1850s Furniture

Title: Scenic View of the Rio Colorado Near Mojave Villages, A Historical Encounter Description: This historically rich lithograph captures a dynamic scene along the Rio Colorado, n...

19th Century French folk-art militaria painting 19th Century piece of French folk-art militaria art, gouache on paper in its original frame still with vibrant colours and detail as ...

Great image after Guercino Fine steel engraving Published circa 1850 Unframed. Free shipping

Elegant antique Italian writing desk. Rare and precious solid walnut wood. Comfortable size for a practical use. The desk has elegant turn...

Title: Historic View of a Comanche Camp Along Shady Creek , 1856 The scene depicted, a Comanche camp along Shady Creek, is likely situated in what is now Oklahoma or Texas, as the ...

Elegant pair of French pedestal stands after Francois Linke These really are the ultimate for a high end interior Crafted from kingwood with intricate inlay work including floral mot...

Vintage refrigerator cell, Moretti Beer, 1950s-1960s More information on the article 4 laminated wood, oak and glass doors. Chrome-plated aluminum/iron latches MEASURES H185 x W110 x...

Rare primitive cabinet, Carpathians, circa 1850, early construction, built from sawn or hewn beech wood. A shelf on the inside. This is a cabinet from a very modest home in the highl...

Antique print titled 'No.2 Street Punishments'. Print of Chinese street punishments. Shows a prisoner suspended from a cross-pole, supported by two upr...

Boston & Sandwich American Pressed Glass Compote, Pineapple Pattern, Circa 1860's The pressed lead glass compote is made in the Pineapple pattern made circa 1860. It has a tall hol...

English Majolica grapes plate signed Samuel Alcock Circa 1880 Rare plate decorated with grapes and strawberries.

Title: Tinted Lithograph of the Great Basin from Canada de las Uvas, 1856 Description: This atmospheric lithograph, "The Great Basin from the Canada de las Uvas with Lost Mounta...

An exhibition quality grand Italian walnut armchair carved in the Baroque style after Andrea Brustolon, possibly by the great Florentine carver Luigi Frullini...

Ornate 1850s Map of the United States: Featuring Iconic Landmarks and Historical Portraits This decorative 19th-century map of the United States, created by J. Rapkin and publishe...

An Incredible 19th Century Royal Casket Box/Safe with Coat of Arms, Made of Gold, Damascene, and Etched Steel. Charles Le Hon, a Belgian politician, lawyer and industrialist, served...

This is a beautiful antique French Grand Tour dark patinated bronze and ormolu urn with ormolu liner, C1850 in date. This stunning bronze is superbly cast and has an elegant brown...

A charming mid-Victorian 19th century cast iron splayed fireplace insert of good form. An outer rim plate showing a border of embellished floral edging terminating onto shaped foot blocks, return splayed cast panels finishing onto further embellished floral edging to the inner opening. The fire front with vertical spindle bars...

This is an important fine Sèvres porcelain breafast cup and saucer with a footed sugar bowl dating from the mid 19th Century. The cup saucer & bowl all feature the gilt crowned N cipher with gilt line borders on a white ground and the undersides bearing the red Imperial crowned N Sèvres mark with date letters for 1855 and 1860. This is sure to be a treasured addition to your home. Condition: Both cup saucer and bowl are in very good condition with no signs of damage or restoration and the gilding is crisp. Dimensions in cm: height 9 x width 16 x depth 12 - cup height 3.6 x width 18 x depth 18 - saucer height 7.5 x width 14 x depth 14 - bowl Dimensions in inches: height 3 inches x width 6 inches x depth 5 inches - cup height 1 inch x width 7 inches x depth 7 inches - saucer height 3 inches x width 5 inches x depth 5 inches - bowl Louis was king of France when the monarchy was overthrown during the French Revolution. He was guillotined in 1793. Louis was born at Versailles on 23 August 1754. In 1770, he married Marie Antoinette, daughter of the emperor and empress of Austria...

We present you a Louis Philippe secretaire from the mid-19th century. There are three bottom drawers, a removable board flush with the rest, and a narrow drawer with a concave-conve...

Pair of two panel screens with a rooster and a hen in amongst bamboo. Signed by the artist Ema Saiko 1787-1861. A Japanese painter, poet and calligrapher celebrated for her Chinese...

19th Century Apothecary Chest of Drawers. A Qing Dynasty Apothecary Chest of Drawers from Northern Shanxi China. The hand hued wood has a charming character all its own and is evi...

Set of 8 Pretty Victorian Dining Chairs. These Chairs are Raised upon Turned and Carved Front Legs with Sabre Back Legs. Circa 1850 The Chairs Having Lift out Seats Which Have Recent...

An exceptional, fine and impressive, unusual antique Victorian Scottish sterling silver wax jack; an addition of our ornamental silverware collection. This exceptional antique Victorian Scottish sterling silver wax jack has a circular shaped form. The wax jack has a plain central column surmounted with a tapering capital comprised of a cast sterling silver sprung hinged wick trimmer, accented with an inset circular taper holder to the centre of the blades. This scissor component is embellished with cast scrolling leaf designs. The lower portion of the wax jack features a circular base accented with engraved scrolling leaf decoration. The wax jack is fitted with a wax coil. This exceptional Scottish silver candle holder was crafted by the Cupar silversmith David Duncan. An antique wax jack...

Scenic Valley of Kah-Wee-Ya River with Mountain Backdrop Description: This picturesque lithograph showcases the serene Valley of the Kah-Wee-Ya River, also known as the Four Creek...

Carved oak throne high back chair with carved backrest. Each armrest has a carved lion head. The seat and back is upholstered in beautiful original red material and filled with horse...

Signed “A.H. Devaulx”, and marked “Susse Fes Ed.20” Dimensions: Height 6-7/8”, width 7-7/8”, depth 4-1/4” This wonderfully unusual desktop sculpture of gilded bronze, depicting a beautiful female-centaur breastfeeding her cub is made in a classic romantic style of the Belle Epoque era by a remarkable French sculptor, Alexandre Henri Devaulx. Alexandre Henri Devaulx (French, 1856-1940) was the son of the noted sculptor of the Romanticism period, François Théodore Devaulx (1808–1870). Born in Paris, he studied under E. Devaulx, making his début as a sculptor at the 1876 Paris Salon with Portrait, a plaster medallion. Alexandre Henri Devaulx became a member of the Artistes Français in 1888, winning an award with merit in the same year.... Susse Frères Bronze Foundry, Paris - The French firm Susse Frères manufactured a daguerreotype camera, which was one of the first two photographic cameras...

Hand-Colored Botanical Lithograph of Spruce, Oak, and Currant, Calwer, 1854 This exquisite botanical lithograph is from Carl Georg Calwer’s *Deutschlands Technische Pflanzen* (185...

Title: Scenic View of the Palouse Region – A Rare 19th-Century Lithograph This exceptional lithograph, titled "Source of the Peluse," offers a picturesque depiction of the Palouse r...

Majestic View of the Marias River Canyon - 19th Century Hand-Colored Lithograph This stunning 19th-century hand-colored lithograph captures a breathtaking view of the Marias River c...

Historic Print of Blackfeet Council Scene Near Missouri River Trading Posts** Description: This captivating 19th-century lithograph, titled "Council with White Man's Horse," offers ...

Title: Scenic Depiction of "Dalles" - A Majestic View of Indigenous Life Along the Columbia River Description: This exquisite lithograph titled "Dalles" captures a serene yet dynami...

Scenic View of Kamas Prairie in the Rocky Mountains - Historic Pend d'Oreilles Landscape This historic lithograph captures the breathtaking expanse of Kamas Prairie, a region sign...

Title: Spectacular View of Valley La Cuesta, Rio Pecos - 19th Century Lithograph Description: This breathtaking lithograph captures the scenic beauty of the Valley of La Cuesta al...

Native American Camp Scene at Hell Gate Ronde – Peaceful Prairie Landscape This exquisite 19th-century lithograph portrays Victor's Camp at Hell Gate Ronde, capturing a tranquil ...

Title: Expansive View of Big Blackfoot Valley – Captivating American Frontier Lithograph Description: This lithograph captures the breathtaking expanse of Big Blackfoot Valley, ...

This is an intricately detailed map from 1852 titled *Colonies Françaises en Amérique*, depicting several key French colonies in the Americas. The map focuses on regions such as Fr...

A very well carved alabaster bust of a young Mid 19th century child, with crochet shawl and holding a basket. Italian signed to rear by the artist. In good condition images are a tru...

Title: 1856 Hand-Colored Lithograph of Swallowtail Butterflies and Caterpillars – A Masterpiece of Natural History Art Description: This ench...

Title: Scenic View of Butte de Morale - A Stunning 19th-Century Expedition Print Description: This lithograph captures the enchanting landscape of Butte de Morale, a serene and ve...

Wonderful Pair of French Ebonised and Boulle Pier Cabinets. Circa 1850 These Cabinets are Raised Upon Shaped Plinth Bases. Each Cabinet Having 1 Glazed Door Which Opens to Reveal She...

Title: Vibrant Camp Scene in the Mojave Valley of Rio Colorado Description: This beautiful lithograph depicts a dynamic camp scene in the Mojave Valley along the Rio Colorado. The...

The mentmore towers, stateroom curtains magnificent & exceptionally rare set of three, massive, Gothic Revival, silk velvet, rust coloured, embossed & gilt embroidered & applique curtains Exceptional Provenance : The Staterooms, Mentmore Towers, Baron Mayer Amschel de Rothschild, Mentmore Towers. Bernard Nevill (1930-2019), Fonthill, Wiltshire acquired from the Mentmore sale Sotheby Parke Bernet, Mentmore House, May 1977 Ilustrated World of Interiors, Positively Victorian, 20.02.02 The silk velvet embossed...

Rare pair of Edwardian small chest with ornate marquetry. Unique bronze hardware on these keyed chests. Provided are decorative keys with tassels but they do not lock the chests. Sle...

Title: Rare Tinted Lithograph of Istanbul, 1852 Description: This exquisite tinted lithograph depicts a vibrant view of Istanbul, crafted by L. Haghe after Fossati and Gayer. Produc...

Title: Zuni Sacred Spring - Lithograph from the Pacific Railroad Survey, 1856 Description: This lithograph, "Zuni Sacred Spring," presents a rare and evocative depiction of a sacr...

Rectangular box with brass tacks and hinged lid set in a brass base.

This is a 19th century English pine cricket table commonly used in pubs. These tables are highly desirable and sought after. This one has turned legs showing the appropriate amount o...

Staffordshire Pottery porcellaneous stirrup cup which features a fox head, stood directly on the ground, no base. Dull gilt base line. Decorated 'in the round' - decoration to front ...

G.F. Cruchley (UK, 1796-1880) London ca 1850 A magnificent pair of terrestrial and celestial globes. Equatorial table engraved with the signs of the zodiac and resting on 3 mahogany molded feet held by a compass at the spacer. With graduated brass meridian circles and time clocks. The terrestrial globe is inscribed in a cartouche: Cruchley's new terrestrial globe from the most recent and best authorities. Exhibiting the discoveries in equatorial Africa, north pole. And the new settlements and divisions in Australia, New Zealand, Californa, Texas, &c. London. Sold by Gould and Porter opticians 181 strand WC. The celestial globe is inscribed in a cartouche: Cruchleys new celestial globe on which is accurately laid down the whole of the stars and nebule contained in the astronomical catalogue of the Reverend Mr. Wollaston F.R.S. Also from the authorities Flamstead, De La Caille, Hevellus, Bradley, Herschel, Maskelyne, &c. Ands the limits of each constellation determined by a boundary line. London, published by G.F. Cruchley, map-seller & globe maker, 81 Fleet street. Signed: CRUCHLEY in London England, circa 1850 H. 125 cm Diam. 53 cm (21 inches) Diam. 25 cm compasses The two spheres are in a perfect state of freshness and are perfectly legible. The condition of both the globes is very good. There have been some professional repairs to some damaged gores. The Terrestrial globe in good conserved and legible condition, it has areas of rubbing, retouching, and slight discoloration. The Celestial globe is also in good conserved and legible condition with areas of rubbing, retouching and slight discoloration. The gores themselves have been cleaned and revarnished. The splendid mahogany legs and moulded feet are in first class condition. Each globe consists of 12 hand coloured copper engraved gores over a paper-maché hollow core, made up of two hemispheres joined at the equator and covered with a layer of plaster. There are paper horizon rings, made up of a series of concentric circles, displaying the months of the year, the signs of the zodiac and wind directions. THE TERRESTRIAL GLOBE. The globe provides much detailed information, and was accurate up to the date of production, which in this case is the mid-19th century. It shows the latest discoveries and developments that had taken place. It displays names and territories that were once familiar to the people of the age, 150 years into the future! In Asia for example, there are places like ‘Little Bucharia’, ‘Little and Greater Tartary’, ‘Russia in Asia.’ Undoubtedly, the continent that has changed more than any other is Africa. So many African countries that we know and recognise now, had different, perhaps more ‘Colonial’ names more than a century and a half ago. There was ‘Nubia’ (Sudan/Egypt), ‘Abbyssinia’ (Ethiopia), ‘Cape Colony’ (South Africa), ‘Dahomey’ (Benin) but to name a few. Australia was a little over 50 years away from its union via ‘Federation’ in 1901. This brought about the Commonwealth of Australia. However, in 1850 they were six separate British selfserving colonies, ruled directly from England. In North America, both Los Angeles and San Francisco are incorporated as cities into California - as it becomes the 31st U.S. state. Much of mid-western and western USA were known as ‘The Western Territory’ & ‘The Missouri Territory’, Florida was still refered to as ‘East & West Florida’. Canada was split into ‘Canada East’ & ‘Canada West.’ Canada East was primarily (for historical reasons) French-speaking, and Canada West primarily Englishspeaking. Much of Western Canada remained unexplored and undeveloped. In Europe, there was still the ‘Russian Empire’, the ‘Ottoman Empire’, the ‘AustroHungarian Empire’, and the German ‘Prussian Empire.’ THE CELESTIAL GLOBE. The Celestial Globe displays the stars, the constellations, clusters and nebulae in a beautiful and well thought out manner. Mythical figures and signs of the zodiac are seen. The equinoctial and solistitial colures are graduated in degrees. Although the colour is somewhat muted, it takes nothing away from the overall beauty and the undoubted aesthetic qualities of the globe. Historically, globes are among the most ancient scientific instruments known to man. They can be dated back over two millennia, and are still manufactured to this day. The earliest tradition of globe making is mainly concerned with celestial globes – man...

Title: 19th-Century Hand-Colored Lithograph of Giant Moths and Silkworm Life Cycle – A Masterpiece in Natural History Art Description: This exquisite 19th-century hand-colored li...

Engraving of Waterford City and Natural Bridge near Kilkee, 19th Century This 19th-century engraving presents two striking scenes from Ireland: 1. Waterford City: The upper illustr...

This lithograph features *Tropaeolum majus atrosanguineum nanum*, commonly known in English as the Dwarf Crimson Nasturtium or "Tom Thumb" Nasturtium. It is a beautiful hand-colored ...

An incredibly beautiful antique French gilt wood chaise longue, we would date this to around the 1850-1870 period, possibly even earlier. It is of exceptional quality and is a lovel...

A Very Large and Exceptionally Fine Quality Antique Italian Micro-Mosaic Plaque Depicting "The Saint Peter Square" in Rome. The center medallion surrounded by a beautiful Laurel Wreath in multiple shades of Green Mosaic amidst a black Belgium Marble border. The interior rounded subject depicts Saint Peter Square which is found in Rome, Italy. The entire center panel is made up of a captivating array of tesserae in a variety of shapes and colors, which create this stunning mosaic construct. When inspected from up-close, small rectangular tesserae are found in an assortment of colors, which include: white, green, blue, red, black, brown, orange etc. When the subject is seen from afar, a fantastic image of the entire Saint Peter Square can be viewed as if a painting has been created. The oil on canvas of this scene, by was sold in Christie's Auction for over $2,000,000 USD. The plaque rests in a custom ebonized and gilt square frame. This can be used as a decorative object on the wall to serve as a painting, or, be converted to a table-top by mounting it on a table stand. Rome, Circa: 1850 Giovanni Paolo Panini (Piacenza 1691-1765 Rome), View of Saint Peter's Square, Rome. From Christie's Auction: Giovanni Paolo Panini arrived in Rome in 1711, painting capricci and architectural pieces in a vigorous if slightly eccentric style, and by 1719, when he was admitted to the Academy of St. Luke and the virtuosi al Pantheon, he was a rising star in the Roman art world. From around 1719-1726 he was much in demand for decorative frescoes, including quadratura, ornament and landscape and other genres, often in collaboration with figure or flower painters. During this period he worked for Cardinal Patrizi at Villa Patrizi, Cardinal Annibale Albani at Palazzo Albani (now del Drago) alle Quattro Fontane, Livio de Carolis at Palazzo de Carolis, Cardinal Alberoni at Palazzo Alberoni, Innocent XIII Conti in the Quirinal and in the library of S. Croce in Gerusalemme. In 1724 he married Caterina Gosset, the sister-in-law of Nicolas Vleughels, the director of the French Academy in Rome, to which he was admitted in 1732, and as a result he was much patronized by the French. During the 1720s he developed his figure style away from the awkwardness of his early works into one that concentrated on groups of stylishly-dressed aristocrats and skillfully modelled bystanders, sibyls and pseudo-antique figures. These he noted down in drawings (such as a sketchbook in the British Museum) that he drew upon to populate his paintings. He also began to receive commissions to design and record temporary festivals, often for French ambassadors to Rome. By the beginning of the 1730s Panini was developing a distinctive subgenre of the capriccio in which recognizable monuments are placed in imaginary topographical relationships, which were well-received in the classicizing era of Clement XII Corsini. In 1732 he was one of the panel of judges for the competition instituted by Clement for the Lateran façade, and in the following year painted an impressive View of Piazza del Quirinale for the pope. At about this time he was developing his best-known topographical subjects, interior views of St Peter's and the Pantheon, which were much in demand, to judge by the number of extant versions extending into the 1750s. By about 1734 he was beginning to attract the attention of English patrons, who ordered sets of Roman views, such as those at Marble Hill House (1738) and Castle Howard. In 1736, through Filippo Juvarra, he received important commissions from Philip V of Spain for scenes of the life of Christ in the Chinoiserie room at La Granja in Spain (1736). From as early as the 1720s he had been producing some vedute (view-paintings), initially based on prototypes by Gaspar van Wittel, and he developed the genre in subsequent decades in works that would include impressive panoramic views of the Forum or Palatine, although his staple genre was the capriccio rather than the veduta. He also expanded his repertory of church interiors, adding such churches as S. Paolo fuori le Mura and S. Agnese in Piazza Navona, as well as church interiors recording special events. His son by his first marriage, Giuseppe (1718-1805), began to support him in architectural and festival design projects. By the 1740s Panini was at the peak of his powers, and evidently had a considerable workshop helping him meet demand, especially of capricci to be used as overdoors and other decorative installations. Giovanni Paolo was successful in elevating himself socially above the usual artisanal status of genre painters, and would sometimes include a self-portrait in paintings commissioned by the great and powerful. He also appears to have been successful financially, and owned a substantial palazzo in via Monserrato. He increasingly concentrated on important commissions, such as a view of the Lottery in Piazza Montecitorio (London, National Gallery, 1743-1744), the designs for the festival decorations for the birth of the Dauphin in Palazzo Farnese (Waddesdon Manor, 1751), or the view of an imaginary picture gallery housing the collection of Cardinal Valenti Gonzaga (Wadsworth Atheneum, 1749). In the mid-1750s he received an important series of commissions from the Duc de Choiseul, French ambassador to Rome and soon to become one of the most powerful men in France, that included his best-known compositions, Ancient Rome (Roma Antica) and Modern Rome (Roma Moderna). These large paintings, of which there are three sets (in Boston and Stuttgart, the Metropolitan Museum, and the Louvre) represent imaginary picture galleries based on the Valenti Gonzaga composition but hung with what purport to be Panini's own vedute of ancient and modern sites respectively (with corresponding pieces of sculpture). These paintings sum up the eighteenth-century canon of the greatest works of architecture and sculpture, and the equivalence between modern and ancient Rome. By this time Panini was being assisted by his son by his second marriage, Francesco (1748-1800), who was a skilled draughtsman and painter who continued his father's work after his death in 1765. The Farnborough Hall paintings The Piazza S. Pietro and the Campidoglio are important vedute by Panini painted in 1750 and originally installed, with other works by Panini and Canaletto, in the seat of the Holbech family, Farnborough Hall, Warwickshire (National Trust). Farnborough Hall had been inherited in 1717 by William Holbech (circa 1699-1771), who is documented on the Grand Tour in Florence, Rome and Venice from late 1732 until his return home at the end of April 1734 with his brother Hugh. Holbech is said to have gone on the Grand Tour to recover from a broken heart and to have spent a considerable time there prior to these documented appearances. During his time in Rome he acquired two Paninis, which were seen by an anonymous antiquary around 1746, who referred to various sculptures "all brought from Rome with two pictures, one of the Rotunda, and the other of diverse buildings by Panino" (British Library, Add. MS 6230, pp. 31-32). The Rotunda (the Pantheon) is a painting now in a private collection in New York, and is signed and dated 1734. The Diverse Buildings, which was probably one of Panini's capricci, has not been identified. On his Grand Tour Holbech seems also to have acquired two Canalettos, although they are not mentioned by the antiquary, who may only have had eyes for things Roman. In about 1746-1747, Holbech remodelled the house by creating a Saloon, now the dining room, at the back of the house. This room, the entrance hall, the staircase, library and closet were stuccoed by William Perritt of York, and a bill for this work dated 14 November 1750 survives (or survived until recently; G. Beard, Decorative Plasterwork in Great Britain, London, 1975, p. 233). The two Canalettos acquired on the Grand Tour were installed in the Saloon, together with two new works commissioned from Canaletto, who was then in England and working nearby at Warwick Castle in 1748. The two Paninis acquired on the Grand Tour may have been installed in the Library, as Alastair Laing assumes (op. cit.), while three new works commissioned from Panini in Rome were placed in the Hall and Saloon: the Piazza S. Pietro for the overmantel in the Hall (fig. 1), the Campidoglio as the overmantel in the Saloon (fig. 2), and an Interior of St Peter's (now in Detroit) (fig. 3) on the adjacent wall facing the windows. Two of the Canalettos flanked the Campidoglio, while the others were on the opposite wall. The Interior of St Peter's was therefore effectively the fifth member of the Canaletto set, distinct from the two overmantels. Holbech's installation of his Canalettos and Paninis in fixed stucco frames was unusual for England in 1750, and had probably been inspired by what he had seen on his Grand Tour in Northern Italy, where fixed stucco installations of canvases were common in the 1720s and 1730s (Cornforth, II, p. 51). The Campidoglio and the Interior of St Peter's are both signed and dated 1750, a date that corresponds to the payments for the stucco. The commission for the new Paninis would have been made through an agent, possibly the Roman dealer in antiquities Belisario Amidei from whom some of the antique busts in the Hall were acquired in 1745, who was also a picture dealer; or perhaps the painter Pietro Berton, who on 7 December 1750 shipped a Panini to England. The paintings were sold to Savile Gallery in 1929 and replaced by copies by one Mohammed Ayoub. The four Canalettos were exhibited at Savile Gallery in 1930 and entered the London art trade, finding their way at various times to Augsburg, Melbourne, Ottawa and a private collection. The Paninis seem to have been resold immediately to Knoedler & Co. in New York. When the stucco was removed from the library by Holbech's great-grandson, another William Holbech, shortly after his succession in 1812, the Interior of the Pantheon and the Diverse Buildings may have been taken down. Although there is no record of either painting being at Farnborough subsequently, the Interior of the Pantheon at least must have remained there, since it appeared at Knoedler's in 1930 at about the same time as the other Paninis, and was presumably acquired at the same time from the same source. The Campidoglio was a rare subject for Panini: this is the only known extant version, apart from fictive versions in the Metropolitan Museum (1757) (figs. 4) and Louvre (1759) versions of his Roma Moderna composition (but not in the first Boston version of 1757). Probably Holbech insisted on the choice of subject in order to represent the centre of Rome's civic administration to complement the religious one of St Peter's. The Campidoglio may have been of interest to English patrons because it represented the seat of a form of government they were more comfortable with than the papacy. For example, Canaletto painted the subject, together with English subjects, for Thomas Hollis, 'the most bigoted of all Republicans' in 1755, who may have wanted to 'represent London as the heir to the legacy of Ancient Rome and Renaissance Italy' (see Michael Liversidge and Jane Farrington, eds., Canaletto and England, exhibition catalogue, Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, London, 1993, p. 25). Canaletto also painted the subject for Sir Richard Neave, Ist Baronet (1731-1814) of Dagnam Park, Essex, at the end of his English stay or shortly afterwards (i.e. 1755-1766) (sold, Sotheby's, London, 10 July 2002, lot 8). Like Holbech, Neave mixed Venetian and Roman subjects, but his Roman subjects steer clear of St Peter's: the others were the Piazza del Quirinale and Piazza Navona. While Holbech had gone to both Venice and Rome and commissioned views of both cities, Rome sets the keynote for his decoration: antique busts line the Hall, and its religious and civic centres are the overmantels in the Hall and Saloon respectively. The Piazza S. Pietro The Piazza S. Pietro shows the piazza much as it appears today, apart from the absence of Valadier's late eighteenth-century clocks on the towers. Bernini's colonnade (1656-1667), both ends of which are visible, reaches out its arms to embrace the viewer. In the center of the piazza is the obelisk moved by Sixtus V in 1586 from the left side of the church where it had formed part of the Circus of Nero. On either side are two fountains, the one on the right by Carlo Maderno (1613) and the one on the left created to match it by Carlo Fontana in 1677. Beyond is the rectangular forecourt to the church, the piazza retta, leading to the façade by Maderno, completed in 1610, and the dome by Michelangelo, Giacomo della Porta and Domenico Fontana. To the right of the façade the roof of the Sistine Chapel is just visible, followed by the Cortile di S. Damaso, the palace of the Swiss Guards and the palace of Paul V. A Cardinal is being driven in a carriage across the piazza at the right in the direction of the Borgo Nuovo and Ponte S. Angelo with his blue-liveried retinue and subsidiary carriages. Unlike the later versions of the subject that depict the Duke de Choiseul, there seems to be no intent to portray any particular cardinal: the procession of a cardinal here is presented simply as characteristic activity within the piazza. Various groups of figures, including well-dressed women in brightly colored dresses, Swiss Guards, priests, gentlemen, idlers and a pilgrim are distributed around the piazza. In the foreground an imaginary heap of fallen masonry provides visual interest in an otherwise dead space. Panini painted the Piazza S. Pietro on a number of occasions, and his works falls into two types, one with the viewpoint shifted slightly to left of the axis, as in the Farnborough Hall version, and one with it shifted slightly to the right. The first type is based on a composition by Gaspar van Wittel, of which there are numerous versions from 1684 until 1721 (Fig. 9 van Wittel). The work by Panini that seems closest to Van Wittel and therefore probably the earliest is the version in the Circolo della Caccia, Rome, which has been dated to the second half of the 1730s, but is probably a decade or so earlier. Another, on the London art market in 2002-2009, and a version with workshop participation at Sotheby's, Milan (20 November 2007, lot 137) and currently on the art market in Rome, are closer to an important painting in Toledo (Arisi no. 308) that is signed and dated 1741 (fig. 6). Van Wittel employed a wide format (about 2:1), showed both of the end faces of the colonnade almost to their full extent, and introduced the theme of a heap of masonry to enliven the foreground. His choice of perspective implies a viewpoint located in the small piazza between the Borgo Nuovo and Borgo Vecchio, now the Piazza Pio XII at the top of the Via della Conciliazione. From this viewpoint a building at the left tended to interfere with the view of the end of the left arm, as can be seen from the Nolli map...

Mid-19th Century Grand Tour Bronze Figurative Sculpture 'The Dying Gaul', Italy By: unknown Material: bronze, copper, metal Technique: cast, molded, polished, metalwork, patinated D...

This is an extremely rare majolica ceramic bowl by George Pull, dating back to around 1850, inspired by the works of Bernard Palissy from the 16th Century...

This mid-19th century American Rockinghamware stoneware flask is a delightful nod to whimsy and practicality. Shaped like a humble potato, it’s a rare ...

Ca. 1850 Antique French Pillow