4 x 5 inches (157 x 121 mm), sheet measures 20 5/8 x 14 inches (522 x 355 mm), full margins. With handling creases in the lower right sheet quadrant, as well as minor, loose cockling, otherwise in very good condition. The colors are superb with exceptionally fresh and bright saturation. Engraved between 1679 and 1683, printed 1730. Plates included: CXLI, CXLII, CXIII & CXLIV. MARIA SIBYLLA MERIAN was one of the most highly respected entomologists of the 17th century, and remains today one of the field's most significant figures. A German-born naturalist and scientific illustrator, she reared herself on the study of caterpillars, and made tremendous contributions to the knowledge of the life cycles of numerous species. Until her detailed and careful study of the process of metamorphosis it was thought that insects were "born of mud," through spontaneous generation. Trained as a miniature painter by her stepfather, she published her first book of illustrations in 1675, at the age of 28. In 1679, Merian published the first volume of the two-volume series on caterpillars, The Wondrous Transformation of Caterpillars and their Strange Diet of Flowers; the second volume followed in 1683. Each volume contained 50 plates that she engraved and etched. In 1699, Merian traveled to Dutch Guiana...

This is a hand-colored engraving of a parrot bird entitled "La Perruche-Ara, de Cayenne (Parrot)" by Francois Nicolas Martinet, plate 864 from 'Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux' in ass...

Appointed Portrait Painter to the Prince of Wales in Scotland in 1785, David Martin was the leading Scottish portrait painter of his generation. The artist is best known in the United States for his portrait of Benjamin Franklin, which is in the White House collection, Washington, D.C. The sitters depicted in this double portrait were the sons of the British diplomat Edward Finch-Hatton. George (1747-1823), later of Eastwell Park, Kent, is shown seated, reading an ancient charter or medieval manuscript...

A portrait of Maximilien de Bethune, Duc de Sully, the Ambassador from Henry IV of France to James I of England; by Gerard Edelinck, after Franz Pourbus the Younger Etching on fine ...

PROVENANCE Louis de Clercq (1836-1901), Paris Nicolas Koutoulakis (1910-1996), Paris and Geneva; thence by descent to the present owner LITERATURE A. de Rid...

Great Spanish painting from the second half of the 17th century. Oil on canvas artwork depicting a religious subject, Pope Innocent III confirms the Franciscan Rule, of good pictorial quality. A large, impactful painting adorned with a 19th-century carved and gilded wooden and plaster frame. Artwork that develops horizontally, ideal for placing in an important hall or study, for antique dealers and interior decorators. A painting that shows various signs of aging and old restorations (see photo), in a beautiful patina. The perspective offered by the painter is pleasant. The main subject, in the foreground on the left, connects to the view with architecture and characters on the right through the checkerboard...

Genre Scenes Compositions is an original artwork realized in 1780s After Angelika Kauffmann. The artwork consist in a pair of mixed colored hand wa...

Portrait Of Lady Francklin of Bedfordshire, 17th Century Studio of Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680) Fine 17th Century English portrait of Lady Fr...