18th Century Art

This is an early 18th century hand-colored copperplate engraving of the anatomy of grapefruit by Johann Christoph Volkhamer, entitled "Pompelmus (Grapefruit), Der Herra Sitz und Burg...

David Teniers the Younger (1610-1690) Follower of A Peasant Removing a Plaster: The Sense of Touch signed T on the table oil on panel panel size 7,20 x 5,55 inches (18,3 x 14,4 cm)...

Fascinating preparatory sketch, oil on walnut wood, depicting "The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence," Venetian school, 18th century. Very good condition. Measurements 13 x 11 cm

China ink and watercolour on paper. Realized in 1740 ca. Very good conditions. Includes passepartout.

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

'Different Profils Des Cimaisses et Des Plainthes' French copper-line engraving by Berthault after Andre Jacob Roubo (1739–1791). 18th century laid watermarked paper. From Roubo's ...

Collections: With Martyn Gregory; Judy Egerton, 1984, acquired from the above; By descent to 2014. Exhibited: London, Martyn Gregory, Exhibition of English & Continental Watercolours, 1984, no. 94. London, Lowell Libson...

Rembrandt van Rijn, After by Amand Durand, Dutch (1606 - 1669) - Jacob Caressing Benjamin, Year: of Original: 1637, Medium: Etching, Image Size: 4.5 x 3.5 inches, Size: 12 x 10 in....

SPANISH SCHOOL 18th CENTURY STILL LIFE WITH WALNUTS, MELON, GRAPES AND ORANGE unsigned oil on canvas 15-3/4 x 21 inches (40 x 53 cm.) framed: 24-1/2 x 28-3/4 inches (62 x 72.5 cm.) ...

Oil on Canvas. Venetian school of the 18th century. Large landscape of pre-Alpine hills, traversed by a stream that reaches the mill in the right foreground, while numerous figures o...

Provenance: Sotheby’s December 5th 2006, Lot 388 Bout was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and etcher. He is known mainly for his landscapes, city, coast and country views and archite...

Framed 18th-century pen and ink drawings of elaborate capital and base supports, inspired by Ancient Greek architecture and design. Well presented in a fluted gilt-effect frame. Unsi...

A pair of 18th-century engravings of London, framed as one. The Monument to the Great Fire of London (top). St James's Palace (bottom). Inscribed i...

After Alessandro Algardi (Bologna, 1585 - Roma,1654) YOUNG HERCULES, Italy, 18th Century terracotta 44 x 25 x 25 cm 17 1/4 x 9 3/4 x 9 3/4 in This lovely sculpture represents the young Hercules, seated with his legs crossed, gently holding a bird with his right hand, raised in the air, while supporting his own weight with his left hand. The artwork refers to the notorious Roman sculpture of the young Hercules killing the snakes sent by Hera, exhibited at the Capitoline Museums in Rome. Academics have identified the young emperor Caracalla or, more recently, Annio Vero, son of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, in the portrait of the sculpture. During the 16th Century there has been an increasing interest of patrons towards the theme of mythology and several acclaimed Italian sculptors worked on the creation of sculptures and depictions of Roman Gods. Among them, the distinguished baroque artist Alessandro Algardi worked on the restoration of several ancient sculptures...

Copper-line engraving. C1768. Delafosse was a French decorative designer, engraver and architect. Apprenticed for a time to a sculptor, by 1767 he styled himself an 'architect and professor of design'. He published the first volume of his most important work, 'Nouvelle Iconologie Historique' in 1768, containing 110 plates of his designs for furniture, decorative arts and architectural...

A 17th century engraving by Lucas Vorsterman I (1595-1675) after 'The Agony in the Garden' by Annibale Carracci (1560-1609). According to the lettering, this plate was made at the co...

Pseudo-Vitali (Active in Bologna in the first half of the 18th century) Pairs of Nature Vive with chickens, sheep, wicker basket Oil on canvas, 80 x 170 cm Framed, 95 x 185 cm Cr...

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...

La obra no va firmada, es de autor anónimo Se presenta enmarcada la pintura El estado de la obra se puede ver, es aceptable, pero con algunas restauraciones antiguas y la tela está...

Reproduction from a collection of drawings by Flemish and Dutch masters of the XV-XVII Centuries preserved in the Albertina Collection in Vienna, Austria. Published by Campbell Dodgs...

A very interesting and important Engraving, framed between two glasses and two colors natural and gilded wood frame of the Plan of the palace of Caprarola that inspired the American ...

A fascinating image of a well-known theif robbing a merchant of goods held atop her head. Paris: circa 1670. Etching and engraving on cream laid paper, 6 3/4 x 4 15/16 inches (17...

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...

Artist proof, printed on contemporary filigree paper, large margins, representing an antique marble vase , whose details are described in the ending note . The piece is dedicated to ...

Le Chasseur Fortune Engraving framed Bez.: C. Van Falenz pinixit // Jac. Ph. Le Bas Sculp. // a Paris chez Le Bas graveur du Cabinet du Roy au bas de la rue de la Harpe...

Etching on paper realized in 1748. Very good condition except for some minor foxing. Includes a wooden frame cm. 27.5x41.5

Etching on paper realized in 1748. Very good condition except for some minor foxing. Includes a wooden frame cm. 27.5x41.5

Etching on paper realized in 1748. Very good condition except for some minor foxing. Includes a wooden frame cm. 27.5x41.5

Etching realized in 1748. Very good condition except for some minor foxing. Includes a wooden frame cm. 27.5x41.5

Hyacinthe Rigaud, After, French (1659 -1743) - Vue de la Bastille, Year: of original: 1750, Medium: Hand-Colored Engraving, signed in the plate, Edition: ~1000, Image Size: 8.5 x...

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 A Lady, Believed to be Miss Craigie, 18th Century circle of Allan RAMSAY (1713-1784) Fine large 18th century portrait of a Lady in a. white dress, believed to be a Mi...

Portrait Of Miss Jones of Fonman Castle, Wales, circa 1730 by ENOCH SEEMAN (1689-1744) Large 18th century three quarter length portrait of Miss Jones of Fonmon Castle, Wales, oil o...

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 ...

Rembrandt van Rijn, After by Amand Durand, Dutch (1606 - 1669) - Self-Portrait, Year: of Original: 1634, Medium: Etching, Image Size: 5.5 x 4.5 inches, Size: 14 x 11 in. (35.56 x ...

Anicet Charles Gabriel LEMONNIER (Attributed to) Rouen, 1743 – Paris, 1824 Venus and Adonis Oil on wood panel 24 x 20 cm (35 x 31 cm with frame) Very beautiful old frame in gilded wo...

Copper-line engraving. 1781. From John Latham's 'General Synopsis of Birds' 1781-1785, and its Supplements. Plate number top left. Laid paper with watermark. John Latham was the lea...

Italian painting of Alphonsus Liguori in French Neo-Gothic Frame Italian and French, Late 18th and 19th Century Frame: Height 61cm, width 39cm, depth 6cm Panel: Height 28cm, width 22...

The pair consists of the present work and an engraving after it by the hand of Giles DeMarteau (Liège 1722 – 1776 Paris) titled Woman in Fantasy Costume, after Jean Baptiste Le Prince, and measuring, 10 ⅜ x 8 ⅝ inches (26.5 x 22 cm). DeMarteau's engraving is inscribed at the bottom: Le Prince inv. del. / Demarteau sc. / A Paris ches Demarteau Graveur du Roi, rue de la Pelterie à la Cloche...

King William III Stag Hunting, 18th Century John WOOTTON (1682-1765) Huge 18th Century English landscape with King William III stag hunting with his party, oil on canvas. Excelle...

The painting (with a Salvador Rosa-style gilded frame 88 x 116 cm) depicts a group of four children who are playing outside on a swinging seesaw; we are probably dealing with a prank, as can be seen by the satisfied expression of the child on the right at the expense of the one in the foreground, who seems to be supported by the others, perhaps because of the fear felt. They are dressed in the same way, with black or brown ankle boots and a kind of double-breasted jumpsuit with a rich lace collar reminiscent of the jabots of dames, blue for the one in the foreground, brick-colored for the other three. Children also look alike in the hair, typical of the period, and features, suggesting a kinship relationship. We find the same subject, for example, in Johann Zoffany...

'Antirrhinum Orontium' Mezzotint printed in colours. Circa 1740. From Johann W Weinmann's Phytanthoza Iconographia, published in Regensburg 1737-45. The first botanical series to u...

Rare Botanical Hand Colored Engraving about 1737-1745 Beautifully framed French hand painted mat, in gold leaf frame each print measure 9.5x14.5 with the frame 23.5hx18.5x1 Johann ...

Magot is an etching realized by Pierre Francois Tardieu in 1771. It belongs to the suite "Histoire Naturelle de Buffon". The Artist's signature is engraved lower right. Good condi...

This Winslow Homer wood engraving entitled "On the Beach at Long Branch, The Children's Hour", was published in Harper's Weekly in the August 15, 1874 ed...

Pen and sepia ink on cream laid paper, 8 3/4 x 5 3/8 inches (222 x 136 mm). Scattered paper tape repairs on the verso in the area of the upper left corner, and along the right sheet...

Portrait Of William Beekman Of New York, 18th Century American School Large 18th Century American School portrait of a William Beekman of New York, oil on canvas. Excellent qualit...

A Harlot's Progress is an etching print realized after William Hogarth in 1732 Signature on the plate on the lower right. Good conditions, with some foxing. A Harlot's Progress" i...

Image dimensions 40.6x56.8. Belongs to the Collection "Antiquities of Cori, described and etched by Giovambat Piranesi", and printed in 1764. Beautiful first roman edition/1st state ...

Nicholas Thomas Dall (1706-1776) Bishopthorpe Palace Yorkshire Oil on Canvas 24 1/4 X 30 1/4 Provenance: Christie's New York: Friday, October 4, 1996 [Lot 00095] Sold for $10,350 ...

'Different Profils Pour Les Bordures de Glaces avec leurs Ornements' French copper-line engraving by Michelinot after Andre Jacob Roubo (1739–1791). 18th century laid watermarked pa...

Sepia mezzotint by Richard Earlom (1743-1822) After Claude Gellee ('Claude Lorrain') (1600-82). From 'Liber Veritatis; or A Collection of Prints after ...

from "Sport of Love" (Scherzi d'amore) Etching on laid paper with a partial, indiscernible watermark, 5 5/8 x 3 5/8 inches (143 x 93 mm), margins. Scattered light areas of brown disc...

A still life of flowers in a vase 27324-LU2595214540452

John Downman 1750-1824 Portrait of a Lady in a White Dress Pencil, stump and watercolour, heightened with white chalk, signed and dated 1784 Imag...

This stunning Baroque study depicts a regatta boat, a type of vessel developed in eighteenth-century Venice for the regattas organized by the Serenissima during visits by royalty and princes. We propose to link this drawing to the work of Alessandro Mauro, an artist who specialized in this type of composition, as illustrated by a drawing from him at the Metropolitan Museum. 1. Description of the boat The greatest decorative fantasy reigns in this preparatory study, which blends mythological and exotic elements with references to ancient Egypt. Our drawing is probably an initial thought, destined to be refined and clarified later in pen and ink (as evidenced by the ink stain in the lower right). A quadriga of seahorses guided by Neptune stands at the stern of the boat, shown well above the waterline (perhaps to outline its empty volume). One of the seahorses is ridden by a newt, while Amphitrite lies at the feet of the sea god. The center of the boat is occupied by a vast baldachin resting on four atlantes and surmounted by a figure riding an animal (a dragon?). Three figures sit beneath the canopy, one of them on a griffin-shaped seat. This allusion to Egyptian antiquity echoes the winged sun (sometimes a symbol of the god Horus, as in the temple of Edfu in Egypt) that adorns the sides of the promontory on which this baldachin rests. Another flag-bearer figure crouches at the stern of the boat on a raised seat, on the reverse of which is a crowned mermaid whose arm, extended backwards, rests on a mascaron decorated with a radiant face (Helios?) and whose torso surmounts an elephant's head. The heads of the rowers and their oars are sketched all along the boat, whose sides are embellished with elongated naiads. 2. The Venetian regatta boats An exhibition held in 2013 at the Ca' Rezzonico (the Venetian eighteenth-century museum) paid tribute to these regatta boats through studies and prints depicting them. The regattas organized by the Serenissima in honor of visiting princes and sovereigns were among the most spectacular ceremonies in Venice. Some important artists of the 18th century contributed to the creation of these extravagant boats which were given exotic names such as bissona, malgarota or peota. The specialists in this field were Andrea Urbani and the brothers Alessandro and Romualdo Mauro. They were born into a family of theater decorators in Piedmont, but little is known about their detailed biography. Alessandro was the architect of the Dresden opera house and of the St. Samuel Theater in Venice (in collaboration with his brother Romualdo), but also worked as stagehand and set designer in Vienna, Rome and Turin. A drawing produced around 1737 from the Metropolitan Museum (7th photo in the gallery) bears witness to his activity as a regatta boat designer. This drawing is a much more elaborate version than the one presented here, having been entirely reworked in brown ink. However, a figure at the bow of the boat, executed solely in black chalk, still bears witness to a technique similar to that of our drawing. It is difficult to know whether the boat depicted in our drawing was a project for an actual boat or whether it remained in the planning stage, but the front of our boat (Neptune and the quadriga of seahorses ridden by a newt) bears several similarities to that of a parade boat depicted in the print published by Michele Marieschi entitled Regatta on the Grand Canal, between the Foscari and Balbi Palaces (last photo in the gallery). This print is dated 1741, which could confirm that our work dates from around 1740. The area between Neptune and the quadriga that precedes him on this strange paddle-boat appears to be partially submerged, confirming that the waterline of our boat was probably intended to be much lower than the one shown in our drawing. The Correr Museum’s collection holds one of the most important collection of engravings and drawings devoted to these specifically Venetian Baroque productions. These boats were intended to last the duration of a festival. Today, they are only documented by preparatory drawings or prints that testify to the sumptuousness of their decoration. This taste for regatta boats lasted throughout the Venetian eighteenth century, and the conception of regatta boats also attracted great masters such as Giambattista Tiepolo, Francesco Guardi or Giambattista Piranesi...

Dominicus van der Smissen Early 18th Century Portrait of Conrad Friedrich Hurlebusch Oil on canvas Image size: 20½ x 16¼ inches Period gilt frame This is a portrait of Conrad Friedrich Hurlebusch, composer, Kapellmeister and organist, whom Van der Smissen most probably portrayed during his stay in Hamburg, Brunswick or Amsterdam. The identification is based on the reproduction of the portrait which was engraved by Pieter Anthony Wakkerdak (1740- 1774). Van der Smissen has reduced the face of the sitters to an egg-shaped oval in three-quarter view, applying diminution to one half of the figure’s torso, which is farther away from the viewer. This partial side view, with the head turned to look at the viewer over the shoulder, creates spatial depth and brings the figure to life by avoiding the stiffness of a frontal depiction. Because the artist chose to highlight the figure from above, a distinct shadow is cast under the tip of the nose, in the shape of a triangle. This is an often recurring and almost ‘signature’-like feature in Van der Smissen’s oeuvre. Hurlebusch's garments are of a very high quality and serve to reflect the sitter’s wealth, status and elegance. During this period, gentlemen often shaved their heads in order to facilitate the wearing of a wig, which wouldbe worn with a suit. Here Hurlebusch has been depicted in a luxurious turban-like cap lined with lynx fur, a highly fashionable and expensive material at the time. Over his shirt, he wears a velvet fur-lined gown adorned with decorative clasps fashioned from silver braid. The elegant informality of his appearance can be seen in his unbuttoned shirt and the unfastened black ribbon hanging from his button hole, which has been artfully arranged into a fluttering drape by the portraitist. The Sitter Hurlebusch was born in Brunswick, Germany. He received the first instructions in his field from his father Heinrich Lorenz Hurlebusch, who was also a musician. As an organ virtuoso, he toured Europe, visiting Vienna, Munich and Italy. From 1723 to 1725 he was Kapellmeister in Stockholm; later he became Kapellmeister in Bayreuth and Brunswick, and lived in Hamburg from 1727 to 1742, where he had contact with fellow composers Johann Mattheson and Georg Philipp Telemann. He made his living composing, performing and teaching. In 1735 and 1736, he is believed to have visited Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig, who promoted Hurlebusch’s compositions as the local seller...

An early copper-engraved county map of Merioneth, based on the work of Christopher Saxton (1540-1610), and engraved by William Kip (fl.1598-1610) for William Camden's 'Britannia'. Wi...

Temples of Iside and Serapi is an etching realized by the italian artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi in 1759. Image dimensions: 41.5 x 55.5 cm. Very precious lifetime impression. C...

Pendant window pictures attributed to Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich, called Dietricy (1712 Weimer - 1774 Dresden). Typical genre depiction of two pretty young ladies leaning out of arched windows. Both ladies are shown open-hearted with white blouses. One painting shows a lady with a red hair band and red cheeks leaning on a low railing and looking at the observer with a slightly glassy gaze. The window opening is framed with vine tendrils and a Mediterranean potted plant on the left edge of the painting. The other painting shows a young beauty with flowers in her hair, leaning loosely out of a window opening with a relief depiction of putti and the same green vine leaves. A red velvet...