Gesso Folk Art

Set of four hand made and painted tiles professionally framed it wood frame , depicting caricatures from The Carnival of Venice. Which is annual festival held in Venice, Italy. The festival is world-famous for its elaborate masks. The celebration takes place over ten days in which people dress up and take part in organized parades or simple processions on the street. The costumes are seventeenth-century Venetian dresses.

An impressive early 20th-century carved and polychrome painted cigar store Indian standing approximately 6 feet tall to the tip of the feathers. The base features replacement boards—...

Antique Spanish Colonial Poly chrome Folk Art Santos figure probably Mexico The finely sculptured and painted wood figure standing on a pedestal base, painted in polychrome colour...

19th Century Japanese Meiji Iki mask A Japanese Meiji period Iki mask dated from the late 19th Century, depicting a dynamic expressive human face, with glass eyes and hair and a burn...

An impressive large vintage dapple grey rocking horse, dating from circa 1940–1960 and presented on its substantial original-style pine safety stand. The horse is constructed from w...

From the lid of an anthropoid coffin, this beautiful wooden mummy mask is painted in bright pigment over a gessoed surface.  Yellow has been used for the skin tones of the face, blac...

Polychrome Santo Niño Figure 19th century, Guatemala. Carved and polychromed wood figure of the Christ Child, depicted with delicate features and a naturali...

A monumental Hindu Nandi temple gate-guardian architectural ornament, born in India, dating to the 19th century, hand carved and painted, richly detailed, polychrome decorated, the wooden sculpture depicting Nandi, a sacred bull, gatekeeper, and vahana religious deity figure. Provenance: Acquired from The Neiman Marcus Corporate Art Collection. Details below. Dimensions: (approx) 49.5" x 43" x 12" An important religious folk art work, the Nandi is of carved wood and gessoed cloth, then hand-painted. In Hindu religion, Nandi is the mythical mount of Shiva. The four legs represent truth, righteousness, peace and love. More than a means of conveyance, Nandi is considered Shiva's constant companion on all his travels, so much so that in any temple dedicated to Shiva, there is a sculpture of Nandi. This symbol is a deity in its own right, and in India there are temples dedicated exclusively to Nandi. In Hindu symbolism, the bull represents both strength and ignorance. The white or light color of the bull symbolizes purity and justice. Symbolically, the seated Nandi towards sanctum in Shiva temples, represents an individual jiva (soul) and the message that the jiva should always be focused on the Parameshwara. From the yogic perspective, Nandi is the mind dedicated to Shiva, the absolute. In other words, to understand and absorb light, the experience, and the wisdom is Nandi, which is the guru within. The fact that Shiva uses it as a mount symbolizes how this divine figure removes ignorance while instilling strength and wisdom. A superb example, the life size work is in great overall shape, and presents wonderfully, having beautifully aged patina over the whole, highly desirable original, worn, rustic, naturally distressed, chippy paint, craquelure finish, that's delicate, and enhances the artistic antique character and rich historic depth. Detailed Condition Report: Fragile / delicate by design. Loss to one ear, age related checking and separation to carvings, fabric to hind quarters is released and tattered with minor loss, rubbing to paint throughout with wear indicative of age and use; later grey painted mounting blocks are attached to back and hooves. White glove in-home shipping/delivery available. Pickup available near Dallas, Texas Additional Provenance: Property from the Neiman Marcus Collection. Acquired from Heritage Auction, Design District Gallery, Dallas, Texas. From The Dallas Morning Newspaper; April 12th, 2021 Neiman Marcus is selling some of its history and valuables that have been displayed and stored for decades as part of the luxury retailer’s corporate art collection. The Neiman Marcus corporate art collection dates back to 1951, when Stanley Marcus (1905-2002), a life long avid art collector, purchased Mariposa, a large mobile by Alexander Calder and started a long tradition of buying original artwork for new stores as they opened. The Mariposa sold at a Sotheby’s auction last month fetching $18.2 million. The items are being offered through Sotheby's auction house, NYC, New York and Heritage Auction, Dallas, Texas. Many of the pieces were personally collected by Stanley Marcus from the 1960s through the 1980s. Some of the pieces are from corporate spaces, stores and the company’s archives, among the items are important antique textiles, tribal robes...

Antique South American Spanish Colonial Poly chrome Folk Art Santos figural group High Andes (Altiplano region, Peru or Bolivia), late 18th–early 19th century Hand-carved and p...

18th century exceptional Italian carved wood and polychromed figure depicting baby Jesus holding the world in his hand, he has halo made from sterling silver and the globe is also sterling silver.This piece would have originally been dressed in an elaborate gown and would have been changed into different attire depending on the holy season. Extremely detailed and the carving is exceptional. this piece came from a very reputable merchant in Verona, I did inherit it from my mother in Law...

A good antique 18th century Spanish Colonial carved, gilded and polychrome Santo figure of the Virgin Mary, Mexico, circa 1750. The finely carved figure depicts the Virgin standing...

18th century English wood carved standing Chinese attendant with lotus bowl, The well carved and decorated figure with glass eyes, holding a 10 inch...

Impressive wood carved angel with amazing detail. Certainly the work of a master carver. Found among the entire contents of a Catholic Church in the Midwest which was said to have cl...

"English, Mid 19th Century. "The Waterloo Banquet," after William Salter (English, 1804-1875), engraved by Wm. Greatbach, printed by McQueen, depicting an interior banquet scene wit...

Late 19th century hand-carved Santos with inset glass eyes and original gesso paint surface. On custom museum display stand. Base measures 6" x 6".

19th Century carved and painted wood figure of a troubadour or minstrel wearing a hat and long coat with his trousers tucked into knee-high boots and having a violin under one arm wi...

A large scale heraldic gilt lion off naive depiction, constructed around a pine carcass with a thick hessian and plaster/gesso skin. The original gilt is beautifully faded, the pl...

A very well executed early 19th century English school oil on canvas painting of a white bull terrier. The terrier stands next to his empty bowl awaiting supper in a stable, the or...

A most impressive antique Spanish Colonial hand carved polychromed wood Santo Catholic church altar figure. circa 1800 Hand-crafted in the late 18th / early 19th century, exceptionally executed intricate detailing, the large scale antique religious sculpture depicting the female Saint Teresa of Avila, polychrome painted gesso over finely sculpted wood, inset glass eyes, shown in Carmelite nun habit...

A fabulous French Empire period giltwood figural candlestick, early 19th century, now professionally electrified and fashioned as a single-light table lamp. Exquisitely hand carve...

A fine French oil painting on canvas featuring a still life of a vase of flowers in a Montparnasse frame. The Montparnasse frame takes its name from the Parisian district where it w...

Vintage Gold Frame Hans Volkmann Art Print Little Princess Girl and Lord Seaham Boy. Item features prints of young boy and young girl in what appears to be...

Late 19th century carved baby Jesus Santos with glass eyes and custom display stand. Handmade with carved wood and gesso. Glass inset eyes. Left and r...

Rare and highly unusual antique Japanese statue of the esoteric deity 'Dakini Ten,' a Buddhist goddess who was associated with the agricultural...

Pair of Italian carved wood, gesso, and silver gilt floral prickets with centered spikes for candles, bulbous ring columns with bead work, and terminating on stylized lions paws feet...

Rare 18th century Italian gaming board "Nobilissimo Giuoco Della Mea" Or "The Nobel Game of Chance" in original paint and decoupage, (lacca povera) depicting a game which appears to be a board version of "Put and Take" with different characters representing either plus or minus points. Four corners with scalloped carved coin wells, the centre slightly dished for either a top or ball to roll within. Characters include: Scimmia/Monkey - put 6, Re/King - take 1, Vople/Wolf take 3 , Pascia/Lord - take two and so on. Other characters include, Cinese/Chinese, Colombo/Pidgeon, Crepascolo/Twilight, Armigero/Knight?, Gezelia/Gazelle, Adone/Adonis, Gonhiere/Gondolier, Araba Fenice/Arab Phoenix?, Vecchio/Old Man, Leone/Lion. A very similar game board is in the collection of the Medici Villa...

Three square-rigged warships dominate this expansive marine study, led in the foreground by Lord Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory. The composition captures the vessels under partial sa...

Early 19th century gilt and gesso picture frame. Found at an estate sale in Columbia, Tennessee. Objects from the sale were attributed to President James K. Polk's estate. Fantastic ...

Charming 1920s Wooden Fireman Sculpture, Charming Folk Art painted wooden statue of a pre-war of a fireman,  A great little piece he is in sound condition, he has had a repair...