“Chess Players”

1898

James Gillray (13 August 1756 – 1 June 1815) was a British caricaturist and printmaker famous for his etched political and social satires, mainly published between 1792 and 1810. Many of his works are held at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Description: Pitt (left) as a bank-clerk, very thin and much caricatured, a pen thrust through his wig, stands behind an L-shaped counter offering a handful of bank-notes to John Bull. In his right hand is a scoop with which he sweeps up notes from the counter. John is a yokel no longer bewildered. He stands stolidly, holding out his left hand for the notes, his right hand in his coat pocket. Fox (right) wears a high cocked hat...

Original wood engraving on paper. Taken from Harper’s Weekly, April 7, 1860. Signed “Homer” in the plate. Condition is good. Slight staining lower left. Very slight tear to the l...

Original photo mechanical print handcolored throughout by the French artist, Lucy Garnot. Signed and titled bottom. Circa 1900. Condition is very go...

China Trade aquatint engraving. The plate was engraved by Dadley in London after drawings by Pu Qua of Canton and published in 1799 by W. Miller of Bond Street in London. Sight size 11.5 by 9.5 inches. Under glass. Silver leaf frame with wear consistent with age. Overall framed measurements are 13.5 by 11.5 inches. Not examined out of frame. Borghese label verso. Provenance: Sarasota collector. Inscriptions read as follows: Pu-Qua. Canton. Delin. Dadley, London, Sculpt. Published May 4, 1799, by W. Miller, Old Bond Street, London. John Dadley...

"The Temptation of Saint Anthony" is an original etching by Fernand Cormon. This piece has the artist's stamp. The piece is signed in pencil by the artis...

George Brookshaw's (1751-1823) beautiful "Plums" hand colored aquatint engraving from his "Pomona Brittanica", considered to be the finest British botanical large format treatise of the 19th-century. His engravings were unique for their rich tones and colors, elegant compositions with the fruit seeming to float on a mottled sumptuous background. There are purple, mustard-colored plums on brown branches with green leaves over a two-tone dark brown and light tan background. The print is presented in an ornate bronze-colored wood frame with gold-colored inner and outer trims and a triple mat. The outer mat is a marbled light...

George Brookshaw's (1751-1823) beautiful "Peaches, Nectarines" hand colored aquatint engraving, plate 38 from his "Pomona Brittanica", considered to be the finest British botanical large format treatise of the 19th-century. His engravings were unique for their rich tones and colors, elegant compositions with the fruit seeming to float on a mottled sumptuous background. The pale green and peach-colored peaches and the pink and green flowers lie on a rich dark brown-colored background. The print is presented in an ornate bronze-colored wood frame with gold-colored inner and outer trims and a triple mat. The outer mat is a marbled light...

"The Marriage of Saint Margaret and King Malcolm" is an etching by Scottish artist Alexander Runciman. There is an engraved signature with the artist's monogram followed by "pinxit et fecit," indicating that Runciman both designed the original drawing and likely executed the etching on the metal plate. On the left, a young woman with a halo in fine dress stoops slightly and gathers her skirts as she leans over to accept the ring that the man on the right is reaching to place upon her finger. He is also young, dressed finely, and wearing a crown. Between them, a church official with a pointed hat and a long flowing beard recites the appropriate prayers for the occasion, while onlookers crowd in the background. The tiled floor demonstrates the use of one-point perspective, and the church appears to be in the Gothic style. Art size: 8 3/4" x 7 1/4" Frame size: 26 1/2" x 22 3/8" Alexander Runciman (Edinburgh 15 August 1736 – 4 October 1785 Edinburgh) was a Scottish painter of historical and mythological subjects. He was the elder brother of John Runciman, also a painter. He was born in Edinburgh, and studied at the Foulis Academy, Glasgow, and from 1750 to 1762 he was apprenticed to the landscape painter Robert Norie, later becoming a partner in the Norie family firm. He also worked as a stage painter for the Theatre Royal in Edinburgh. In 1767, he went to Rome, where he spent five years. His brother John accompanied him, but died in Naples in the winter of 1768–69. During Runciman's stay in Italy he became acquainted with other artists such as Henry Fuseli and the sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel...