Jamb Ltd. Wall Decorations

A mid 17th century large scale oil on canvas depicting a Leopardess, a Lioness and a Wolf toying with a Dead Hare in an Arcadian landscape; in the style of the Dutch Golden Age ‘Animaliers’ and the circle of Frans Snijders. Large canvases of hunting scenes, often featuring exotic animals such as leopards and lions, were initially popularised by the celebrated painter and diplomat Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), and rapidly became a fixture of seventeenth-century patrician residences across Europe. They were heirs to the Renaissance tradition of tapestries representing hunts, which had long been a form of princely decoration, but had typically required much greater expenditures of time and money. A monumental Wolf and Fox Hunt painted by Rubens in about 1616 – now in New York’s Metropolitan Museum – is considered one of the master’s earliest forays into this genre (fig. 1), alongside a set of four large hunting scenes originally executed for Elector Maximilian of Bavaria (c. 1616), featuring a Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt (Alte Pinakothek, Munich); a Wild Boar Hunt (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Marseilles); a Tiger Hunt (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rennes); and a Lion Hunt destroyed by fire in Bordeaux in 1870. This type of composition – with its energetic treatment of the subject, its references to exotic and powerful beasts and its vibrant atmosphere – immediately appealed to patrons and was enthusiastically embraced by artists both within and outside Rubens’ immediate circle. Among the former were fellow Flemish painters Frans Snyders (1579-1657) and his brother-in-law Paul de Vos (c. 1591-1678), each of whom collaborated with Rubens on important commissions, while also pursuing the genre of hunting scenes as part of their respective studio practices. Indeed, both are now predominantly remembered for their dynamic representations of hunts, which – differently to Rubens’ – chiefly focus on the animals, without the presence of human figures. This characteristic is shared by the present composition, which highlights the interaction between the beasts themselves, their feral nature and proximity enhancing the scene’s dramatic undercurrent. The wolf on the left, baring its teeth to defend its prey, is carefully observed, including its blood-shot eyes, salivating mouth, and thick fur, which all find parallels in compositions by Rubens and his circle (fig. 2). Similarly, the lioness emerging from behind a tree trunk in the background is a citation from a famous composition by Rubens and Jan Brueghel the Elder...

This bucolic representation of the English countryside, animated by a hunting scene in the foreground, is characteristic of the tradition for sporting pictures that developed in Brit...

This powerful hunting scene is closely associated to the work of Antwerp-born seventeenth century painter and draughtsman Frans Snyders, widely considered the “progenitor of Flemish Baroque still-life and animal painting.” Having grown up surrounded by artists, Snyders was initially apprenticed to Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564-1637/38), scion of a well-established family of painters. Like many of his contemporaries in Northern Europe, to complete his education he then travelled to Italy, staying mainly in Rome and Milan (1608-09). Once back in Flanders, his profile as a skilled young painter – who had refined his craft by studying the masters of Italian art – came to the attention of Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), in whose Antwerp studio Snyders entered as an assistant in about 1610, and with whom he would go on to collaborate on a number of important commissions for years to come. In 1611, Snyders further strengthened his ties with the local community of painters by marrying Margaretha de Vos, sister to Cornelis and Paul de Vos, two artists with whom he would also regularly collaborate. Thanks to the lessons learned in Italy and in Rubens’ studio, Snyders soon achieved the ability to create rhythmic and dynamic compositions, infused with vibrant colours and powerful naturalistic effects. Centred on the theme of the still life, his market scenes and representations of richly stocked pantries and larders embodied the buoyant and confident spirit of seventeenth-century Antwerp, a trading port with a wealthy merchant class and aristocracy (Still Life with Dead Game, Fruits, and Vegetables in a Market, 1614, The Art Institute of Chicago; Still-Life with Fowl and Game, 1614, Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne). Flowers from all seasons and dead game are portrayed alongside baskets overflowing with fruit, precious gilt vessels and Chinese Wanli porcelain...

This carefully observed view of Leeds Castle, enlivened by an array of figures and animals moving across its verdant grounds and medieval moat, is an important testimony of the build...

The son of a heraldic painter, Edmund Bristow was born in Berkshire in 1787 ( (1 Apr 1787 – 12 Feb 1876), and lived all his life locally in Eton, after having attended school in near...

A charming, small-scale painting of a brown and white calf.

Most likely French, c.1790/1800, painted on slate with carved giltwood frame.

A Late 18th, Early 19th Century Framed Drawing of Rue de Campo Vaccino, Rome; by Jacques Francois Amand Red chalk on paper. Signed lower left, J Aman, and inscribed with title. Jacq...

A 19th Century Chinese School Painting, in the manner of Giuseppe Castiglione (also by the name of Lang Shi’ning) Following the larger painting known by the title, “Kazaks presenting horses in tribute”, by Giuseppe Castiglione (Lang Shi’ning). This subtly executed copy of this original 18th Century artwork (1757, last photographs included), is a beautiful rendition of the Kazak people leading their horses in tribute to the seated Chinese Emperor (the original ink and paper on hanging scroll, is currently housed Ink at Réunion des Musées Nationaux). Painted onto canvas, with two decorative top hanging fixings. Giuseppe Castiglione was born in Milan on July 19th of 1688, and studied painting extensively in Genoa and Lisbon, and joined the Jesuits in the early 18th Century before being sent to Macao, China by the European Catholic Church. After travelling to Beijing where his artistic ability impressed the Emperor, Castiglione served as imperial artist to the Emperor, as well as his three successors Kang Xi...

A Small Late 18th Century Chinese Export Reverse Painted Mirror Depicting two coloured birds perched on a rocky outcrop, with four large peony blooms, the mirror plate with a sligh...

Two 19th Century French School Watercolours, of the Triumphal Arch at Glanum Depicting two sets of contemporary visitors (Roman, and likely 19th Century) to the Triumphal Arch of Glanum, one half of the famously preserved Roman monuments ‘Les Antiques...

An Early 18th Century Oil on Panel Capriccio of Architectural Ruins In later frame with small brass hanging loop, showing an arcadian landscape setting, with shepherds and their dog...

A Pair of 18th Century Coade Stone Oval Plaques Depicting two sacrificial altar scenes, one possibly an altar of cupid, the other showing Queen Dido of C...

An 18th Century Painting of ‘Scamp’, the Duke of Devonshire’s Racehorse; signed John Wootton A charming equestrian painting, depicting the third Duke of Devonshire’s beloved racehor...

Oil on Canvas; “War of the Spanish Succession, 1702-13”, A Mid 18th Century Marine Scene by Peter Monamy “War of the Spanish Succession, 1702-13″, the fleet under Admiral Sir George...

Oil on Canvas, by Richard Whitford (1821-1890); A Naive Painting of an English Prize Bull Set within a beautifully and peacefully composed pastoral l...

Oil on canvas. English, late 18th-early 19th century.

On linen ground, with central undulating stalk with perched birds and blossoming berry laden branches, embroidered in rich and colourful ‘worsted’ wool yarns. Of portrait, rectangula...

On twilled linen ground, with large scale stylised leafy and blossoming vines, embroidered in worsted wool coloured stitching. Backed on wooden stretchers.