18th Century Art

Anonymous Artist "La Anunciación" from the 18th Century. Oil on Copper 21.5 x 15.7 inches Perfect Condition It represents the moment when Mary accepts the divine designs transmitted by the archangel Saint...

Oil on Canvas. The woman depicted in the scene can be traced back to Portia, the Roman noblewoman who was the wife of Brutus and thus lived in the first century BCE: according to le...

The splendour of the tragic sea Francesco Guardi and maritime painting in Venetian art No Venetian painter was a stranger to the sea. After all, Venice was not only one of the most prominent ports of the Mediterranean, but indeed a city literally submerged in the ocean from time to time. Curiously however, the famous Venetian school of painting showed little interest in maritime motifs, favouring scenes from the iconic architecture of the city rather than seascapes. That is why this painting is a particularly interesting window into not only the painter Francesco Guardi himself – but to the significance of the element of water in art history, in absence as well as in the centre of attention. Whether it be calm, sunny days with stunning views of the palaces alongside the canals of Venice or – more rarely – stormy shipwrecking tragedies at sea, water as a unifying element is integral to the works of painter Francesco Guardi (1712–1793). During his lifetime, Venetian art saw many of its greatest triumphs with names like Tiepolo or Canaletto gaining international recognition and firmly establishing Venice as one of the most vibrant artistic communities of Europe. While the city itself already in the 18th century was something of an early tourist spot where aristocrats and high society visited on their grand tour or travels, the artists too contributed to the fame and their work spread the image of Venice as the city of romance and leisure to an international audience, many of whom could never visit in person. Still today, the iconic image of Venice with its whimsical array of palaces, churches and other historic buildings is much influenced by these artists, many of whom have stood the test of time like very well and remain some of the most beloved in all of art history. It was not primarily subtility, intellectual meanings or moral ideals that the Venetian art tried to capture; instead it was the sheer vibrancy of life and the fast-paced city with crumbling palaces and festive people that made this atmosphere so special. Of course, Venice could count painters in most genres among its residents, from portraiture to religious motifs, history painting and much else. Still, it is the Vedutas and views of the city that seems to have etched itself into our memory more than anything else, not least in the tradition of Canaletto who was perhaps the undisputed master of all Venetian painters. Born into his profession, Francesco lived and breathed painting all his life. His father, the painter Domenico Guardi (1678–1716) died when Francesco was just a small child, yet both he and his brothers Niccolò and Gian Antonio continued in their fathers’ footsteps. The Guardi family belonged to the nobility and originated from the mountainous area of Trentino, not far from the Alps. The brothers worked together on more challenging commissions and supported each other in the manner typical of family workshops or networks of artists. Their sister Maria Cecilia married no other than the artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo himself, linking the family to the most renowned Venetian name of the time. During almost a decade, Guardi worked in the studio of Michele Giovanni Marieschi, sometimes simply known as Michiel, a painted similar in both style and motif. Canaletto is, however, the artist Guardi is most often compared to since they shared a mutual fascination for depicting the architecture and cityscape of Venice. During the course of his career, Guardi tried his hand in many different genres. He was as swift in painting landscapes, Vedutas of Venice, sacred motifs, interiors and architectural compositions as he was in a number of other motifs. His style is typical of the Venetian school but also distinct and personal once we look a little closer. There is an absolute certainty in the composition, the choice of which sometimes feels like that of a carefully calculated photograph – yet it is also very painterly, in the best sense of the word: fluid, bold, sensitive and full of character. The brushwork is rapid, intense, seemingly careless and extraordinarily minute at the same time; fresh and planned in a very enjoyable mixture. His interiors often capture the breath-taking spacious glamour of the palaces and all their exquisite decor. He usually constructed the motif through remarkably simple, almost spontaneous yet intuitively precise strokes and shapes. The result was a festive, high-spirited atmospheric quality, far away from the sterile and exact likeness that other painters fell victim to when trying to copy Canaletto. The painting here has nothing of the city of Venice in it. On the contrary, we seem to be transported far away into the solitary ocean, with no architecture, nothing to hold on to – only the roaring sea and the dangerous cliffs upon which the ships are just moments away from being crushed upon. It is a maritime composition evoking both Flemish and Italian precursors, in the proud tradition of maritime painting that for centuries formed a crucial part of our visual culture. This genre of painting is today curiously overlooked, compared to how esteemed and meaningful it was when our relationship to the sea was far more natural than it is today. When both people and goods travelled by water, and many nations and cities – Venice among them – depended entirely on sea fare, the existential connection to the ocean was much more natural and integrated into the imagination. The schools and traditions of maritime art are as manifold as there are countries connected to the sea, and all reflect the need to process the dangers and wonders of the ocean. It could symbolize opportunity, the exciting prospects of a new countries and adventures, prospering trade, beautiful scenery as well as war and tragedy, loss of life, danger and doom. To say that water is ambivalent in nature is an understatement, and these many layers were something that artists explored in the most wondrous ways. Perhaps it takes a bit more time for the modern eye to identify the different nuances and qualities of historic maritime paintings, they may on first impression seem hard to differentiate from each other. But when allowing these motifs to unfold and tell stories of the sea in both fiction and reality – or somewhere in between – we are awarded with an understanding of how the oceans truly built our world. In Guardi’s interpretation, we see an almost theatrically arranged shipwrecking scene. No less than five ships are depicted right in the moment of utter disaster. Caught in a violent storm, the waves have driven them to a shore of sharp cliffs and if not swallowed by the waves, crushing against the cliffs seems to be the only outcome. The large wooden ships are impressively decorated with elaborate sculpture, and in fact relics already during Guardi’s lifetime. They are in fact typical of Dutch and Flemish 17th century ships, giving us a clue to where he got the inspiration from. Guardi must have seen examples of Flemish maritime art, that made him curious about these particular motifs. One is reminded of Flemish painters like Willem van de Velde and Ludolf Backhuysen, and this very painting has indeed been mistakenly attributed to Matthieu van Plattenberg...

Unknown Artist (Dutch School, late 18th century) Pastoral Scene with Goatherds, ca. 1780–1800 Oil on canvas In this lively pastoral composition, a group of figures reclines in rusti...

Jean-Baptiste Oudry (Paris 1686 - Beauvais 1755) circle of - Hunting scene with greyhounds. 21 x 27 cm without frame, 26 x 32 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on panel, in a car...

Landscape with hunters by a lake. 18th century. Oil painting on canvas, from the French or Northern Italian school, Louis XV period. Probably part of the door decoration in an interi...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "a. Phaseolus Americanus purgans, b. Phaseolus Brasilianus". It is plate 8...

"Vaso Cinerario di Gran Mole. Le Teste dei Giovenchi mostrano di reggere it pesante Festone composto di Frutti Fiori Grans ed use. Il tuto Necefsario all Vita Umana. Il Restante degl...

Martin van Meytens (Stockholm 1695 - Vienna 1770) Portrait of Empress Maria Theresa of Habsburg (Vienna 1717 - 1780) Portrait of Emperor Francis I of Lorraine (1708 - 1765) oil on ...

Landscape is a beautiful drawing in watercolor and pencil on ivory-colored paper realized by Jan Peter Verdussen. In good condition; only a smallspots at the edges of the drawing an...

Elaborate Floral Arrangement French artist, 18th Century oil on canvas, framed Framed: 27 x 34 inches Canvas: 22 x 29 inches Provenance: private collection, England Condition: very...

This exquisite 18th-century portrait depicts a young girl, delicately rendered in the style of Sir Godfrey Kneller, one of the most celebrated portrait painters of the Baroque period...

'Cain et Abel' Circle of Franois Devosge (1732-1811) French pencil drawing with watercolour wash on paper size: 12.25 x 9 inches private collection, France The painting is in overall...

18th-century Spanish Colonial School Attributed to Juan Pedro López (Caracas, Venezuela, 1724 - 1787) Saint Michael the Archangel Oil on canvas 91 x...

Wonderful 18th century Irish or English portrait, attributed to the Irish painter Nathaniel Hone. Nathaniel Hone was born in Dublin but by 1748 had set...

The portrait shows Mme Silvestre. Born in Paris, Silvestre was the daughter of Charles-Antoine Hérault and his wife Marie-Geneviève, who were her first teachers. In 1706 she married the painter Louis de Silvestre, moving with him in 1716 to Dresden. The couple's daughter Marie-Maximilienne became a pastellist. Silvestre died in Dresden, the year before her husband retired and returned to Paris. Her surviving pastels show the influence of Rosalba Carriera...

French School, Portrait of a Young Lady, perhaps an actress Oval Louis XIV sculpted and gilded frame French Art, Roccoco Art The oval portrait of a young woman measures 61 by 50,5 cm canvas sight size and its 18th century oak carved and gilded frame...

Pair of very decorative Italian Still-life paintings of flowers with vases and classical figures . 18th century, oil on canvas, with original gilt-wood frames. This pair is an exce...

This rather special Italian Old Master religious portrait oil painting is attributed to a follower of Giovanni Battista Salvi, or Sassoferrato as he is better known. Painted circa 17...

We are pleased to offer a captivating portrait, most likely painted in the late 18th century, attributed to an artist within the circle of Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich. This oil ...

Ya es hora from Los Caprichos is an original artwork realized by the artist Francisco Goya and published for the first time in 1799. Etching and aquatin...

Together with his son Pietro Neri, Andrea Scacciati was active at the Medici court and is well known for his still lifes with flowers. His works display both Roman and northern influ...

'Mgnaminia' Italian School, 18th century ink and wash drawing on paper, framed within a light oak wood frame (behind glass) image size: 10.5 x 7 inches overall framed: 17 x 13 inches...

Obelisco Egizio from "Vedute di Roma" by Giovanni Battista Piranesi. 2nd Roman state, 1759-1778. Etching on laid paper with a watermark of a Fleur-de-L...

Three Figures in a Landscape Continental School, late 18th century after the earlier painting by Murillo oil on canvas, framed Framed: 31.5 x 35 inches Canvas: 26 x 36.5 inches Prove...

Thomas Spencer (British, active c. 1740-1756) A Portrait of Flying Childers Oil on canvas With an incorrect label "a racehorse second at new market by John Wotton” With an indistinct...

Portrait of a young British Girl, in her white dress with Pink Sash. Choosing to acquire an 18th-century portrait of a young girl by English artist John Russell is an opportunity to...

This superb large three quarter length British Old Master portrait in a landscape oil painting is attributed to circle of John Vanderbank the Younger. Painted circa 1738 the sitter is Mrs James Hoste of South Wootton and Sandringham, nee Hammond. She was the daughter of Anthony Hamond and Susan Walpole, daughter of Robert Walpole, and was sister to Robert, 1st Earl of Oxford. She married Major James Hoste of Sandringham, Norfolk, and they had two daughters. The sheen of her blue satin dress against her gold cloak is stunning. A really lovely 18th century portrait with excellent provenance. Inscribed with sitter details lower left. Provenance. By descent within the family of the sitter at West Acre High House, Norfolk; Cheffins, Cambridge, 'West Acre High House' sale, 24 November 2010, Lot 519; Wood Hall, Arkesden, Essex. Literature: 'Portraits in Norfolk Houses', Prince Duleep Singh, 1927, No. 36. Sitter's details on two labels verso. Condition. Oil on canvas, image size is 50 inches by 40 inches and in good condition. Frame. Housed in an ornate gilt frame, 58 inches by 48 inches framed and in good condition. John Vanderbank (1694-1739) was an English portraitist and book illustrator, who enjoyed a high reputation for a short while during the reign of King George...

A late 18th or early 19th century watercolour view of a group of figures in a village square. Though not apparently signed the work is very competent and of high quality. It is frame...

French School, Portrait of a Lady, Rococo, 18th Century, Fine drawing in Pastel/ Oil Pastel on Paper in the style of Vivien. The Lady might be a woman from Marie Antoinette's Court. It is part of a Pendant (see the other listing with the portrait of Queen Marie Antoinette...

French Art Rococo Portrait of a Woman, Young Lady, perhaps an actress

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...

The Close of Day Italian School, early 18th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 17 x 22.5 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sound condition

Bernard Picart, 'The Deluge' from 'The Temple of the Muses', engraving, 1730. Signed in the plate and dated '1730' lower left. Titled in French, English, German, and Dutch. A superb...

Portrait of a Noble Lady English artist, mid 18th century circle of Thomas Gainsborough (English 1727-1788) oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 30 x 25 inches provenance: private collect...

St. Gregory in Rome is a beautiful artwork realized by Jan Peter Verdussen in 1741. Ink and watercolour on brown paper. In very good codition. Dated on the lower margin. The origin...

An illuminated page from a book likely in reference to palace life during Emperor Jahangir's reign over the Mughal Empire. circa 1750. Gouache and ink with heightening in gold on li...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "A. Bardana Major Folio Non Serrato, Napoliere, B. Bdellifera Arbor, de Qu...

Follower of Nicolas Lancret (Paris 1690 - Paris 1743) - Gallant scene in a landscape. 63.5 x 76 cm without frame, 91 x 102.5 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in carve...

A large pair of 18th century veduta capriccio scenes with temple ruins after Gennaro Greco from the circle of Pietro Cappelli. The paintings are presented in more modern carved gilt ...

Aquatint and mezzotint, printed in colours and finished by hand, heightened with gum arabic, from The Temple of Flora. Framed and glazed. London, 1...

Title: The Italian City Artist/ School: English/ Italian School, late 18th century; a Grand Tour work. Medium: pencil drawing. Size: 6.75 x 9.75 inches Provenance: from a priva...

Portrait Of A Stallion, 18th Century by William Williams (1727-1791) sales to $60,000 Large circa 1770 portrait of a Stallion race horse in an open landscape, oil on panel by Willi...

This stunning British 18th century Old Master portrait oil painting, with exceptional provenance, is by noted artist George Romney. It was painted in 1788, commissioned by James Evelyn of Felbridge as it is of his younger daughter Anne, aged 20 years old. James was a Doctor of Law and Anne's mother was his second wife, Jane. Felbridge house, Anne's home, was in the village of Godstone in Surrey. This superb oil painting is a seated portrait of Anne, wearing a white dress with a green sash, her forearms exposed and her hands in her lap. Anne is blessed with the most wonderful long auburn curly hair and is visually stunning. Her body is partly turned away from the artist/viewer and she is slightly gazing down at us with confident, clear eyes. Anne is pictured in a landscape with a dramatic sky behind her. Romney's brushwork on her dress, hair and the background is superb. The delicate detailing of her facial features is also stunning. Sometimes Old Master portraits can be a little staid, but this one of Anne with her wild auburn hair and bold look is just magnificent. This is a fantastic example of George Romney's work and of an 18th century British Old Master with exceptional detailed provenance. Name plate states: Anne, younger daughter of James Evelyn of Fellbridge Esq. 1788, aged 20. Romney. Provenance. With Charles Cecil Cope Jenkinson, 3rd Earl of Liverpool (1784-1851) With The Hon. Henry Berkeley Portman (1860-1923), Later 3rd Viscount Portman; with Emma, Viscountess Portman (1862-1929) By 1926; with her daughter Lady Moyra Dawson-Damer (1897-1962) Thence by family descent. Painted in 1788. There are various labels verso. Mentioned in Lord Hawkesbury's Catalogues of Portraits at Compton Place and at Buxted Park, in Sussex, 1903, p.18, no. 3, at Buxted Park, as in the 'Dining Room, South Wall'. Further Bibliography: Gower (R. S.) Romney, London, 1904, p. 175 Kidson (Alex) George Romney, A Complete Catalogue of his Paintings, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2015, I, p. 205, no. 422 (illus).Ward (Humphrey) and Roberts (William) Romney: A Biographical and Critical Essay, London: T Agnew & Sons, 1904, p. 51 Condition. Oil on canvas. Image size 30 inches by 24 inches and in good condition. Frame. Housed in an ornate gilt frame with name plate, 37 inches by 31 inches and in good condition. George Romney (1734-1802) was born in Dalton-on-Furness, Lancashire, on 15 December 1734, the third of the eleven children of John Romney and Anne Simpson. Leaving school at the age of eleven, he worked for eight years in his father's cabinetmaking workshop before being apprenticed to a local painter, Christopher Steele, with whom he served for two years, from 1755 to 1757, in Kendal, York, and Lancaster. He married a Kendal girl, Mary Abbot...

An important & large oil on canvas Baroque painting by the Bohemian Old Master artist, Franz Xaver Karl Palko (1724-1767), an allegory of architecture, circa 1750. The painting depic...

French School of the 18th century Mythology : Bacchanalia Oil on canvas Unsigned On canvas 43 x 34 cm Presented in a gilded carved wooden frame 58 x 49 cm Very good condition, smal...

Oil on Canvas. Second half 18th century. A portion of a large ruined architectural structure fills the entire scene: a portico topped by a balustrade, overgrown with plants, surroun...

Oil on Canvas. Venetian school of the 18th century. The large northern landscape, with verdant mountain slopes in the midst of which a river flows, is inhabited by several figures in...

Oil on Canvas. The large painting, echoes the pictorial modes of the 17th century but is of later date, and was made on a canvas applied over an older one. The scene recounts the bib...

Giacomo Guardi (Venice, 1764 - Venice, 1835) View of Venice with the Giudecca Canal and the Gesuati Church oil on canvas 34 x 42 cm. - framed 40 x 50 cm. Expertise dott Federica Sp...

This striking hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving is entitled Malus domestica, Pomier, Apfelbaunt (Apple)". It is plate 704 in Johann Weinmann's monumental publicatio...

Neo classical school, France, end of the 18th Century Allegory of Time, Pen and black ink on paper, gray ink wash 30.5 x 19 cm irregularly shaped In g...

Artist/ School: Manner of Guido Reni (1575-1642) Italian Title: The Prophecy of Simeon Medium: oil painting on canvas, unframed Painting: 21.5 ...

This stunning Italian Capriccio Old Master landscape oil painting is attributed to circle of Giovanni Paolo Panini. Painted circa 1740 it is a fantastic view of the Temple of Sibyl, ...

Johann Kaspar HUBER is a Swiss painter.

Provenance: Private Collection, Paraguay. This unpublished Head of the Virgin is a new addition to the rich corpus of paintings by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. While the artist freque...

Outstanding early 18th century English portrait of James Bellevue. The portrait was always believed to be the work of Sir Godfrey Kneller who was known to have painted James Bellevu...

Ancient Roman Frescoes from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an original etching on paper realized by Nicola Billy in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditi...

Gaspare Diziani (Belluno 1689 - Venice 1767) Portrait of a Young Princess (Salome?) Oil on canvas 42 x 33 cm Framed 70 x 63 cm A charming portrait of a beautiful young woman with ...

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 ...

A charming 18th-century oil study depicting a woman gathering wheat in the fields. Part of a pair of oils of women harvesting by the same hand. Unsigned. On panel.

Oil on Canvas. Italian school of the late 1700s-early 1800s. The romantic-taste landscape sees a river flowing between rocky banks topped by leafy trees; on the bank, in the left for...

Pair of very decorative Italian Still-life paintings of flowers with vases and classical figures . 18th century, oil on canvas, with original gilt-wood frames. This pair is an exce...

Oil on Canvas. Signed " Schütz fecit" on the ruin to the right of the shepherdess. Christian Georg Schütz the Elder captures an idyllic, serene landscape crossed by a meandering, slo...

Rembrandt van Rijn, After by Amand Durand, Dutch (1606 - 1669) - La Medee ou Le Mariage de Jason (B112), Year: 1878 (of original 1648), Medium: Heliogravure, Size: 9.5 x 7 in. (24....

Richard Roper (British, c. 1730-c. 1775) Grey stallion held by groom in the Duke of Grosvenor’s colours Oil on canvas Old chalk inscription '22 Mar 74' verso Property of a gentleman...

Ornamental Flowers in a Classical Still Life Composition Italian School, circa 1780's period oil painting on canvas: 32 x 42 inches antique gilt frame: 38 x 48 inches condition: over...

Piazza Navona allagata solito farsi nelle Feste di Agosto Etching, 1752 Signed in the plate lower right (see photo) From: Della Magnificenze di Roma Antica e Moderna ( The Magnificen...

Emperor Jahangir depicted with his harem attendees aboard a pleasure cruise, the water filled with lotus blossoms; symbols of paradise itself. Circa 1750. Gouache and ink with gold ...

Artist: (after) Johann Daniel Preissler (German, 1666-1737) Title: "Aurora sive Tempus Matutinum; Der Wohl und Übel angewandte Morgen (Dawn or Morning Time; The Morning Used for Better or For Worse)" 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: 22.57" x 16.38" Image size: 17.75" x 14" Condition: Soft handling creases, folds, and scattered faint areas of discoloration to sheet. Three tears skillfully repaired from verso. 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...

Nude female figure is a print realized by Scottish artist Allan Ramsay (1713-1784) after Salvator Rosa, in the late 18th century. Etching on paper. Good conditions, with foxing on ...

Giovanni Domenico Campiglia, 'Bacchus Cumampelo', engraving, 1734, edition unknown. Signed 'Dom. Campiglia del.' in the plate, lower left. Engraving by Gabbugiani, after the original...

Red crayon on cream laid paper, 3 3/4 x 4 inches (95 x 102 mm) ; 3 3/4 x 3 1/8 inches (95 x 80 mm). Each with scattered early repairs done with non-archival tape on the verso; the sm...