Willem Witsen

Willem Witsen, Oude Waal, Amsterdam, Etching

1912

This charming 19th-century drawing by British artist Edmond Albert Joseph Tyrel de Poix (1840-1916) depicts a mother and child standing by a mill pond before a rustic watermill. De Poix was a gentleman artist descended from French nobility...

This beautiful early 20th-century fan design by American-English artist Cyrus Cuneo ROI (1879-1916) depicts a couple with cherubs in an ornamental garden. Cuneo was an accomplished p...

This late 19th-century gouache by British artist Joseph Knight (1837-1909) depicts a gentle moorland landscape with cattle. Knight was primarily known for his naturalistic depictions of North Wales. Raised amid the hurried industrious streets of Chorlton-Upon-Medlock in Manchester, Knight was obliged to pursue a career at one of its many cotton mills. His father, also Joseph Knight, was a mill engineer and would’ve expected his son to follow suit. It appears he was sent to work at the age of four - unthinkable today, but not uncommon in the 1840s. In around 1841, Knight was involved in an accident, which resulted in the loss of his right arm. This probably coincided with him being sent, together with his siblings, to stay with relatives, Thomas and Jane Knight, also of Chorlton. Evidently, following this, he undertook a change of direction, taking the first steps on a path to artistry. During the mid to late 19th century, landscape paintings grew in popularity partly due to the desires of a new middle-class buyer but also as a tonic for increasing urbanisation. And perhaps there’s no better example of an artist who understood the restorative qualities of nature than Joseph Knight. In his early teens, he gained employment at a photography studio, primarily assisting with portraiture. With a keen eye for composition, his skills flourished and were met with much approval from staff and customers alike. It was here that he first met with Mr. Henry Crowley who was so taken by the boy’s aptitude that he encouraged him to seek a career as a painter. Crowley funded his education, enrolling him at the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts, where the emphasis was on honing one’s draughtsmanship in a strict environment via diligent study and life drawing. With his technique now evolved, commissions were forthcoming - both as a painter and photographer. In the 1861 census, now married, he records his occupation as ‘Photographic artist and painter in oil’. It’s plausible that he was involved in adding tints to photographic portraits during this period while also working as a painter. As recognition of his development, in 1868, he was elected as a full member of the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts, and a year later debuted at London’s Royal Academy with ‘Evening, Near Quimper, Brittany’ and ‘Breton Peasants’. It was around this time that he came to the attention of several of his younger contemporaries who viewed his naturalistic approach as altogether fresher and entirely modern. In a quiet rebellion against their formulaic training, they undertook to paint directly from nature, ‘en plein air’, without the rigour of academic constraints. The group, which included Joshua Anderson Hague...

This fine mid-19th-century watercolour by Italian artist Girolamo Tubino (1805-1879) is after ‘La Velata’ (Woman with a Veil) by Raphael (1483-1520),...

Photographed in 1987 in John Rylands Library, Manchester and was part of Richard Heeps iconic series 'Ordinary Places', which was his first colour collection. The exhibition was show...

Original Germany poster: Bayerische Zeppelin-Eckener Spende. 1925. (Bavarian Zeppelin-Eckener donation). Printer: M. Grunst, München. Condition: Grade A. The Zeppelin Eckene...

Original poster: Food and the War! American wheat to win! Rare and very seldom seen original World War 1 authentic vintage poster. Archi...

Balmoral by His Majesty King Charles III (formerly known as HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales) - Hand Signed Limited Edition Lithograph. Belgravia Gallery has been honoured to be associated with the artworks of HRH The Prince of Wales for over 25 years. Anna Hunter, gallery owner, wrote a handwritten letter to the Prince asking him if he would consider making signed lithographs from his beautiful watercolours which could be sold in aid of his charities. The gallery subsequently worked with the Prince for over 10 years publishing some 18 different editions and raising over £4million for the Prince’s Charitable Foundation. Lithographs were made from the Prince’s original watercolours under the guidance of Stanley Jones – a celebrated printmaker who had previously worked with Henry Moore for 30 years, and with Elizabeth Frink, David Hockney and others. Each one is hand-signed. “…One thing I have discovered in the course of my painting efforts is that Balmoral Castle...