Mid-18th Century Art

This is a rare, original first edition hand-colored engraving of Peacock Butterflies and Water Betony Moths depicted in their natural botanical environment, which is plate 8 from Mos...

Escuela Española del siglo XVIII. "Niño Jesus Salvador Mundi o Niño de la bola" Óleo sobre lienzo. Medidas: 75.5 x 53.3 cm. ; 82.5 x 62.5 x 3 cm. (marco). C...

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...

This is a rare 18th Century hand-colored copperplate engraving entitled "Ciconia Nigra" (Black Stork) by Johann Leonhard Frisch is plate 197 fro...

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...

Jan Weenix Canvas Size: 32 x 26" (82 x 66cm) Outside Frame Size: 40 x 34" (102 x 86cm) This beautiful painting is unsigned but this is not unusual with Jan ...

This painting, created during Zuccarelli's stay in England, represents the decisive moment when Macbeth, together with Banquo, meets the three witches who announce that he will be Ki...

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

Portrait of a young boy, full-length in a blue velvet coat and breeches, standing on a stone terrace in a garden landscape, playing with a spinning top. Signed and dated ' Phil. Merc...

This striking hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving is entitled "Gnaphalium, Gossypium (Cotton Plant)". It is plate 551 in Johann Weinmann's monumental publication "Phy...

This is a rare, original first edition hand-colored engraving depicting the natural history of butterflies and moths, which is plate 10 from Moses Harris' publication "The Aurelian: ...

James Fellowes Flourished 1719 - 1750 Portrait of William Henry Kerr, Earl of Ancram, 4th Marquess of Lothian Oil on canvas, signed & dated 1747 Image size: 29 1/2 x 24 1/2 inches (75 x 62 cm) Original gilt wood frame William Henry Kerr was born a member of the Scottish peerage to William, third Marquess of Lothian, and his first wife Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas Nicholson of Kemnay, first Baronet. William was styled Master Jedburgh until 1722, when his father was elevated to a Marquessate, after which he was referred to as Lord Jedburgh until 1735. Following his father’s military footsteps, on 20 June 1735 Ancram was commissioned as a cornet to the regiment (11th Dragoons) of his grand-uncle, Lord Mark Kerr. Ancram married Lady Caroline...

Portrait of a Lady French artist, Rococo period 18th century oil on canvas, framed framed: 15 x 12.5 inches canvas: 10.5 x 8.5 inches provenance: private collection, France condition...

This is an original antique colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving of banana plants, which is finished with hand-coloring. It is entitled "Banana 2. Mauze, Baradis-feigen", p...

Antique Italian painting from 18th century. Framework oil on canvas, on the first canvas, depicting a view with characters, animals and ruins of good pictorial quality. Large size fr...

Signed 'BDandridge/ pinxit' lower left Provenance By descent through the sitter's family to The Collection of R. W. Vivian-Neal of Poundisford Park, Somerset, from whom acquired by With Lane Fine Art, UK, where purchased by the present owners in 1996 Literature 'Poundisford Park, Somerset' in Country Life, 22 December 1934, ill. A.W. and C.M. Vivian-Neal, Poundisford Park, Somerset: A catalogue of pictures and furniture, Taunton 1939, cat. nos. 11 and 13 This is a portrait of Ann Austen, nee Grey, three-quarter-length seated in a landscape with her dog. Painted in a superb white satin dress, she holds horn spectacles and a spectacle case...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "A. Mespilus Aronia Azarolie B. Mespilus Vulgaris Neflier". It is plate 7...

A hand-colored copperplate engraving of a bird and plants by Mark Catesby (1683-1749) entitled "The Crested Titmous" from "The Natural History of Carolina, Georgia, Florida and the Bahama Islands", published in 1731. It depicts a small Crested Titmous bird, facing left, perched on the stem of a plant with clusters of mauve colored star-like flowers. This original Catesby hand-colored engraving, on laid paper with a large central Fleur-de-Lys watermark, is presented in a cream color French mat. The mat measures 20" x 15.5" and the sheet measures 18.75" x 14.75". Mark Catesby was born in England to a prosperous family, but he traveled to America, first to visit his sister and her husband in 1712. From 1712 to 1719 he explored America observing its birds and plants, taking notes, creating drawings and collecting specimens. He returned to England with this material and created more detailed drawings. His next visit to America 1722-1726 allowed for more detailed research. Upon his return to England he created his monumental and beautiful work "The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and Bahama Islands", which was published in London in two folio volumes of 11 parts each consisting of 20 plates...

Pietro Bardellino (Naples, Italy, 1731 – 1806) Title: Mary Magdalene Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 75 x 60 cm – with frame 97 x 82 cm Antique shaped and carved wood...

London: c 1750. Steel engraving on cream wove paper, 5 3/8 x 6 3/8 inches (sheet) (142 x 162 mm), margins trimmed inside the platemark. Scattered handling wear, creasing and edge nic...

Louis-Gabriel BLANCHET (Versailles, 1701 – Rome, 1772) Presumed self-portrait of the artist Oil on canvas H. 73 cm; W. 60 cm Circa 1730 Originally presented in a Restoration period frame with a "Mignard" cartouche, this beautiful painting initially appeared to us as a work from northern Italy. However, it exuded a rather French form of refinement, suggesting that its artist may have assimilated a dual influence from both sides of the Alps. We thank our colleague and friend Philippe Mendès for spontaneously and judiciously "bringing out" the name of Louis-Gabriel Blanchet, a Romanized French portraitist, whose spirit and stylistic characteristics we clearly recognize here. Blanchet's "French" years, before his final departure for Rome in 1728, following his winning of the second Grand Prix for painting after Subleyras in 1727, are extremely poorly documented. His father, Gabriel, was valet to Blouin, himself Louis XIV's first valet at the time. According to Thierry Lefrançois, Blanchet was one of the few students of Nicolas Bertin (1667-1736), whose studio he is said to have joined in the early 1720s. At a baptism on March 24, 1724, where he was godfather, he is mentioned as a painter in the picture store of the Duke of Antin, the director of buildings between 1708 and 1736. At this time, he was probably already married to Jeanne Quément, with whom he had a daughter also named Jeanne, who would marry Nicolas Aviet, the son of a valet in the queen's wardrobe, in Versailles in 1738. When Blanchet arrived in Rome in October 1728, he was accompanied by Subleyras, Trémolières, and Slodtz. He enjoyed the goodwill of Vleughels, the director of the Académie de France, which had been based at the Palazzo Mancini since 1725, even though the latter was not always kind to our resident. From 1732, he was under the protection of the Duke of Saint-Aignan when he took up his post as ambassador to Rome. Along with Slodtz and Subleyras, they formed a trio of friends, joined by Joseph Vernet shortly after his arrival in Rome in 1734. Slodtz and Blanchet, on the occasion of Subleyras's marriage in 1739, were there to attest that their friend was not bound by any marital commitment, and Blanchet was a witness at Vernet's wedding in 1745. It is most likely from these early years in Rome that our portrait of the artist dates, the expression and turn of his face irresistibly reminiscent of a self-portrait. The still relatively youthful features may correspond to Blanchet's thirty-something years, and the fluffy wig was still fashionable at this time. The painting fits well with the depiction of a young painter wanting to display both the beginnings of success and a certain simplicity or restraint. A slight smile expresses a form of assurance in this man with a gentle, sincere gaze and a face radiating a keen sense of wit. We find here the air of intimacy present in almost all of Blanchet's portraits, even those from the 1750s and 1760s, as well as an almost complicity with the viewer. The spirit of the painting is quite close to that of the presumed portrait of Bouchardon (painted around 1730) and the portrait of Pannini, painted in 1736, but it possesses a more natural quality, notably thanks to the absence of decorum. Our work exhibits the characteristics of Blanchet's paintings: elegance, luminosity (especially in the whites), vibrant and refined colors (here, the harmony of the garnet of the garment and the slate blue of the background, whose uniformity is tempered by a very sketched landscape and a grove of greenery), light complexions, rather rosy cheekbones, often full lips, and rather tight framing. According to the Academy's rules, Blanchet's stay should have ended in the spring of 1732, but, for reasons unknown, he remained in the Eternal City until his death, as did his friend Subleyras, with whom he shared accommodation until the late 1730s. The latter regularly called upon him to collaborate on his paintings, such as The Meal at Simon's. Through Saint-Aignan's intervention, Blanchet was employed in the late 1730s by the Stuart princely family, then exiled in Italy. He notably produced copies (now lost) after Liotard of the portraits of Charles Edward and Henry Benedict, the sons of James III Stuart. The latter also commissioned three other portraits (now in the National Portrait Gallery in London), whose more formal character contrasts with the intimate spirit of Blanchet's portraits. Blanchet frequented English painters, such as the landscape painter Richard Wilson, and studied with the Scottish portraitist Katherine Read...

Carcere ascura Etching, 1743 Signed in the plate 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 This image foretells Piranesi's famous set, Carceri (Prisons) which is his next creative effort. Condition: Horizontal crease midway in the sheet associated with the manufacture of the paper. Visible watermark verso Small printer crease in the bottom right below the caption plate. Image size: 14 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches Reference: Robison 3 iii/VI 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...

This is an original rare and extremely collectible first octavo edition John James Audubon hand colored lithograph entitled "Brown Pelican, Young First Winter", No. 85, Plate 424, fr...

A mischievous tableau with sexual overtones. Tokyo: Shuei-Sha, 1768. Woodblock print in colors printed on laid mulberry paper, 10 3/4 x 7 7/8 inches (273 x 200 mm), full margins. I...

G. B. Piranesi, Veduta del Porto di Ripa Grande (View of the port of Ripa Grande) Etching, Burin and Drypoint on fine watermarked paper (with lily watermarked). Signed on plate lower-right: “G.B. Piranesi Architetto fec.”. 2nd State/ VI (Hind 27) Image Dim: cm 38.2 x 61.5, Dim: 53.3 x 77.3. Good conditions, with some normal fold of paper at the center From one of the most important series of etchings by G.B. Piranesi, ”Views of Rome drawn and etched by Giambattista Piranesi...

This is an original antique colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving of flowering Gas Plants or Burning Bush and Fraxinella, which is finished with hand-coloring. It is entitle...

Although we have little bibliographical information on William James, we know that he was trained by Canaletto during the painter's stay in England between 1746 and 1755. Although he may never have been to Venice, William James remained under the influence of his master for a long time and became known for his paintings inspired by Canaletto's artworks. In this painting, William James is inspired by one of the twelve views of the Grand Canal painted by Canaletto for Joseph Smith, or more precisely by the engraving made by Antonio Visentini in 1735 after this painting. He delivers a very personal version, vibrant with colours, in which he brilliantly reproduces the moving surface of the sea, animated by the ever-changing traffic of the gondolas. 1. William James, the English follower...

Adoration of the Shepherds after Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640), engraved by Pierre-Franois Basan (French, 1723-1797), engraving, c. 1750, in black on ivory laid paper, 282 x 200 mm., with small margins. In very good condition. A fine proof impression, before letters. A draft printing of letters is visible, lower left, below image: “P P Rubens inv.”; lower right: “F. Basan excudit”. Basan’s engraving after Rubens may be modeled after another engraving of the Adoration after Rubens by Theodor Galle (1571-1633), which appeared as an illustration to the 1618 reprint of 1616 edition of “Missale Romanum...

This exquisite early 18th-century French still life depicts a bouquet of vivid blooms set in an urn-shaped glass vase. It’s reminiscent of flower pieces by the French painter, Charle...

View of the Ancient Structure built by Tarquinius Superbus called the Bel Lido, and like others built by Marcus Agrippa in the time of Augustus when he cleaned all the sewers leading...

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...

Venetian painter (18th century) - Sketch for Venus and Chronos. 59 x 43 cm without frame, 70 x 54 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in a carved and gilded wooden frame...

French School Portrait of a young woman in Louis XV period dress Pastel on paper mounted on oval canvas H. 68 cm; W. 54 cm (Frame: H. 102 cm; W. 71 cm) 18th century frame, anti-refle...

'Terenzio' (Terence) Copper-line engraving by Silvestro Pomared after Giovanni Domenico Campiglia. Plate number top right corner of image. Giovanni Domenico Campiglia (1692–1768) w...

This is a hand-colored engraving of a Falkland Island Quail ("Caille des Isles Malouines") by Francois Nicolas Martinet, plate 222 from 'Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux' in associatio...

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 ...

VERY IMPORTANT DRAWING BY JACQUES DUMONT called « LE ROMAIN" (Paris 1701-1781) Preparations for the fireworks display held in Piazza Navona in Rome on November 30, 1729, for the bi...

Rococo design for a gate, etching, by Joseph Baumann (active 1740-1760), circa 1750. Published by Martin Engelbrecht (1684–1756). Similar works ar...

French painter (18th century) - Joseph in prison. 84 x 105 cm. Antique oil painting on canvas, without frame (not signed). Condition report: Lined canvas. Good state of conservati...

18th-century celestial FLAMSTEED, John. Hydra Crater Corvus Sextans Virgo London, C. Nourse, 1753. A fine star chart from the Atlas Coelestis, the largest and most accurate star a...

Veduta della Spelonca, detta il Bergantino is an original etching realized by G. B. Piranesi in 1762. Image Dimensions: 43 x 63 cm Very good condition. Ref. Ficacci., p.442

We would like to thank Juliette Parmentier-Courreau of the Custodia Foundation for her welcome and support during the consultation of Glomy’s Journal des Ouvrages. This spectacularly large "feuille de desseins ajustés" commissioned by François Boucher from Jean-Baptiste Glomy is emblematic of the painter's art and mastery of rocaille. It is also fully representative of the taste of this period in the field of decorative arts. The largest of these three drawings, placed at the bottom of the composition, is particularly interesting: dating from around 1756, it constitutes a modello (apparently unpublished) for the frontispiece of the "Catalogue des tableaux de Monsieur de Julienne"), preserved in the Morgan Library in New York. 1. François Boucher, the master of French rocaille The extraordinary career of Francois Boucher was unmatched by his contemporaries in versatility, consistency and output. For many, particularly the writers and collectors who led the revival of interest in the French rococo during the last century, his sensuous beauties and plump cupids represent the French eighteenth century at its most typical. His facility with the brush, even when betraying the occasional superficiality of his art, enabled him to master every aspect of painting – history and mythology, portraiture, landscape, ordinary life and, as part of larger compositions, even still life. He had been trained as an engraver, and the skills of a draftsman, which he imbued in the studio of Jean-Francois Cars (1661 – 1738), stood him in good stead throughout his career; his delightful drawings are one of the most sought-after aspects of his oeuvre. As a student of Francois Lemoyne (1688 - 1737), he mastered the art of composition. The four years he spent in Italy, from 1727-1731, educated him in the works of the masters, classics and history, that his modest upbringing had denied him. On his return to Paris in 1734, he gained full membership of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture with his splendid Rinaldo and Armida (Paris, Musée du Louvre). Although, throughout his career, he occasionally painted subjects taken from the Bible, and would always have considered himself first as a history painter, his own repertoire of heroines, seductresses, flirtatious peasant girls and erotic beauties was better suited to a lighter, more decorative subject matter. His mastery of technique and composition enabled him to move from large scale tapestry...

Image dimensions: 25.5 x 18 cm. In honour of the Sun God is a fine etching, hand-watercolored, realized by the engraver Gianfrancesco Pivati. This original print, representing the...

This is an original 18th century hand-colored map entitled "A New & Accurate Map of The Whole Russian Empire, As Contain'd Both In Europe and Asia, Drawn from Authentic Journals, Sur...

This charming mid-18th-century half-length French portrait depicts a lady wearing an olive green gown, together with a red cloak, and exquisite sapphire jewellery. Painted circa 174...

Wedding and Divorce among the Canadians Etchings, Hand-Watercoloured. Tom.VIII , Plate LII Image Dim: cm 25.5 x 18; Sheet Dim: cm 37.5 x 23.8; Passepartout Dim: cm 49 x 34 Very fine Etching, Hand-watercoloured, showing the nuptial ceremony and the divorse among the Canadian indigenouses...

Galleria grande di Statue Etching, 1743 Signed lower left corner of the plate 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 2 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...

'Prosp. du Chasteau de Irrois en Champagne' Copper-line engraving by Matthaeus Merian. From 'Topographia Galliae', a fine series of engravings of 17th-century French landscapes, g...

A lovely, early drawing of the Roman god Mercury. Pen and brown ink on cream laid paper, with a partial crown and shield watermark, 7 1/4 x 4 7/8 inches (184x 123 mm) (matrix). In go...

This is an original 18th century hand-colored map entitled "An Exact Chart of all the Countries through which Capt. Behring Travelled from Tobolski, Capital of Siberia to the Country...

'Terenzio' (Terence) Copper-line engraving by Silvestro Pomared after Giovanni Domenico Campiglia. Plate number top right corner of image. Giovanni Domenico Campiglia (1692–1768) w...

A hand-colored portrait of Henry Prince of Wales, Son of James, engraved and etched by the Dutch master of portraits Jacobus Houbraken (1698-1780...

This early 19th century etching entitled "Veduta di Piazza Navona sopra le rovine del Circo" was created by Jean Barbault (1718-1762) after a painting by...

Hubert-François Gravelot (1699-1773) Two Allegories : Vigilance and Faith Pen, black Ink, and black wash on paper 7.9 x 4.8 each one Framed 22 x 26 cm Old framing that needs to be...

Work on paper

'Chateau Valeri' Copper-line engraving by Matthaeus Merian. From 'Topographia Galliae', a fine series of engravings of 17th-century French landscapes, gardens, buildings and citie...

Provenance: Dukes of Marlborough Collection, Blenheim Palace until its sale at Christie's London on 26 July 1886 (lot 172) English private collection until its sale at Christie's London on 11 December 1992 (lot 363) Erna Weidinger Collection (1923 - 2021) - Austria Literature : Georg Scharf - A list of the pictures in Blenheim Palace - Catalogue raisonné Part 2 - London 1862 (page 166 - number 199 "after Palma Giovane") Charles Davies...

A View of London as it was in the Year 1647 is a hand colored copper engraving published by the well known British publisher and engraver John Boydell (1720-1804) and engraved by R.Benning sold at Cheapside London 1756. Panoramic view on two sheets conjoined as issued linen mounted. Lettered with title in French and English along the base of the image including a numbered key to the structures. In very good condition except for one 1/8 inch tear in the sky to the left of the middle seam that is barely noticeable. This is a large very detailed panorama of London...

This is a striking original antique colored botanical mezzotint and line double page engraving of banana plants, which is finished with hand-coloring. It is entitled "Banana 1. Musa,...

Italian painter (18th century) - Portrait of a gentleman with an aphorism. 92 x 68cm. Oil on canvas, unframed (not signed). - Iscribed on the book: "In the world there are more cr...