William Hogarth Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Pen and sepia ink and wash on vellum, 8 7/8 x 10 1/2 inches (225 x 267 mm). In very good condition with some modern notations in pencil on the verso, minor cockling, and a 1-inch hor...

Ink and watercolor on fibrous Japon paper laid down to period cream laid paper, 6 x 7 1/2 inches (155 x 190 mm). Minor toning and some insect damage on the mount, painting itself rem...

"Mademoiselle X" story illustration for Vogue February 1, 1934, watercolor and ink, reverse signed in pencil "Benito for Madame X," pencil inscription "Feb.1, 1934 / Page 51 / 316," ...

Ink and gouache with gold heightening on fibrous, brown laid paper with a Jaipur Court Fee tax stamp in gray ink, and the 1889 Jaipur State Council stamp in black ink, 13 1/4 x 8 3/4 inches (335 x 222 mm). Toning, handling creases and minor scattered surface soiling throughout. There are scattered coeval Hindi inscriptions in ink on the recto. "A ragamala, translated from Sanskrit as "garland of ragas," is a series of paintings depicting a range of musical melodies known as ragas. Its root word, raga, means color, mood, and delight, and the depiction of these moods was a favored subject in later Indian court paintings...

Ink wash with watercolor in sepia and black, and blue, on buff wove watercolor paper, 14 1/4 x 10 1/4 inches (360 x 260 mm). 1/4" of the lower right corner is lost, minor crack (doe...

A portait of the first Allied airship to perform a bombing raid from the sky by a celebrated artist whose work hung on the Titanic. Watercolor and ink on heavy wove watercolor paper, 10 5/8 x 15 inches (270 x 380 mm). Signed in black watercolor in the lower right image area. In very good condition with minor surface soiling on the verso. Titled "Verdun" in pencil on the verso in the artist's hand. Adhered on the verso to matboard at the extreme margins with non archival tape. Presented handsomely in a simple, period maple frame. Titled, dated, inscribed and initialed by the artist on a label on the frame back. Born in Cambridge in 1898 and educated at Southsea School of Art, Norman Wilkinson is known for his graphic art, specifically his British Railway poster images, and also for something quite incredible; Wilkinson revolutionized the art of naval camouflage. Having been assigned to submarine patrols in Dardanelles, Gallipoli, and Gibraltar during WWI as a member of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, Wilkinson was deeply troubled by the unprecedented success the German submarine fleet had torpedoing British ships. He hoped to find a solution to this gaping vulnerability, and in a lightning bolt moment, he had an epiphany that would change everything. Wilkinson says in his autobiography, A Brush With Life (Seeley, 1969), that he realized a ship could be painted to hide its shape against the sea and sky. In his own words, Wilkinson states that the hull of a ship could be camouflaged "not for low visibility, but in such a way as to break up her form and thus confuse a submarine officer as to the course on which she was heading." After some preliminary testing, the theory Wilkinson called "dazzle camouflage" was accepted by British Admiralty and Wilkinson was placed in charge of the naval camouflage unit. The unit, which was headquartered in the basement of the Royal Academy of Arts, consisted of Wilkinson and about two dozen "camoufleurs;" they were artists, students, model makers and consultants, including a zoologist. The dazzle schemes were tested on models and then distributed to artists who were stationed at the docks, where the ships would be painted. At the end of the war Wilkinson was formally declared the inventor of dazzle camouflage and awarded for his contribution. Wilkinson went on to enjoy a long and celebrated career as a painter of maritime scenes, naval vessels, and warships. He served as the president of the Royal Institute of Painter in Water Colours (RI) from 1936 until 1963 (having been elected a member in 1906); he was elected Honourable Marine Painter to the Royal Yacht Squadron in 1919, and he was a member of the Royal Society of British Artists, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, the Royal Society of Marine Artists, and the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour. In 1918 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and a Commander of the Order (CBE) in 1948. In January 1920 he was appointed knight (chevalier) of the Belgian Order of the Crown. Among the many notable points of interest regarding Wilkinson's career is that his painting Plymouth Harbour, which was commissioned by Cunard White Star Lines for the first class smoking room of the RMS Titanic, was lost at sea when it perished with the ship. Wilkinson had also created a comparable painting entitled The Approach to the New World, which hung in the same location on the Titanic's sister ship, the RMS Olympic...

Ink and gouache with gold heightening on brown laid paper with a Jaipur Court Fee tax stamp in black ink, 12 5/8 x 8 9/16 inches (320 x 217 mm). Toning, handling creases and minor sc...

Edouard Detaille (1848-1912) A carnival scene 21 x 16.5 cm Watercolor and brown ink on paper Signed lower right Period frame : 35 x 30 cm (lacks in...

Ink and gouache with gold heightening on fibrous, brown laid paper with a Jaipur Court Fee tax stamp in black ink, 13 3/8 x 8 3/4 inches (340 x 222 mm). Toning, handling creases and ...

Mariusz Szalajdewicz (b. 1974) Studied at the Faculty of Architecture at Warsaw University of Technology, where he mastered the drawing skill. Architect and urbanist, illustrator. ...

Illustrated for the 1949 Four Seasons Calendar, published by Brown and Bigelow. A young girl holds a freshly-picked bouquet of flowers as she strolls alongside a boy who carries he...

English School, 18th century Pen and black ink with gray wash on cream laid paper, 9 1/4 x 5 inches (238 x132 mm). 1/4 inch repaired loss, top center, to the left of the figure’s h...