Old Masters Paintings

Peruvian 18 century Spanish colonial

This superb British Old Master portrait is by noted artist Lemuel Francis Abbott. Painted circa 1790, the composition is a half-length standing portrait of a gentleman gazing to his ...

This fantastic Dutch Old Master marine oil painting is by noted Dutch marine artist Abraham Storck. Painted circa 1670 the composition is a number of ships heading out to sea, their ...

Charming work in the Regency style, mid 19th Century after Sir Thomas Lawrence. High quality painting. Old Christie's Stencil to verso. Would grace any home, suitable for contempor...

17th century Old Master painting depicting the Infant Christ with Mary and St. Anne attributed to Nicolas de Liemaker The artist of the present work wonderfully captured the loving gaze of Maria, looking in awe at her child. One can sense the tenderness and love in her eyes. The eyes of Christ appears to be filled with wisdom and love and a finely painted aura crowns his and his mother's heads. St. Anne, Mary's mother, gently holds the infant whilst gazing adoringly at him. The painting is not only a beautiful depiction of Christ and his mother and grandmother, but also a sweet image of the tender bond between a mother's and their children. The vibrant and soft colours of the fabric create a soft cocoon around the figures and seem to further emphasis the beauty and importance of the depicted scenery and its protagonists. Nicolaas de Liemaecker (also spelled as Liemaker or Liemackere) was a Flemish painter born in Ghent in 1601. He was also known under the name Nicolaas Roose. His father was Jacobus de Liemaecker, a painter upon glass. Nicolaas is reported to have been trained by his father and Gaspard de Crayer II (1), an apprenticeship with Otto Van Veen has also been suggested. In 1624 he worked at the Court of the Bishop of Paderborn and for Ferdinand of Bavaria. He later returned to his native city, where he focused on religious and historical paintings. He was a very accomplished and celebrated artist who attained a high rank in his profession. He witnessed the baptisms of Pieter and Janne-Marie Van Hulle...

The Trading Port Italian artist, circa 1720's period circle of Michele Marieschi (Italian 1696-1744) oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 21 x 30 inches provenance: private collection, UK...

James Stark (1794-1859) Herding cattle through a wooded river landscape Oil on canvas Canvas Size 18 x 24 in Framed Size 23 x 29 in James Stark (1794-1859): A Pioneer in Landscape P...

Work on canvas Plaster and gilded wood frame 66 x 59 x 9 cm Fragile frame for transport. It is possible that it is damaged during the journey.

Outstanding early 18th-century portrait of a seated Spaniel dog in a landscape with an array of fruits. Attributed to the work of Tobias Stranover. ...

Portrait of a Clerical Gentleman Italian artist, mid 18th century Circle of Giovanni Battista Carboni (1725-1790) oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 26 x 22 inches provenance: private c...

This superb British Old Master marine oil painting is attributed to Peter Monamy. Painted circa 1730 it depicts Morning Gun - A morning gun is a gun fired at the first note of revei...

Flowers on White Oil on Board 61 x 50.8 cm 24 x 20 in Regarded as one of Ireland’s most accomplished fine art painters, Martin Mooney was born in 1960, in Belfast, Northern Ireland....

This superb vibrant Dutch 18th century Old Master floral oil painting is attributed to circle of Gerard Van Spaendonck. Painted circa 1790, it is a beautiful mixed floral still life flower arrangement in an ornate urn on a marble ledge against a landscape. The flowers include roses, tulips, blue iris and trailing blue morning glory. The carved ornate grey/blue urn on the cream marble ledge create a strong textural contrast with the soft petals and leaves. This is a wonderful example of Dutch 18th century floral oil paintings with fine detail and brushwork. Provenance. Private Collection, UK (by descent). Condition. Oil on canvas, 30 inches by 25 inches unframed and in good condition. Frame. Housed in an ebonised frame, 39 by 34 inches framed and in good condition. Gerard van Spaendonck (1746-1822) was a Dutch painter. Gerard was born in Tilburg, an older brother of Cornelis van Spaendonck...

Portrait depicting a Jesuit Priest, Possibly St Ignatius, from a collector of medieval and gothic art. This portrait's estimated date is between 1580 and 1...

This vigorous drawing has long been attributed to Polidoro da Caravaggio: The Abduction of the Sabine Women is one of the scenes that Polidoro depicted between 1525 and 1527 on the façade of the Milesi Palazzo in Rome. However, the proximity to another drawing inspired by this same façade, kept at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, and to other drawings inspired by Polidoro kept at the Musée du Louvre, leads us to propose an attribution to Biagio Pupini, a Bolognese artist whose life remains barely known, despite the abundant number of drawings attributed to him. 1. Biagio Pupini, a Bolognese artist in the light of the Roman Renaissance The early life of Biagio Pupini, an important figure of the first half of the Cinquecento in Bologna - Vasari mentions him several times - is still poorly known. Neither his date of birth (probably around 1490-1495) nor his training are known. He is said to have been a pupil of Francesco Francia (1450 - 1517) and his name appears for the first time in 1511 in a contract with the painter Bagnacavallo (c. 1484 - 1542) for the frescoes of a church in Faenza. He then collaborated with Girolamo da Carpi, at San Michele in Bosco and at the villa of Belriguardo. He must have gone to Rome for the first time with Bagnacavallo between 1511 and 1519. There he discovered the art of Raphael, with whom he might have worked, and that of Polidoro da Caravaggio. This first visit, and those that followed, were the occasion for an intense study of ancient and modern art, as illustrated by his abundant graphic production. Polidoro da Caravaggio had a particular influence on the technique adopted by Pupini. Executed on coloured paper, his drawings generally combine pen, brown ink and wash with abundant highlights of white gouache, as in the drawing presented here. 2. The Abduction of the Sabine Women Our drawing is an adaptation of a fresco painted between 1525 and 1527 by Polidoro da Caravaggio on the façade of the Milesi Palace in Rome. These painted façades were very famous from the moment they were painted and inspired many artists during their stay in Rome. These frescoes are now very deteriorated and difficult to see, as the palace is in a rather narrow street. The episode of the abduction of the Sabine women (which appears in the centre of the photo above) is a historical theme that goes back to the origins of Rome and is recounted both by Titus Livius (Ab Urbe condita I,13), by Ovid (Fasti III, 199-228) and by Plutarch (II, Romulus 14-19). After killing his twin brother Romus, Romulus populates the city of Rome by opening it up to refugees and brigands and finds himself with an excess of men. Because of their reputation, none of the inhabitants of the neighbouring cities want to give them their daughters in marriage. The Romans then decide to invite their Sabine neighbours to a great feast during which they slaughter the Sabines and kidnap their daughters. The engraving made by Giovanni Battista Gallestruzzi (1618 - 1677) around 1656-1658 gives us a good understanding of the Polidoro fresco, allowing us to see how Biagio Pupini reworked the scene to extract this dynamic group. With a remarkable economy of means, Biagio Pupini takes over the left-hand side of the fresco and depicts in a very dense space two main groups, each consisting of a Roman and a Sabine, completed by a group of three soldiers in the background (which seems to differ quite significantly from Polidoro's composition). The balance of the drawing is based on a very strongly structured composition. The drawing is organised around a median vertical axis, which runs along both the elbow of the kidnapped Sabine on the left and the foot of her captor, and the two main diagonals, reinforced by four secondary diagonals. This diamond-shaped structure creates an extremely dynamic space, in which centripetal movements (the legs of the Sabine on the right, the arm of the soldier on the back at the top right) and centrifugal movements (the arm of the kidnapper on the left and the legs of the Sabine he is carrying away, the arm of the Sabine on the right) oppose each other, giving the drawing the appearance of a whirlpool around a central point of support situated slightly to the left of the navel of the kidnapper on the right. 3. Polidoro da Caravaggio, and the decorations of Roman palaces Polidoro da Caravaggio was a paradoxical artist who entered Raphael's (1483 - 1520) workshop at a very young age, when he oversaw the Lodges in the Vatican. Most of his Roman work, which was the peak of his career, has disappeared, as he specialised in facade painting, and yet these paintings, which are eminently visible in urban spaces, have influenced generations of artists who copied them abundantly during their visits to Rome. Polidoro Caldara was born in Caravaggio around 1495-1500 (the birthplace of Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio, who was born there in 1571), some forty kilometres east of Milan. According to Vasari, he arrived as a mason on the Vatican's construction site and joined Raphael's workshop around 1517 (at the age of eighteen according to Vasari). This integration would have allowed Polidoro to work not only on the frescoes of the Lodges, but also on some of the frescoes of the Chambers, as well as on the flat of Cardinal Bibiena in the Vatican. After Raphael's death in 1520, Polidoro worked first with Perin del Vaga before joining forces with Maturino of Florence (1490 - 1528), whom he had also known in Raphael's workshop. Together they specialised in the painting of palace façades. They were to produce some forty façades decorated with grisaille paintings imitating antique bas-reliefs. The Sack of Rome in 1527, during which his friend Maturino was killed, led Polidoro to flee first to Naples (where he had already stayed in 1523), then to Messina. It was while he was preparing his return to the peninsula that he was murdered by one of his assistants, Tonno Calabrese, in 1543. In his Vite, Vasari celebrated Polidoro as the greatest façade decorator of his time, noting that "there is no flat, palace, garden or villa in Rome that does not contain a work by Polidoro". Polidoro's facade decorations, most of which have disappeared as they were displayed in the open air, constitute the most important lost chapter of Roman art of the Cinquecento. The few surviving drawings of the painter can, however, give an idea of the original appearance of his murals and show that he was an artist of remarkable and highly original genius. 4. The façade of the Milesi Palace Giovanni Antonio Milesi, who commissioned this palace, located not far from the Tiber, north of Piazza Navona, was a native of the Bergamo area, like Polidoro, with whom he maintained close friendly ties. Executed in the last years before the Sack of Rome, around 1526-1527, the decoration of Palazzo Milesi is considered Polidoro's greatest decorative success. An engraving by Ernesto Maccari made at the end of the nineteenth century allows us to understand the general balance of this façade, which was still well preserved at the time. The frescoes were not entirely monochrome, but alternated elements in chiaroscuro simulating marble bas-reliefs and those in ochre simulating bronze and gold vases...

A beautiful 19th century copy by Giuseppe Rocchi of Baldassarre Franceschini's Sleeping Cupid, presented in a very attractive gilt frame with hand carved mouldings. A very peaceful i...

17th Century French School Saint John the Baptist in a landscape oil on copper 17 x 11.5 cm In good condition except very small loss of painting in the lower left part In a modern f...

A very skilfully captured portrait of a handsome young gentleman. The painter, in the circle of Sir Willliam Beechey, has imparted great character and vitality to the sitter, giving ...

Giovani Ghisolfi (Milan 1623-1683), attributed / workshop View of classical architectural ruins with Pythagoras pretending to return from Hades Oil on canvas, cm. 70 x 84 In frame c...

This beautiful portrait was painted circa 1725 and is a fine example of the English eighteenth century portrait style. The artist has chosen to depict the lady against a plain background wearing a simple red silk dress and transparent headdress hanging down the back. The sitter is not shown with jewellery or any other elements to distract the viewer’s attached, thus highlighting the beauty of the young sitter. This restrained manner achieves a sense of understated elegance. The portrait genre was valued particularly highly in English society. Neither landscapes nor allegorical pictures were ever priced so highly at exhibitions and in the trade as depictions of people, from the highest aristocracy to scholars, writers, poets and statesmen. With the rich colouring and lyrical characterisation, these works are representative of the archetypal English portrait and is are very appealing examples of British portraiture...

This stunning Dutch 17th century Old Master still life oil painting is attributed to the circle of Jan Davidsz de Heem. Painted circa 1660 it is a magnificent vibrant painting of gra...

Stormy Seas English School, 18th century oil on thick wood panel, unframed panel: 25 x 30 inches provenance: private collection, East Anglia, England condition: very good and sound c...

Portrait of John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol (1665-1751). Early 18th-century near-life-size portrait of a noble man richly dressed in a long wig. Circle of the German-British cour...

Portrait of William Shakespeare British artist, 18th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 24 x 18 inches provenance: private collection, England condition: very good and sound con...

A fine antique oil painting of horses pulling a stagecoach in snow , by John richard Worsdale (1869-1947) The artist portrays this powerful scene with an extensive view, featuring the stagecoach pulled by 4 horses and a village scene behind with buildings and peopla with another coach behind. oil on canvas, signed lower left, housed in a gilt frame. The size of the painting is approx 74 cms x 49 cms, whilst framed size is 90cm x 67cm. The painting is in very good condition, relined, with only some minor craquelure to the skyline, The frame appears original and is also in good condition with only minor age wear. Provenance: The E. W. Towler Collection, formerly of Glympton Park, Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Eric W. Towler was a remarkable man. He was born in 1900 and left school at the age of 12 to work in a Yorkshire pit and through a lifetime of hard work, self-improvement, luck and a refusal to limit his horizons achieved many of his aspirations. As a Yorkshireman through and through, he believed in ‘spending the brass in his pocket’ and over time he was successful enough to acquire enough ‘brass’ to enable his purchase of Glympton Park and furnish it as a traditional country house with all the trappings – in his case collections of antique furniture...

'Insubria' Italian School, 18th century ink and wash drawing on paper, framed within a light oak wood frame (behind glass) image size: 10.5 x 7 inches overall framed: 17 x 13 inches ...

Hastings Castle from the beach oil William Edward Webb A fine 19th century oil on canvas painting depicting Hastings Castle from the beach with fishermen and boats housed in a git ...

Jacques Courtois, known as il Borgognone (Saint-Hyppolite 1621 - Rome 1676) circle of - Battaglia. 53 x 80 cm without frame, 73.5 x 97.5 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canv...

Profusion of Flowers Classical Still Life Dutch School, 19th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas : 32 x 21 inches provenance: private collection condition: very good and sound con...

17th century Portrait of a lady, possibly from the Caulfeild family, seated in a luxurious landscape holding a basket of flowers The sitter is looking sweetly at the spectator, whil...

Charles Towne (1763-1840) A bay hunter in a landscape signed and dated 'Charles Towne Pinxit 1816' lower left Oil on canvas Painting Size - 20 x 26 Framed Size - 25 x 31 in Provena...

Classical Still Life of Flowers by Thomas Webster, British contemporary artist late 20th century signed oil on board, unframed board: 30 x 18 inches provenance: private collection, U...

Tavern Interior Dutch School, 17th century oil on metal, framed framed: 8 x 6.75 inches painting: 6 x 4.25 inches provenance: private collection condition: very good and sound condit...

The pendant to the present portrait showing John Pitcairn's wife Jean, née Robertson, is in the Huntington Art Gallery, San Marino. Both works are datable to the 1790s. Pitcairn, who served as Provost of Dundee from 1782-84, a position his father-in-law also held from 1731-32, later sat to Raeburn for another portrait, dated to circa 1820, which is now in the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh Sale of Christie's London: Wednesday, July 9, 2014 [Lot 00212] Old Master & British Paintings Day Sale Sold For 22,500 GBP Premium Provenance By descent from the sitter to his great-grandson, Ronald Andrew Pitcairn of Pitcullo; Christie's, London, 25 June 1904, lot 58 (200 gns. to Wallis). Alexander Reid, Glasgow. With Agnew's, London, where acquired by A.R. Wilson Wood, 7 April 1909; Christie's, London, 26 June 1914, lot 78 (850 gns. to Agnew). Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 24 November 1972, lot 27 (320 gns.) Private collection, Dublin, Ireland Exhibition Edinburgh, Royal Scottish Academy, 1876, no. 256 Literature W. Armstrong, Sir Henry Raeburn, London, 1901, p. 110. J. Greig, Sir Henry Raeburn, R.A., His life and work with a catalogue of his pictures, London, 1911, p. 55. R. Asleson and S.M. Bennett, British Paintings at The Huntington, New Haven and London, 2001, p. 312, fig. 12 Sir Henry Raeburn FRSE RA RSA (4 March 1756 – 8 July 1823) was a Scottish portrait painter and Scotland's first significant portrait painter since the Union to remain based in Scotland. He served as Portrait Painter to King George IV in Scotland. Raeburn was born the son of a manufacturer in Stockbridge, on the Water of Leith: a former village now within the city of Edinburgh. He had an older brother, born in 1744, called William Raeburn. His ancestors were believed to have been soldiers, and may have taken the name "Raeburn" from a hill farm in Annandale, held by Sir Walter Scott's family. Orphaned, he was supported by William and placed in Heriot's Hospital, where he received an education. At the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to the goldsmith James Gilliland of Edinburgh, and various pieces of jewellery, mourning rings and the like, adorned with minute drawings on ivory by his hand, still exist. Soon he took to the production of carefully finished portrait miniatures; meeting with success and patronage, he extended his practice to oil painting, at which he was self-taught. Gilliland watched the progress of his pupil with interest, and introduced him to David Martin, who had been the favourite assistant of Allan Ramsay the Latter, and was now the leading portrait painter in Edinburgh. Raeburn was especially aided by the loan of portraits to copy. Soon he had gained sufficient skill to make him decide to devote himself exclusively to painting. George Chalmers (1776; Dunfermline Town Hall) is his earliest known portrait. In his early twenties, Raeburn was asked to paint the portrait of a young lady he had noticed when he was sketching from nature in the fields. Ann was the daughter of Peter Edgar of Bridgelands, and widow of Count James Leslie of Deanhaugh. Fascinated by the handsome and intellectual young artist, she became his wife within a month, bringing him an ample fortune. The acquisition of wealth did not affect his enthusiasm or his industry, but spurred him on to acquire a thorough knowledge of his craft. It was usual for artists to visit Italy, and Raeburn set off with his wife. In London he was kindly received by Sir Joshua Reynolds, the president of the Royal Academy, who advised him on what to study in Rome, especially recommending the works of Michelangelo, and gave Raeburn letters of introduction for Italy. In Rome he met his fellow Scot Gavin Hamilton, Pompeo Girolamo Batoni and Byers, an antique dealer whose advice proved particularly useful, especially the recommendation that "he should never copy an object from memory, but, from the principal figure to the minutest accessory, have it placed before him." After two years of study in Italy he returned to Edinburgh in 1787, and began a successful career as a portrait painter. In that year he executed a seated portrait of the second Lord President Dundas. Examples of his earlier portraiture include a bust of Mrs Johnstone of Baldovie and a three-quarter-length of Dr James Hutton...

Profusion of Flowers by Thomas Webster, British contemporary artist, late 20th century signed oil on board, unframed board: 30 x 18 inches provenance: private collection, UK conditi...

The New Born Baby (a version of the Nativity?) Dutch School, 18th century oil on canvas, framed framed: 21 x 18 inches canvas: 18 x 15 inches provenance: private collection, Europe c...

Oil on oval lime wood panel Collection number on the back: 272 We see a herd of goats and their shepherds on the bridge, one of the shepherds is on a horse, the others look at the men near the riverbank. Two standing figures are pointing and discussing with one another, while the other one is sitting and relaxing after a long trip. We'd like to thank dr. Guido Jansen for his attribution. Goffredo Wals was a German painter, who spent most of his career in Italy. Most of his works were in small format, often circular and painted on copper...

Pastoral Landscape by Peter la Cave (fl. 1789-1816) oil painting on wood panel, framed framed: 12.5 x 15 inches panel: 8 x 10 inches provenance: private ...

Classical Still Life of Flowers in a Vase French School, circa 1900 signed oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 22 x 18 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good ...

17th century Flemish old master painting, Allegory of taste The very fine painting depicts a young boy, cheekily tasting a delicious pie. He's looking at the viewer with eyes twinkl...

Louis Michel van Loo (Toulon 1707- Paris 1771) attributable Portrait of a noblewoman with her little dog Oil on canvas (79 x 66 cm. - with frame 92 x 78 cm.) A qualitative portrait depicting an elegant noblewoman of French origin, presumably belonging to the wealthy court of Versailles during the reign of Louis XV; this work fully reflects the pictorial qualities as well as the refinement of the compositional style of the French painter Louis Michel van Loo (1707- 1771), one of the most significant portrait painters of his time, and for this reason in demand at the most noble European courts. The work, taking up the traditional formula for portraits of members of the aristocracy, shows the effigy in a half-length pose, slightly turned to the right and looking directly at the viewer. The woman, with a regal bearing, is here portrayed intent on completing her daily beauty ritual, wearing a cape during her make-up, which must have just been completed as pink powder is visible on her cheeks. This luxurious garment reveals a corset with a daring neckline, made of silk and lace, and a coral-coloured dress ending in wide jabote cuffs. Her hair is styled in the French fashion in a hairstyle that highlights her facial features. Having finished her beauty ritual, the woman is intent on removing her cape with one hand, an elegant gesture that emphasises her noble pose. At her side is her small pet dog, sitting on a blue velvet cushion with gold trim. The canvas may have been made on the occasion of a wedding, elegantly celebrating the role of a member of the aristocracy. The presence of the pet depicted in her arms had in fact a precise meaning: the fidelity that is such a well-known characteristic of the dog, declared at the same time the virtues of the effigy. Louis Michel van Loo (Toulon 1707- Paris 1771) was the son of the painter Jean Baptiste van Loo, with whom he studied in Rome and Turin. He attended the Paris Academy, where he won the first prize for painting in 1726. In 1728 he returned to Rome, where he met Francois Boucher. In 1732, passing through Turin, he returned to Paris. In 1737 van Loo became court painter in Madrid, succeeding Jean Ranc...

Pair of oval paintings measuring 66 x 89 cm without frame and 90 x 115 cm with coeval frame depicting two gallant moments during a rest from hunting by painter Hendrik Van Limborch (...

J. Clays (British, 19th-20th century) - Still life with fruit basket. 61 x 51 cm without frame, 67.5 x 58 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in a gilded wooden frame. ...

Medium: Oil On Board Painting Size: 6 x 8 inches Frame Size: 9 x 10.5 inches Condition: This artwork is in good overall condition for its age. Signature: Signed Artist: Jacob Jan v...

Bolognese painter (18th-19th century) - Maddalena. 70 x 50 cm without frame, 89 x 69 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in a carved and gilded wooden frame. Condition ...

Portrait of a Gentleman French School, 18th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas : 25 x 20 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: the painting is in sound conditi...

This superb Dutch Golden Age portrait is attributed to circle of Dutch artist Wybrand Simonsz de Geest. Painted in 1666 it is a full length portrait of a young William Stonestreet. H...

Holy family with an angel, workshop Pieter Coecke Van Aelst (Alost, 1502 - Bruxelles, 1550) Faithful to the traditions of the late Gothic and early Renaissance, our painting depicts ...

German School (18th century) A German Pointer with hunting Equipment Oil on canvas Canvas Size 42 x 35 in Framed Size 48 x 41 in

Provenance: Private Collection, South America Antonio Tempesta began his career in Florence, working on the decoration of the Palazzo Vecchio under the direction of Giorgio Vasari. He was a pupil first of Santi di Tito...

Adoration of the Shepherds Attributed to Louis de Caullery (1580-1622) 17th century Antwerp School, circa 1620 Oil on copper: h. 54 cm (21.26 in.), w. 72 cm (28.35 in) A 17th century...

This atmospheric 18th century portrait oil painting is attributed to a Scottish artist. Painted circa 1750, The painting is a half length portrait of a seated gentleman. He is wearing a blue bonnet, the badge of a Scottish country gentleman and smoking a clay pipe. The way the light catches his hand and face and gleams on his buttons is lovely. The frame is super in that it echoes the button on his jacket. This is an excellent example of an 18th century Scottish portrait...

Portrait of a lady, believed to be Henrietta Hyde (née Boyle), Countess of Rochester, (1646-1687) three quarter length, wearing an amber coloured silk gown, with an embroidered blue mantle, seated in an interior. Oil on canvas in a ‘Lely’ frame with the Hornby Castle inventory number 60 attached on the reverse. Provenance: By descent through the Dukes of Leeds, Hornby Castle, Yorkshire; Christie's, London - The Property of the 10th Duke of Leeds Will Trust, 30th October, 2014, Lot 106. Private collection Guernsey. Hornby Castle, Catalogue of Pictures, London, 1898, p. 5, no.60. Historical and descriptive catalogue of pictures belonging to His Grace The Duke of Leeds, London, 1902, p. 24, no. 60. Henrietta was born in Wiltshire, to Sir Richard Boyle, 2nd Earl of Cork and Elizabeth Boyle, Countess of Cork. In 1665, she married Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, son of Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and Frances Aylesbury. They had four children. As sister-in-law of Anne Hyde, the Duchess of York she was appointed as governess to her daughter, Princess Anne (the future Queen) between 1677 and 1682. Like most of the Boyle dynasty, who in the space of two generations had become almost all-powerful in the south of Ireland, Henrietta was strong-minded and acquisitive, and could be ruthless in asserting her rights. During the last two years of her life, when her husband was Chief Minister to his brother-in-law King James II...

Connemara, Near Roundstone Oil on Board 36 x 38 in 91.4 x 96.5 cm Regarded as one of Ireland’s most accomplished fine art painters, Martin Mooney was born in 1960, in Belfast, North...

The sitter is elegantly attired in a blue silk dress over a white frilled chemise and a striking crimson mantle. The artist, Thomas Murray, can be described as one of the most successful and talented during the last part of the seventeenth century. It is not surprising that Murray painted the portraits of King William III, Queen Mary, Queen Ann as well as several other high-ranking individuals. The influence of Sir Godfrey Kneller is evident and even expected considering the importance of Kneller, and even though the formula employed for head and shoulders portraits of woman during the period is similar, Murray’s work is distinguishable by a refined and elegant manner, a smooth overall feel, and often, distinctive eyes. Murray is known to have employed not only the same pattern as our portrait but the three distinctive colours (blue, white, red) many times. Thomas Murray was born in Scotland but moved to London to study with a member of the De Critz family. Later he was a pupil of the English portraitist John Riley (1646-1691), who was court painter to King William III and Queen Mary, and was practising as a painter on his own in the 1680s. In 1691 he took over Riley’s studio when that artist died in 1691 and he established a very successful practice. The Rev, James Dalloway accounted that Murray “was remarkable for his personal beauty and for the elegance of his manner” and he was also noted to have been hard working, courteous and popular with his customers. His portraiture retains an individual style and easily recognised but his earlier work is similar to John Closterman, who was a fellow pupil, and many consider this period to be his finest. Murray invested wisely in property and when he died in 1735, he left around £40,000. He had no children and he bequeathed his money to a nephew with instructions that his monument, with a bust, should be erected in Westminster Abbey, provided that it did not cost too much – but his nephew decided that it was indeed “too expensive” and the plan did not proceed. He is buried in St. Paul's, Covent Garden. Murray’s work is represented in many British country houses and private collections, the National Portrait Gallery London, Royal Society and Middle Temple in London, and in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. A good example of 17th century British portraiture...

Diana and her nymphs surprised by Actaeon Francesco Albani (Bologna 1578 - 1660), workshop of oil on canvas 62 x 75 cm. framed 72 x 84 cm. (period frame) The proposed painting, de...

Without frame. Already been in Koelliker collection (no. inv. LK1372). Daniel Seiter (Vienna, 1642 or 1647 – Turin, Italy, 1705) was an Austrian Baroque painter who worked and trai...

The painting by Giovanni Battista Spinelli (1613 - 1647), an Italian painter, depicts Jacob’s dream. Giovanni Battista Spinelli was active during the mid-17th century mainly in Naples. His works can be found in private collections, and some are at the Uffizi and at the National Gallery, London. This painting can be dated around 1655. Spinelli’s canvases might be difficult to date and they are of uneven quality. The painting depicts Jacob in a deep sleep while he is surrounded by dark and threatening clouds, but a ladder of light, where angels are ascending and descending, appears in his dream. Publications: - Expertise by Prof. Nicola Spinosa; - I. Maniscalco, in From Sacro to Profano. The Giorgio...