18th Century Art

Bolognese painter (18th-19th century) - Maddalena. 70 x 50 cm without frame, 89 x 69 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in a carved and gilded wooden frame. Condition ...

An unusual horizontal composition with extensive marginalia. Circa 1750. Gouache and ink with gold heightening on light weight cream laid paper, 5 3/4 x 11 3/4 inches (140 x 298 mm...

An illuminated page from a book likely in reference to palace life during Emperor Jahangir's reign over the Mughal Empire. Circa 1690. Gouache and ink with gold heightening on light...

A beautiful composition depicting Empress Nur Jahan on a tiger hunt, an act of feminism. Circa 1750. Gouache and ink with heightening in gold on brown laid paper, 12 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches (317 x 210 mm), with a floral-motif border painted in blue and oxblood, the full sheet. With extensive inscriptions in Persian written in black ink on the verso. In good condition with overall toning and minor creasing, all consistent with age. The color is rich and and fresh with bright yellow illumination. In the distance we see the Jahangir Mahal Agra, as well as a sage meditating in his hut. A beautiful composition. Nur Jahan was fond of hunting and often went on hunting tours with her husband and was known for her boldness in hunting ferocious tigers. She is reported to have slain four tigers with six bullets during one hunt. According to Sir Syed Ahmad Khan this feat, inspired a poet to declaim a spontaneous couplet in her honor: "Though Nur Jahan be in form a woman, In the ranks of men she...

Le Pigeon Grosse-Gorge is an etching realized in 1771 by Juste Chevillet. Signed in plate. The artwork Belongs to the suite "Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière avec la de...

circa 1750. Gouache and ink with heightening in gold on brown laid paper, 12 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches (317 x 210 mm), with a floral-motif border painted in blue and gold, the full sheet. With extensive inscriptions in Persian written in black ink on the verso. In good condition with extraordinary color. We see Empress Nur Jahan making an offering to a sage in his hut, as Emperor Jahangir looks on from a tree stand. Nur Jahan was fond of hunting and often went on hunting tours with her husband and was known for her boldness in hunting ferocious tigers. She is reported to have slain four tigers with six bullets during one hunt. According to Sir Syed Ahmad Khan this feat, inspired a poet to declaim a spontaneous couplet in her honor: "Though Nur Jahan be in form a woman, In the ranks of men she...

This rather handsome British Old Master portrait oil painting is attributed to circle of Thomas Gainsborough. Painted circa 1780 the sitter is identified on the name plate as Archiba...

Portrait of John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol (1665-1751). Early 18th-century near-life-size portrait of a noble man richly dressed in a long wig. Circle of the German-British cour...

London: A. Churchill & J. Knapton, 1754 Engraving on fibrous laid paper with a "C" watermark, 9 3/4 x 11 3/4 inches (246 x 297 mm), full margins. Significant edge wear including mul...

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 ...

'The Monitory Lizard' Copper-line engraving with original hand-colouring. 1790, by Frederick Polydore Nodder (fl.1770 – 1800). 120mm by 195mm (platemnark). Early engraving of an ...

La Panthere  Male  is an etching realized by Jean Charles Baquoy in 1771. The artwork Belongs to the suite "Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière avec la description du Cabin...

Set of 4 double-page mezzotint engravings, printed in colour and finished by hand. [Published: H. Lentz and H.G. Neubauer, Regensburg, 1737]. An attractive collection of fine plates...

Oil on canvas Image size: 21 1/2 x 17 3/4 inches (55 x 45 cm) Original gilt frame In this portrait this young woman is depicted facing forward with her head slightly raised and turned left towards the viewer. She is dressed in a blue satin dress. The low-cut drapery, exposing her décolletage, was not unusual for the time as 18th century women would often wear their dresses off-the-shoulder or fitted with a very open neckline. Her perfectly oval face is enlivened by wide brown eyes, full cheeks and a mouth that sketches a half smile. Her cheeks rose with blush, which was a popular cosmetic style during the Rococo period and contrasts with her ivory skin and powdered hair. Her tied hair is studded with many flowers and the ribbon around the woman's throat accentuates her bare neck. Alexander Roslin Alexander Roslin was one of the most important portrait painters of Europe in the 18th century. He was born in Malmö in Sweden but soon moved into Europe to paint at various royal courts. From 1750 on he worked mainly in Paris. Here he was destined to achieve great success. He had collected letters of recommendation on his journey through Europe, including that of the Duchess of Parma, the sister-in-law of Louis XV. Soon he was admitted to the court and the Royal Academy in Paris and when he married in 1759 he was the most wanted artist in Paris for portraits. He was married to the miniature painter Marie Suzanne Giroust. Although he painted mainly French nobility...

German School (18th century) A German Pointer with hunting Equipment Oil on canvas Canvas Size 42 x 35 in Framed Size 48 x 41 in

Antique Neapolitan shepherd depicting rustic. The sculpture features wooden hands and feet with a terracotta head and crystal eyes according to the Neapolitan nativity tradition. T...

Pair of oval paintings measuring 66 x 89 cm without frame and 90 x 115 cm with coeval frame depicting two gallant moments during a rest from hunting by painter Hendrik Van Limborch (...

'The Lobated Musk Duck' Copper-line engraving with original hand-colouring. 1796, by Richard Polydore Nodder (fl.1770 – 1800). 155mm by 125mm (platemark). Early engraving of an ...

London: Laurie & Whittle, 1799 Engraving on buff wove paper, 10 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches (271 x 338 mm), uneven narrow to wide margins. Soft vertical fold at the center sheet (as issued)...

Roman Fresco from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Filippo De Grado in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions. The etching belongs t...

London: Society of Antiqauries London, 1744. Engraving on buff wove paper with a large heraldic watermark with Strasbourg lily with a crown and shied and the letters LVG, 9 1/2 x 14 ...

'The Rostrated Ray' (Eastern Shovelnose Ray) Copper-line engraving with original hand-colouring. 1794, by Frederick Polydore Nodder (fl.1770 – 1800). 110mm by 195mm (platemark) 125...

A very attractive pair of engravings of Male and Female Tapirs. Etching / engraving on hand laid paper. Sheet size:(7,9 x 10,2 inch). Image size: (6,3 x 7,9 inch). Framed size: 15...

Amazing works of the genre scene, dates to the late 18th century. After the famous French artist Francois Boucher, who was the court painter to King Louis XV. It is in its origina...

Le Bonnet is an etching realized by Jean Charles Baquoy in 1771. The artwork Belongs to the suite "Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière avec la description du Cabinet du Roi...

L'Ecureuil Suisse is an etching realized in 1771 by Louis Legrand. Signed in plate. The artwork Belongs to the suite "Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière avec la descripti...

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

A fine 18th century watercolour study depicting figures on a road by a wayside cottage. The colours and style are typical of the period and the piece serves as an excellent example o...

'Heveningham Hall in Suffolk, the Seat of Sir Gerard Wm. Vanneck Bart.' Engraved by William Watts (1752-1851) after Thomas Hearne. From Watts's 'The Seats of the Nobility and Gentr...

After Giovanni Antonio Canal, called Canaletto Copper plate engraving with hand coloring on cream laid paper with the Arms of France watermark (a crown in shield topped by a fleur-de-lys and the letters GR), 22 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches (576 x 400 mm), wide to full margins. Multiple vertical and horizontal creases from folding and rolling; none appear to be particularly hard, there is however some associated cockeling. While there is some minor mat tone visible around the perimeter of the sheet, the extensive handcoloring remains extremely fresh and saturated in the intended areas. There are edge tears at each the right and left sheet edge (outside of the image area) due to an improper effort to mount the sheet to a mat. Otherwise in very good condition with all issues being consistent with age. The print is wrongly titled "The South East Prospect of Westminster Bridge...

China ink and watercolor on paper. Hand dated. Conditions: Foxing on the top right of the paper

Italian painter (18th-19th century) - Allegory of Fortitude and Temperance. 59 x 75 cm without frame, 90 x 105 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in a carved wooden fra...

A Man of the Sandwich Islands Dancing (Hawaii) is from the 1784 First Edition Atlas Accompanying Capt. James Cook and King; Third and Final Voyage of Captain James Cook. John Webber (1752-1793) was the official artist for the third voyage of Captain James Cook (1728-1779). The purpose of this voyage was to discover the Northwest Passage and to explore the Pacific Ocean north of the Equator. These engravings were published in 1784-85 by G. Nichol and Thomas Cadell of London in the four large format atlas, Voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Captain Cook was an extraordinary explorer known for discovering and mapping unknown territory and for his many contributions to the scientific world. These original engravings from Webber’s drawings and paintings are only a glimpse into this great man’s historical contributions that make him one of the greatest explorers of all times. This image shows a Hawaiian dancer...

China ink and watercolour on paper. Some foxing, otherwise very good condition. Titled and dated. Includes passepartout.

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...

China ink and watercolor on paper realized by Jan Peter Verdussen in 1742. Hand dated. Conditions: five holes on top margin and on the bottom right of the paper. Foxing on the top ...

The New Born Baby (a version of the Nativity?) Dutch School, 18th century oil on canvas, framed framed: 21 x 18 inches canvas: 18 x 15 inches provenance: private collection, Europe c...

The architect is Paolo Posi, and the image is engraved by Giuseppe Vasi.  The title:  Prospetto della prima machina de fuochi d'artifizio, rappresentante il Tempio di Esculapio figl...

Italian painter (18th century) - Landscape with shepherds at rest. 44 x 61 cm. Antique oil painting on canvas, without frame. Condition report: Lined canvas. Good condition of the...

'High Cliff in Hampshire, the Seat of the Earl of Bute' Engraved by William Watts (1752-1851) after Collander. From Watts's 'The Seats of the Nobility and Gentry, in a Collection o...

Etching with engraving on cream laid paper with a Garden of Holland or Maid of Dort Pro Patria watermark, 11 x 14 1/4 inches (278 x 361 mm), thread margins. Lettered with the title in a cartouche at the top-center sheet, continuing "a Latere Occidentali Prospeus AD MDCCXXXIX," with numbers over the image at right that correspond to a key 1 to 29, and with publication details: "Georgius Vertue Londini delineavit et Sculpsit anno MDCCXXXIX". Multiple expert repairs, notably a Y-shaped, expert paper tape repair on the verso. Handling creases, toning. All issues are consistent with age. An impression of this work may be viewed in the permanent collection of the British Museum, registration No. 1880,1113.3963. A bird's eye view of the college in Broad Street, London, showing the courtyard, adjoining stable yard to the right, and the buildings at the back. This work was included in Frederick Crace...

Pastoral Landscape by Peter la Cave (fl. 1789-1816) oil painting on wood panel, framed framed: 12.5 x 15 inches panel: 8 x 10 inches provenance: private ...

Louis Michel van Loo (Toulon 1707- Paris 1771) attributable Portrait of a noblewoman with her little dog Oil on canvas (79 x 66 cm. - with frame 92 x 78 cm.) A qualitative portrait depicting an elegant noblewoman of French origin, presumably belonging to the wealthy court of Versailles during the reign of Louis XV; this work fully reflects the pictorial qualities as well as the refinement of the compositional style of the French painter Louis Michel van Loo (1707- 1771), one of the most significant portrait painters of his time, and for this reason in demand at the most noble European courts. The work, taking up the traditional formula for portraits of members of the aristocracy, shows the effigy in a half-length pose, slightly turned to the right and looking directly at the viewer. The woman, with a regal bearing, is here portrayed intent on completing her daily beauty ritual, wearing a cape during her make-up, which must have just been completed as pink powder is visible on her cheeks. This luxurious garment reveals a corset with a daring neckline, made of silk and lace, and a coral-coloured dress ending in wide jabote cuffs. Her hair is styled in the French fashion in a hairstyle that highlights her facial features. Having finished her beauty ritual, the woman is intent on removing her cape with one hand, an elegant gesture that emphasises her noble pose. At her side is her small pet dog, sitting on a blue velvet cushion with gold trim. The canvas may have been made on the occasion of a wedding, elegantly celebrating the role of a member of the aristocracy. The presence of the pet depicted in her arms had in fact a precise meaning: the fidelity that is such a well-known characteristic of the dog, declared at the same time the virtues of the effigy. Louis Michel van Loo (Toulon 1707- Paris 1771) was the son of the painter Jean Baptiste van Loo, with whom he studied in Rome and Turin. He attended the Paris Academy, where he won the first prize for painting in 1726. In 1728 he returned to Rome, where he met Francois Boucher. In 1732, passing through Turin, he returned to Paris. In 1737 van Loo became court painter in Madrid, succeeding Jean Ranc...

Outstanding early 18th-century portrait of a seated Spaniel dog in a landscape with an array of fruits. Attributed to the work of Tobias Stranover. ...

Maria Sibylla Merian was born in Germany in 1647 and received early artistic training from her stepfather, an established still life painter. She was fascinated by insects and collec...

This exquisite painting, attributed to the circle of Charles Antoine Coypel, presents a mythological scene. Though the artist remains unknown, the work clearly echoes the style of th...

The architect is Paolo Posi, and the image is engraved by Giuseppe Vasi.  Etching on paper. Good condition. The title:  Celebratasi colla Machina della precedente sera la beneficenz...

The Inside of a Hippah in New Zealand is from the 1784 First Edition Atlas Accompanying Capt. James Cook and King; Third and Final Voyage of Captain James Cook John...

Olio su tela. Scuola centro-europea della fine XVIII secolo. La scena racconta un episodio biblico ampiamente riproposto nell'arte pittorica, tratto dal libro di Ester: la giovane i...

China ink and watercolor on paper. Conditions: Two cuts on the centre of the paper. Three holes on centre-right, botton-left and top-left of the paper. Worn on the top left of the ...

Sir Joshua Reynolds 1723-1792 | British Sir Henry Bowles Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk and 5th Earl of Berkshire Oil on canvas Sir Joshua Reynolds is unequivocally considered the most important English portraitist of the 18th century who was instrumental in adapting the Grand Manner style in the portrait genre. In fact, when the Royal Academy was founded in 1768, Reynolds was elected its first President, setting the precedent of quality for which all other portraitists would strive. Reynolds's portrait of Henry Bowles Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk, showcases his genius in the genre and mastery over the medium. Reynolds’s portrait of the Earl expertly invokes classical values with strong lighting, rich colors and expert attention to detail to help underscore the prominence and revered echelon of the sitter. Howard was an esteemed British politician and Knight of the Garter. He served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department from 1771 to 1779, and he played a key role in utilizing mercenaries during the American Revolution and safeguarding Sweden's independence. The portrait employs Reynolds's signature style to render Howard rightfully as a gentleman of distinction. Captured seated in a stately library, the Earl appears learned and austere as he places one hand upon a stack of important documents and looks wistfully into the distance. Reynolds makes these compositional choices decisively, as the seated position gives Howard a weighty appearance of importance and the semi-profile turn captures his countenance at an attractive angle that highlights his strong, masculine features. The work draws on the classical conventions of Greek and Roman art and the Italian Renaissance masters, anchoring the nobleman in a history of refinement. Everything from his strong yet welcoming expression to his pale face enlivened by a rush of blood to the cheeks presents the picture of a strong, vital and powerful leader. As the first president of the Royal Academy in London, Reynolds’s commissions raised the status of an artist in Britain during the Romantic period and also established the portrait as an esteemed high art genre that garnered equal import to the history paintings that reigned supreme in decades prior. Today, Reynolds’s works grace the walls of the most important museums in the world, including the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Gallery in London, among others. Circa 1770 Canvas: 50 1/2" high x 40 1/4" wide Framed: 61" high x 52 1/2" wide x 3 1/2" deep Provenance: Sir Henry Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk and 5th Earl of Berkshire, 1739-1779 His mother, Lady Mary Howard, née Finch, Lady Andover, d. 1803 Acquired by descent to her daughter, Frances, and her husband Richard Bagot (later Howard) Acquired by descent to their daughter, Mary (1784-1877), and her husband Col. Fulke Greville Upton (later Howard), d. 1846 Acquired by descent to Lieutenant Colonel H.R.G. Howard Sale, Christie's, London, March 24, 1961, no. 29 Julius Weitzner, London and New York Sale, Paris, Musée Galliéra, December 7, 1965, no. 165 Newhouse Galleries, New York, NY Mr. and Mrs. F. Howard Walsh, Fort Worth, Texas, 1966 Walsh Family Art Trust Private collection, Oregon M.S. Rau, New Orleans Exhibited: British Institution, London, 1844, no. 130, loaned by the Hon. Fulke Greville Howard. South Kensington, "Second special exhibition of National Portraits," 1867, no. 478, lent by the Hon. Mrs. Greville. Agnew's, London, 1903, no. 17. Literature: Algernon Graves and W. V. Cronin, A History of the Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A., vol. 3 (London, 1899), p. 945. David Mannings...

'Claremont in Surry, the Seat of Lord Clive' Engraved by William Watts (1752-1851) after George Barrett. From Watts's 'The Seats of the Nobility and Gentry, in a Collection of the ...

Maria Sibylla Merian was born in Germany in 1647 and received early artistic training from her stepfather, an established still life painter. She was fascinated by insects and collec...

Francisco De Goya (Spain, 1746-1828) 'Los Chinchillas (Caprichos. Estampa 50)', ca.1797-1799 burnished aquatint, etching on vellum paper 11.6 x 8.4 in....

China ink and watercolour on paper. Hand dated. Good condition except for some foxing.

Girl is a china ink drawing realized b Jan Peter Verdussen in the mid-18th Century. Good condition except for some missing parts in the lower left and right edges.

Portrait of a Gentleman French School, 18th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas : 25 x 20 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: the painting is in sound conditi...

'Charlton House in Wiltshire, the Seat of the Earl of Suffolk' Engraved by William Watts (1752-1851) after Thomas Hearne. From Watts's 'The Seats of the Nobility and Gentry, in a C...