Jack Wittrup Paintings

CHRISTOFFEL LUBIENIECKI (1659-1729) Pair of portraits of a gentleman and a lady, both in silk kimono, before a country house (circa 1680) Indistinctly signed “C.......” on a box under the man’s left hand Oil on canvas, 79.5 x 67 cm each Both sitters are portrayed wearing a silk “Japanese” coat. During the second half of the seventeenth the Japanese silk coat, an adapted Japanese kimono, became a real vogue in the Dutch elite. The exclusive Dutch trade contacts with Japan can explain the popularity of the kimono-style silk coats in the Netherlands. Everybody who could afford one, dressed in such a fashionable and comfortable coat and, like the present sitters, some proud owners had themselves portrayed in a “Japanese” coat often together with an oriental carpet to underline their standing and international connections. These portraits are the work of the Polish-born portraitist Christoffel Lubieniecki (also known as Lubienitski, Lubinitski or Lubiniecki) Lubieniecki was first trained in Hamburg under Julian Stuhr and after 1675 in Amsterdam under Adriaen Backer and Gerard de Lairesse. He specialized in landscapes, generally of an Italianate character, and in portraits. The loving execution of these contented burghers, enjoying the garden vistas of their country house, places him alongside Amsterdam portraitists such as Constantijn Netscher and Michiel van Musscher...

Provenance: Charles H. and Virginia Baldwin, Claremont, Colorado Springs, Colorado ca. 1907-1934; thence by descent until sold in 1949 to: Charles Blevins Davis, Claremont (renamed Trianon), Colorado Springs 1949 -until gifted in 1952 to: The Poor Sisters of Saint Francis, Trianon, Colorado Springs, 1952 until acquired, 1960, by: John W. Metzger, Trianon, renamed as the Trianon School of Fine Arts, Colorado Springs, 1960-1967; when transferred to: The Metzger Family Foundation, Trianon Art Museum, Denver, 1967 - 2004; thence by descent in the Metzger Family until 2015 Exhibited: Trianon Art Museum, Denver (until 2004) The present work is a spectacular jewel-like canvas by Amigoni, rich in delicate pastel colors, most likely a modello for an altarpiece either lost or never painted. In it the Madonna stands firmly upon a cloud in the heavens, her Child resting on a delicate veil further supported by a cloud, as he gently wraps his arm around his mother’s neck. From above angels prepare to lower flowers and a wreath, while other angels and seraphim surrounding the two joyfully cavort. Dr. Annalisa Scarpa, author of the forthcoming monograph on Jacopo Amigoni...

Artist Edward Cucuel and his wife Clara Lotte von Marcard spent their first two decades together in Germany, mostly in a villa on Lake Ammersee in Holzhausen near Munich. It is the works created in this period, mainly outdoor scenes of young women in fashionable attire of the day, that are most collected and appreciated among his works. It’s easy to see why- they capture an elegance and sense of calm and easy leisure- of long days in gardens or by the water.  This is one of those captured moments with a well-dressed woman watching the sailing yacht...

Portrait of Girl and Dogs is signed and dated 1861 and exhibited in 1862 is by Gourlay Steell, (1819-1894) RSA, appointed as Animal Painter for Scotland to Queen Victoria’s Court aft...

Circle of Jacob Ferdinand Voet Portrait of a Little Girl Oil on canvas H. 44 cm; W. 38 cm Unsigned This delicate portrait of a child, from the circle of Jacob Ferdinand Voet, demons...

French School, late 18th century, circle of Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725–1805) Young Girl with a Basket of Fruit Oil on canvas, preparatory work, Unsigned 39 x 31 cm Provenance: Pri...

Jean CLUSEAU-LANAUVE (Périgueux 1914 - Paris 1997) The Pianist Oil on canvas H. 46 cm; W. 38 cm Signed lower right. Countersigned, titled, and dated on the back - 1962 Provenance: E...

Abraham Johannes Romswinckel (1810-1856) Self-portrait in Indonesian landscape Inscribed Abr. Joh. Romswinckel, geb. Batavia 17 Oct. 1810, overl...

Circle of Adam de Coster (Mechelen 1586 – Antwerp 1643) Portrait of a Young Man with a Turban, Dressed in Oriental Style Oil on canvas H. 43 cm ; W. 33 cm Unsigned This portrait of ...

A pleasant serenade Italian oil painting on canvas attributed to Alessandro Sani 19Th c. Alessandro Sani (1856–1927) was an Italian painter, mainly of genre subjects. He was born a...

"Oil On Canvas, Art Nouveau Portrait By Leon Tirode (1873-1956)" Old oil on canvas, Art Nouveau style, portrait "Autumn" painted and signed by Leon Tirode (1873-1956), French school...

Provenance: Lewis J. Ruskin, Arizona, 1958–1981; thence by descent to the present owner. This charming portrait of a young boy with his pet squirrel is a newly-discovered work by G...