Renaissance Art

Attributed to Bonifacio Bembo c.1444-1477 Italy Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian Tempera on panel These exceptionally rare early Renaissance panels of Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian are an extraordinary new discovery. Based on the research of art historians Marco Tanzi and Andrea de Marchi, it is believed that these represent the missing panels from the famed polyptych formerly displayed on the altar of the Chapel of San Nicola da Tolentino in the Church of Sant’Agostino in Cremona, Italy. To find two matching early Renaissance panels outside of a museum or church, particularly in such remarkable condition, is an extraordinary rarity. The central and left-sided panels of the original five-part polyptych are currently in the collection of the Museo Civico Ala Ponzone in Cremona. These panels have luckily remained intact, and respectively portray the Madonna and Child Enthroned with Angels and Donor, Saint Nicholas of Tolentino (the chapel’s namesake) and Saint George. While the present panels have since been reduced, that they belong to the Cremonese altarpiece is confirmed by a number of stylistic elements. All five panels contain the same rich decorative arabesque pattern on their stamped gold background, while the figures’ knurled haloes are identical in both their fineness of line and use of perspective. The proportions of the figures coincide perfectly; Saints Cosmas and Damian would have originally also been depicted as full-length figures, fitting into the vertical, Gothic style of the altarpiece. According to the Christian religion, Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian were 3rd century physicians born in Arabia. Little is known about their lives except that they were reputedly twin brothers and that they were martyred in Syria during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. It was believed that the saints were skilled in healing, and when their medicines failed, their faith and prayers could always perform miracles. Thus, the saints are often depicted with their medical equipment while wearing the traditional medieval doctor’s garb of crimson robes and distinctive round red hats. The saints are similarly depicted in the present panels, though considering the manner in which they have been cut, their medical tools are not immediately evident. The saints were highly popular as patrons of wealthy families during the Gothic and Renaissance eras, particularly the Medici, and thus they occur frequently in art from the era. The twins, for instance, are found in the famed San Marco Altarpiece by Fra Angelico in the San Marco Museum (Florence), as well as in a set of Medici panels crafted by Filippo Lippi...

Francis Bassano , workshop. Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. Venetian school. Late Renaissance Italian painting. Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.u2028 Late 16th - Ear...

Prodigus is a beautiful black and white engraving on paper, made by Gerard de Jode around 1570. Title in Latin "Delitys fruitur veneris patrisque liei / Prodigus, the premiere mox miser ecce fame" on the plate on the lower margin and "MC" monogrammed on plate the lower left margin and inscription of the author on the plate on the lower right margin ( the name is partially readable). The parable of the son to the prodigy...

Early 18th century museum quality Nature Morte still life Dutch or French oil painting. This Nature Morte painting has all the Classic attributes or a masterpiece showing various ga...

Attributed to Francesco PENNI (1488 – 1528) Study for a fresco Pen and brown ink, brown wash heightened with white on prepared paper 14 x 12 cm On the mount, handwriting inscriptio...

15th century, Italian Circle of Antonio del Pollaiuolo (1429-1498) Portrait of an Italian Noblewoman Oil and tempura on poplar panel With partial inscription: ALZETAPIN Provenance:...

Giovanni Agostino Cassana (c.1658 – 6 May 1720) Venetian Birds with an Upturned Basket of Fruit Oil on canvas: 25 x 35 in. Frame: 33 x 43 in. Abate, or Giovanni Agostino Cassana ...

This artwork is described beautifully by Art critic and curator Salvatore Russo at an exhibition in Uffizi Gallery, Florence 2016 - "Barry Davies, a sculptor able to state the streng...

St. Francis of Assisi Italian School, circa 1500 oil paint on copper, unframed copper: 6.75 x 10 inches provenance: private collection, Loire Valley, France condition: for a work tha...

Davies designed this urn by drawing on extensive research culminating in adopting classical elements from Graeco-Roman antiquity. It's elegant shape is subtly embellished with a Roma...

The images of this sculpture are of a larger original than the scaled down version for sale here. This sword was a gift from Zeus to Perseus to defeat the gorgon Medusa. Davies desig...

'Apuleio' (Apuleius) Copper-line engraving by N Billy after Giovanni Domenico Campiglia. Plate number top right corner of image. Giovanni...

The Holy family with St. Joseph and St. Anna. Tuscan school. Late mannerist period, Circa 1610. Oil on canvas. Size 102cm x 77cm Painting by an unknown Tuscan painter from the lat...

After Lorenzo Lippi (Florence, May 6, 1606 - Florence, April 15, 1665) is a Baroque painter of the Florentine school and a seventeenth-century Italian poet.

Johannes Sadeler I (Flemish, ∗ 1550 in Brussels, Belgium – † 1600 Venice, Italy) Jonah Spat Up by the Whale (Sheet II) Engraved by Sadeler after an image created by Theodor Bernard...

Johannes Sadeler I (Flemish, ∗ 1550 in Brussels, Belgium – † 1600 Venice, Italy) Jonah thrown to the Whale (First Sheet) Engraved by Sadeler after an image created by Theodor Berna...

Lovely pair of heads of small cherubs carved in white Carrara marble. The chubby faces adorned with admirable hair with abundant tight and deep curls with a quiff on the forehead. Th...

This woodcut print, depicting the 'Agony in the Garden,' is a rare image coming from a small passional. A passional is a common kind of devotional ...

The Agony in the Garden. (Christ on the Mount of Olives). Technique: Oil on Panel, 4 wooden boards, not parqueted. Dim. with frame: 78cm x 67cm Dim. without frame: 52 x 62 cm Germa...

A portrait of courtier and politician John Poyntz, after Hans Holbein, circa 1644 - 1674. This painting is based on a drawing by Hans Holbein, part of the drawings collection of the ...

This piece is from a collection of originally designed etchings with drypoints by Rembrandt. It is printed on Ingres D'arches off-white laid paper. The prints are the sixth and final state Posthumous Impression. Printing plates were made in 1650, this collection was printed in 1998. Rembrandt van Rijn was one of the masters of the landscape genre in his prints and drawings. In his etching, "Landscape with a Cow...

Red chalk on paper Image size: 5 x 8 1/2 inches (12.75 x 21.5 cm) Mounted This 18th century drawing is after the work of the 16th Century Italian artist Annibale Carraci. This figure, along with many more, were painted by Carraci in the Palazzo Farnese in a space now known as the Carracci gallery. The Carracci gallery is considered as one of the most important Renaissance commissions in Rome. This figure, along with five other companions, were known as 'The Captives'. They were designed by the artist to appear trapped in the architectural spaces in the walls and sat around the fresco that featured Perseus and Andromeda. Similarly to the original drawings, this artist has taken considerable care to sculpt his form with light and shadow, gently blending strokes on the smooth-skinned cheek and distinctly denoting the direction of hair strands. Annibale Carracci Annibale Carracci (1560–1609) was the most admired painter of his time and the vital force in the creation of Baroque style. Together with his cousin Ludovico (1555–1619) and his older brother Agostino (1557–1602)—each an outstanding artist—Annibale set out to transform Italian painting. The Carracci rejected the artificiality of Mannerist painting, championing a return to nature coupled with the study of the great northern Italian painters of the Renaissance, especially Correggio, Titian, and Veronese. During the 1580s, the Carracci were painting the most radical and innovative pictures in Europe. Annibale not only drew from nature, he created a new, broken brushwork to capture movement and the effects of light on form. His Two Children Teasing a Cat marks a new chapter in the history of genre painting.  The revolutionary potential of this new kind of painting would be taken up over a decade later by Caravaggio, who must have seen the Carraccis’ work while traveling from Milan to Rome in 1592. The Carracci saw themselves as heir to a great artistic tradition, and they consciously situated themselves within the history of northern Italian painting. Annibale and Agostino visited Parma and Venice to study the work of Correggio, Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese. Their altarpieces and secular fresco cycles in Bologna reasserted a northern Italian emphasis on color, light, and the study of nature, but with a new focus on emotive communication. Their success led to Annibale being invited to Rome to work for the powerful Farnese family (1595). Ludovico remained in Bologna to direct the academy they founded. Through the next generation of painters—Francesco Albani, Domenichino, Guido Reni, Giovanni Lanfranco, and Guercino—Bolognese painting became the dominant force in seventeenth-century art. In Rome, Annibale’s painting was transformed through his first-hand encounter with classical antiquity and the art of Michelangelo and Raphael. Individual scenes of ancient mythology are surrounded by an elaborate illusionistic framework with feigned statues, in front of which sit muscular nude figures seemingly lit from the actual windows (Galleria Farnese ceiling). The corners are opened to painted views of the sky. When unveiled in 1600, the ceiling was instantly acclaimed as the equal of any work in the past. In combining northern Italian naturalism with the idealism of Roman painting, Annibale created the basis of Baroque art. His only challenger in Rome was Caravaggio, whose relation with the past was combative rather than assimilative. Moreover, Caravaggio’s art...

Red chalk on paper Image size: 11 x 5 1/2 inches (28 x 14 cm) Mounted This 18th century drawing is after the work of the 16th Century Italian artist Annibale Carraci. This figure, along with many more, were painted by Carraci in the Palazzo Farnese in a space now known as the Carracci gallery. The Carracci gallery is considered as one of the most important Renaissance commissions in Rome. This figure, along with five other companions, were known as 'The Captives'. They were designed by the artist to appear trapped in the architectural spaces in the walls and sat around the fresco that featured Perseus and Andromeda. Annibale Carracci Annibale Carracci (1560–1609) was the most admired painter of his time and the vital force in the creation of Baroque style. Together with his cousin Ludovico (1555–1619) and his older brother Agostino (1557–1602)—each an outstanding artist—Annibale set out to transform Italian painting. The Carracci rejected the artificiality of Mannerist painting, championing a return to nature coupled with the study of the great northern Italian painters of the Renaissance, especially Correggio, Titian, and Veronese.During the 1580s, the Carracci were painting the most radical and innovative pictures in Europe. Annibale not only drew from nature, he created a new, broken brushwork to capture movement and the effects of light on form. His Two Children Teasing a Cat marks a new chapter in the history of genre painting. The revolutionary potential of this new kind of painting would be taken up over a decade later by Caravaggio, who must have seen the Carraccis’ work while traveling from Milan to Rome in 1592.The Carracci saw themselves as heir to a great artistic tradition, and they consciously situated themselves within the history of northern Italian painting. Annibale and Agostino visited Parma and Venice to study the work of Correggio, Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese. Their altarpieces and secular fresco cycles in Bologna reasserted a northern Italian emphasis on color, light, and the study of nature, but with a new focus on emotive communication. Their success led to Annibale being invited to Rome to work for the powerful Farnese family (1595). Ludovico remained in Bologna to direct the academy they founded. Through the next generation of painters—Francesco Albani, Domenichino, Guido Reni, Giovanni Lanfranco, and Guercino—Bolognese painting became the dominant force in seventeenth-century art. In Rome, Annibale’s painting was transformed through his first-hand encounter with classical antiquity and the art of Michelangelo and Raphael. Individual scenes of ancient mythology are surrounded by an elaborate illusionistic framework with feigned statues, in front of which sit muscular nude figures seemingly lit from the actual windows (Galleria Farnese ceiling). The corners are opened to painted views of the sky. When unveiled in 1600, the ceiling was instantly acclaimed as the equal of any work in the past. In combining northern Italian naturalism with the idealism of Roman painting, Annibale created the basis of Baroque art. His only challenger in Rome was Caravaggio, whose relation with the past was combative rather than assimilative. Moreover, Caravaggio’s art...

Circle of Amico Aspertini Oil on panel, 59x31 cm. Provenance: Asta Pandolfini 8 marzo 2023 lot. 47. He was born in Bologna to a family of painters (including Giovanni Antonio Asperti...

Description: A Flemish Statue of Crowned Virgin Mary with Child Jesus, 17th Century, polychromed wood, silver crowns Statue: Crowned Madonna and Child Object Type: Statuette Artist, Sculptor / Creator: Unknown Place of Origin: Flanders Period: 17th Century Style: Renaissance Materials and Techniques: Polychromed wood, Silver Categories: Christianity Dimensions: H. 55 cm D. 15 cm W. 19 cm History: The Madonna and Child is one of the most easily recognisable, most frequently produced themes in the history of Art and has been depicted by many famous artists, including Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael. The word Madonna is derived from the Italian 'ma donna,' or 'my lady' and is used to describe Mary, the mother of Christ. The Madonna and Child depict a loving mother and son, which is a symbol of hope, faith, and love and represents the love and bond between mother and child, and is a symbol of hope and protection. Purity or virginity is represented by the color of clothing of Madonna. The color blue symbolises purity, virginity, and royalty. Physical Description: A magnificent 17th Century statue in polychromed wood of standing Madonna and Child. Virgin Mary is holding a small staff that is often shown in the hands of a king or queen. In Her left arm She is holding Her Son, Jesus Christ who is holding the World in His left hand to show that He is our Heavenly king on Earth and His Mother is our Queen. She wears a tight fitting golden dress with blue sleeves; over this is a blue mantle; Her mantle is lined red and is with an ochre gold border. The flesh is painted in natural colours and Her long hair lies over both shoulders. The Child Jesus wears a blue long sleeves dress...

Jacopo Zanguidi BERTOJA (1544-1574) Combat of five figures, bas-relief from the School of Athens after Raphael Ink on paper 43×34cm Interesting thing According to Professor David E...

Sacred Conversation: Madonna with child with St. John with idealized landscape background with mountains. Early XVI century. Oil on wooden panel of Venetian conifers. Marco Bello, attributed. (Venezia, 1470 - 1523, Udine), pupil and follower of Giovanni Bellini. Venetian school. Madonna with child with St. John with idealized landscape background with mountains. Dimentions: 57cm x 68cm x 6cm Beautiful late Renaissance frame...

Description: A Spanish Statue of the Virgin Mary with Child Jezus, Circa 1600, polychromed wood Statue : Madonna and Child Object Type: Statuette Artist, Sculptor / Maker: Unknown Place of Origin: Spain Period: Circa 1600 Materials and Techniques: Polychromed wood Categories: Christianity Style: Renaissance Dimensions: H. 45 cm D. 13 cm W. 15 cm History: The Madonna and Child is one of the most easily recognisable, most frequently produced themes in the history of Art and has been depicted by many famous artists, including Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael. The word Madonna is derived from the Italian 'ma donna,' or 'my lady' and is used to describe Mary, the mother of Christ. The Madonna and Child depict a loving mother and son, which is a symbol of hope, faith, and love and represents the love and bond between mother and child, and is a symbol of hope and protection. Physical Description: A magnificent statue in polychromed wood of standing Madonna and Child. Virgin Mary is holding Her Son in Her left arm. Together with Jesus Christ They are holding the World in Their hands to show that They are together and our Heavenly king on Earth and His Mother is our Queen. She wears a tight fitting golden red dress; over this is a red mantle; Her mantle is lined blue and is with an ochre gold border. The flesh is painted in natural colours and Her long hair lies over both shoulders. The Child Jesus wears a green long sleeves dress. With His right hand He gives a blessing and represents Trinitarian love. In addition to signifying a blessing or that the Lord is speaking, this position conveys doctrinal truth, the three uplifted fingers depict the unity of God in the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
 Historical Significance: The facial features and drapery which envelopes the body point to Spanish origin. The statue of Virgin Mary...

An evocative, 14th century, carved wood statue of a seated Mary with the Christ child in her lap. The piece with a beautiful patina featuring polychrome paint traces. Now mounted on ...

Beyond life-sized, allegorical, Renaissance figural oil painting of Summer, featuring a nymph recessed in an alcove, swathed in drapery, wearing a foliate crown. In her right hand, a...

Engraving, "the hunt for vipers" xylographs (wood and copper engravings), after Jan Van der Straeten, dit Stradanus (Bruges 1523-Florence 1605). Painter of history, mythological, rel...

Engraving:  The Ibex hunting with snakes Historical , mythological, religious, allegorical subjects, genre scenes, landscape painter. Mannerist. He settled in Antwerp, Venice, Flore...

Engraving:  The Deer hunting Woodcuts and copper engraving, after Jan Van der Straeten so called Stradanus (Bruges 1523-Florence 1605). A historical, mythological, religious, allegorical, genre scenes, landscape and mural compositions painter. He lived in Antwerp, Venice, Florence, where he worked for the Medici He then met  Vasari and worked with him  at the the Vatican, the Palazzo Vechio .... Out of a set of 5 prints: - The  Duck Hunting - The ibex hunting with dogs...

Engraving, "The hare hunt with Cheetah" xylographs (woodcuts and copper engravings), after Jan Van der Straeten, dit Stradanus (Bruges 1523-Florence 1605). Painter of history, mythol...

Venus and Mars surprised by Vulcan, circa 1580, circle of Jacob de Backer ( Antwerp, 1545 - 1585) The subject of our work is derived from Ovid's metamo...

Carved wooden sculpture - San Roberto. Italy, 16th century. 54 x 30 x h 112 cm. Entirely in carved and painted wood with traces of polychromy and gilding. - Work inscribed on the ...

Extraordinary in its beauty and rarity, this early 16th-century German painting of an illuminated manuscript showcases a masterful trompe l’oeil effect. Unequivocally among the finest of only 17 known works of its kind, the oil on panel is both rare and captivating. With illusory pages that appear to leap from the panel, this virtuosic painting of a hand-colored book suspended into space is exceptional. Created more than four centuries ago, the composition evokes a strong sense of realism. Executed by a masterful Northern Renaissance artist of the German school, the illuminated manuscript pictured shows the astonishing splendor of the historical books of the period. Sumptuously decorated with scrolling floral motifs in the margins, the manuscript appears before a deep black background, heightening the trompe l’oeil illusion of depth through its strong contrast and the naturalistic shadows falling across the fluttering pages. It has been said that of the 17 known versions of this composition, ours stands alone in its precision in both perspective and the play of light and shadow. The visible folios feature choral arrangements and other texts, indicating the pictured manuscript likely served a role in the celebration of church services. In fact, other examples of manuscript paintings...

Carved wooden sculpture - San Mauro. Italy, 16th century. 54 x 30 x h 110cm. Entirely in carved and painted wood with traces of polychromy and gilding. - Work inscribed on the bas...

Figurative Group Roman Catholic Saints Italian School, late 17th century/ early 1700's sketch of a lamb showing verso to panel oil painting on panel, framed framed: 20 x 24 inches bo...

This art piece is a Florentine Renaissance period fresco of late 1500 hand painted with egg tempera representing the temptation of Adam and Eve, this pivotal moment in the history of genesis is framed in an oval scrolled cartouche and flanked by architectural pillars featured as two sculptural male and female caryatids holding the entablature of the palazzo. This antique Italian old master...

Italian Renaissance Angels Making Music - 16th Century Renaissance Fresco Fragment - Lombardy Italy A detached Renaissance Fresco dating to the ea...

This artwork is described beautifully by Art critic and curator Salvatore Russo at an exhibition in Uffizi Gallery, Florence 2016 - "Barry Davies, a sculp...

Provenance: Private Collection, New Jersey The present painting depicts Saint Vincent Ferrer preaching from a raised pulpit to a group of seven peopl...

Old Master Drawing by the Circle of Lambert Lombard. Drawing/ Study of a Man in Renaissance Style, later signed "F. Floris". Study of a Man Lombard li...

A rare & important Italian Renaissance tempera on parchment painting, Giuseppe Cesari Il Cavalier d'Arpino (Giuseppe Cesari, 1568-1640), the painting c...

A brilliant and early impression of this woodcut. Dark, well-inked, with strong contrasts and no sign of wear. From "The Fall and Salvation of Mankind Through the Life and Passion of Christ."

Leonardo da Vinci "Nature Studies from the Royal Library at Windsor Castle" The J. Paul Getty Museum, November 15, 1980 - February 15, 1981 Exhibition Poste...

Large Saint Sebastian finely carved in alabaster. The saint is attached to a column surmounted by a capital, beautiful soft features and superb hair wi...

'Magone Cartaginese' (Magone of Carthage) Copper-line engraving by Pazzi after Giovanni Domenico Campiglia. Plate number top right corner of image. Giovanni Domenico Campiglia (1692–1768) was an Italian painter and engraver from Florence, active under the patronage of the House of Medici. Illustration of an Ancient Roman marble bust from 'Musei Capitolini', a series of engravings showing the sculpture of the Capitoline Museum in Rome. Mago I, also known as Magon, was the king of the Ancient Carthage...

'Cicerone' (Cicero) Copper-line engraving by C Gregory after Giovanni Domenico Campiglia. Plate number top right corner of image. Giovanni Domenico Campiglia (1692–1768) was an Ita...

The arrest of Christ; Judas embraces Christ as a group of soldiers apprehend Him; Christ places His hand on the fearful Malchus who sits on the ground holding a lamp; Peter grips his...

'Ippocrate' (Hippocratus) Copper-line engraving by Pazzi after Giovanni Domenico Campiglia. Plate number top right corner of image. Giova...

'Omero' (Homer) Copper-line engraving by Carlo Gregori after Giovanni Domenico Campiglia. Plate number top right corner of image. Giovanni Domenico Campiglia (1692–1768) was an Italian painter and engraver from Florence, active under the patronage of the House of Medici. Illustration of an Ancient Greek marble...

"Bacco' (Bacchus) Copper-line engraving by Silvestro Pomared after Giovanni Domenico Campiglia. Plate number top right corner of image. Giovanni Domenico Campiglia (1692–1768) was an Italian painter and engraver from Florence, active under the patronage of the House of Medici. Illustration of an Ancient Greek marble...

'Massinissa re de' Numidi' Copper-line engraving by Guttierez after Giovanni Domenico Campiglia. Plate number top right corner of image. Giovanni Domenico Campiglia (1692–1768) was...

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

Heinrich Ulrich (aka Heinrich Ullrich) (fl.1567–1621) “Soldier with Hellebarde”, 1598, out of the series, “The Guard of Emperor Rudolph” (aka “Old German Soldiers...

Terracotta statue representing a putto blowing with a cloth around his leg. It's inspired by the putto with dolphin by Andrea del Verrocchio, mad...