Rufus Porter

A framed reverse glass painting from the island of Madura, off the Northeastern coast of Java. The painting depicts a mythical seascape with a bright array of colours. The painter wo...

Wonderful naive oil painting of a girl. Fabulous muted colors. The austerity of the image is matched by the simplicity of the antique bleached oak frame. I have chosen not to resto...

ABOUT An original 19th century Mexican folk retablo "Veronica's Veil" or "El Divono Rostro" in Spain . Oil paint on tin. The Veil of Veronica, known in Italian as the Volto Santo or Holy Face, is a Roman Catholic Relic which, according to legend, bears the likeness of the Face of Jesus that was imprinted on it prior to Jesus' crucifixion. According to Roman Catholicism, Saint Veronica encountered Jesus in Jeruselum on the way to Calvary. When she paused to wipe the sweat (Latin, suda) off his face with her veil, his image was left on the veil. In the small village of Osa de la Vega in Spain, there lived a couple who led a very pious life. They were Gregorio de la Torre and Isabel Corral. From their father, Juan Montilla, they inherited a picture of the Face of Jesus or the Divino Rostro. A story that is told one day, to the amazement of many who confirmed its veracity, the picture began to perspire with living blood. News of this extraordinary event spread swiftly and widely throughout the land. CREATOR Unknown. DATE OF MANUFACTURE c.1880. MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES Oil Paint on Tin. CONDITION Good. Wear consistent with age and use. DIMENSIONS H 14 in. W 10 in. HISTORY Retablos, better known as 'laminas' in Mexico, are small oil paintings on tin, wood and sometimes copper which were used in home altars to venerate the almost infinite number of Catholic saints. The literal translation for 'retablo' is 'behind the altar.' This unique genre of art, deeply rooted in European history, was brought to Mexico with the arrival of the Spanish and then ultimately adopted by New World mestizo natives to become what is known today as the Mexican folk retablo. The retablo was an art form that flourished in post conquest Mexico and then ultimately, with the introduction of inexpensive mediums such as tin, reached its pinnacle of popularity in the last quarter of the 19th century. With some exceptions, mostly untrained artists from the provinces worked to produce and reproduce these sacred images; some subjects painted more prolifically than others. A typical "retablero" may have reproduced the same image hundreds, if not thousands of times in his or her career. These oil paintings were sold to devout believers who displayed them in home altars to honor their patron saints. There are virtually hundreds of saints, each invoked to remedy a different situation. "San Ysidro Labrador," the patron saint of farmers, is venerated for good weather...

Mid-20th century Balinese painting on silk fabric, framed. Vintage large Balinese art painting, from Ubud, Bali acrylic on silk. Beautiful artwork by the Indonesian artist from Ubud. Painted in Peliatan, Ubud Bali by W. Kurpelir as signed on the bottom left hand corner. Balinese Folk Festival ceremonial procession, Ink and acrylic paint on canvas. Batuan painting evolved in the 1930s after a group of local villagers tested different forms with ink-washed paintings upon black backgrounds. These paintings often reveal Batuan’s cultural life, directly through their elements of line, shape, and tone. Meticulous design, craftsmanship, and strong visual impression are characteristic of the style. The painting comprise individual shapes which are painted in a precise and systematic manner that does not leave any empty space. The complexity of the paintings is inevitable as each of the strokes, lines, gradations, the characters or the subjects forms a delicate unity that finely balances the figure-filled canvas. Various gradations of colors separate different sections of the painting. The landscape is enticing and endless. About Bali Art...

This charming naive painting of two cats, one with a white fur, one with a reddish brown tiger fur, has been painted on a wooden panel using oil paints. It was painted around the las...

About An original 19th century Mexican folk retablo "Veronica's Veil" or "El Divono Rostro" in Spain . Oil paint on tin. The Veil of Veronica, known in Italian as the Volto Santo or Holy Face, is a Roman Catholic Relic which, according to legend, bears the likeness of the Face of Jesus that was imprinted on it prior to Jesus' crucifixion. According to Roman Catholicism, Saint Veronica encountered Jesus in Jeruselum on the way to Calvary. When she paused to wipe the sweat (Latin, suda) off his face with her veil, his image was left on the veil. In the small village of Osa de la Vega in Spain, there lived a couple who led a very pious life. They were Gregorio de la Torre and Isabel Corral. From their father, Juan Montilla, they inherited a picture of the Face of Jesus or the Divino Rostro. A story that is told one day, to the amazement of many who confirmed its veracity, the picture began to perspire with living blood. News of this extraordinary event spread swiftly and widely throughout the land. CREATOR Unknown. DATE OF MANUFACTURE c.1880. MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES Oil Paint on Tin. CONDITION Good. Wear consistent with age and use. DIMENSIONS H 14 in. W 10 in. HISTORY Retablos, better known as 'laminas' in Mexico, are small oil paintings on tin, wood and sometimes copper which were used in home altars to venerate the almost infinite number of Catholic saints. The literal translation for 'retablo' is 'behind the altar.' This unique genre of art, deeply rooted in European history, was brought to Mexico with the arrival of the Spanish and then ultimately adopted by New World mestizo natives to become what is known today as the Mexican folk retablo. The retablo was an art form that flourished in post conquest Mexico and then ultimately, with the introduction of inexpensive mediums such as tin, reached its pinnacle of popularity in the last quarter of the 19th century. With some exceptions, mostly untrained artists from the provinces worked to produce and reproduce these sacred images; some subjects painted more prolifically than others. A typical "retablero" may have reproduced the same image hundreds, if not thousands of times in his or her career. These oil paintings were sold to devout believers who displayed them in home altars to honor their patron saints. There are virtually hundreds of saints, each invoked to remedy a different situation. "San Ysidro Labrador," the patron saint of farmers, is venerated for good weather...

JOHN R. WATTS (Unknown/Unidentified Artist) - Folk art watercolor and gouache landscape painting on paper - graphite highlights and shading - unframed - signed and dated lower right ...

Large Mural sized hindu painting on silk cloth. Measures: 44.5 x 76 x 1.5. Framed in a Gilt wood frame.

Exceptional Folk Art reverse painting on glass with foil/tinsel back (églomisé) - original hand made wood frame with carved and painted details - unsigned - United States - circa 185...

African Ethiopian painting imported to Italy by a diplomat during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia, in the late 1930s. This tribal folk art painting depicts a battle scene and the canvas is mounted on a parallelogram-shaped frame. It is a large battle painting...

Mid 20th Century Balinese Painting on silk fabric, Framed. Vintage large Balinese art painting, from Ubud, Bali acrylic on silk. Beautiful artwork by the Indonesian artist from Ubud. Painted in Peliatan, Ubud Bali by VJ. Kupur as signed on the bottom left hand corner. Balinese Folk Festival ceremonial procession, Ink and acrylic paint on canvas. Batuan painting evolved in the 1930s after a group of local villagers tested different forms with ink-washed paintings upon black backgrounds. These paintings often reveal Batuan’s cultural life, directly through their elements of line, shape, and tone. Meticulous design, craftsmanship, and strong visual impression are characteristic of the style. The painting comprise individual shapes which are painted in a precise and systematic manner that does not leave any empty space. The complexity of the paintings is inevitable as each of the strokes, lines, gradations, the characters or the subjects forms a delicate unity that finely balances the figure-filled canvas. Various gradations of colors separate different sections of the painting. The landscape is enticing and endless. About Bali Art...

A captivating and intriguing early 20th century Southern American folk art panel, found in Mississippi, depicting a figure with what appears to be African tribal headgear, and wearing a white collared shirt with black suit jacket. The line work and attention to detail is extraordinary and mysterious, with the artist choosing to incorporate a natural knot in the board to form the mouth of the figure, and the left half of the drawing showing shading, but seemingly left unfinished. The frame is not terribly old, and is constructed from splatter-painted boards...