Hand-Crafted Decorative Art

Antique 1900s Moroccan hand-hammered brass tray, intricate artwork, very fine Islamic metalwork brass hand etched designs with a five pointed star in the center. Handcrafted decorati...

Vladimír David for Jihokera Bechyne Zodiac Tile Scales / Libra. Czech Republic, mid 20th century. This is a great mid-century studio pottery tile depicting the Zodiac sign of th...

True Arts & Crafts two-tone geometric pair of stained glass windows. Subtle workmanship which exudes simplified elegance. In very good or...

Hard to capture the beauty of these rare stained glass Art Nouveau windows. They come alive when let by natural sunlight to display dazzling warm hu...

Largest collection of Portuguese tiles in the world 17th Century Portuguese Tile Panel. Restored 56cm x 56cm 14cm x 14cm tiles With certificate of authenticity and export issued by ...

Louis Vuitton Print from Paris, France framed in a vintage European gold leaf frame. Artwork features the iconic Louis Vuitton suitcases artistically formed in the shape of the Eiffe...

Vintage large oval ceramic wall plaque or tile features Modernist abstract decor with branches of orange fruits and green and yellow leaves displayed on blue-green background. The o...

Abstract Modernist Wood Inlay / Marquetry Figure wall plaque. Hand executed..Art Deco , African influenced.Several mixed species of exotic woods.

Louis Vuitton Print from Paris, France framed in a vintage wooden black painted frame. The artwork features the iconic Louis Vuitton suitcases artistically stacked. Similar piece can...

One of a kind artwork picture or mirror frame. This unique work of wall-art never seizes to draw your attention. Everytime you look at it, you will discover something new, because there is so much going on. The beauty and originality in this modern work of art is that the entire frame is mostly filled with old and antique bits...

This wall panel of contemporary art is an expression of an artistic mixture of materials like the romantic stone of the moon as the scagliola art and mirrors, creating a refined and ...

- This product is priced per square meter. Please contact us for assistance with square footage calculations. - The lead time depends on the quantity of the order. Vite light blue (...

A vintage French oil on canvas painting of Napoleon Bonaparte as Emperor in a hand carved original gilded wooden frame, painted by S. Chapin in good condition. The wall décor art pie...

From an important thirty year old New England collection of American Folk Art Pyrography Robert Ball Hughes (British-American, 1804-1868) This original period framed 1866 pyrography on wood panel was created after the painting by Sir John Gilbert (English, 1817-1897) with detailed description and dedication written on the back of the panel using the same technique. A photographed rubbing of the reverse dedication will be included and is part of this description (photo). Frame: 20 inches high and 28.5 inches wide; Site: 13.25 inches high and 22 inches wide This painting depicts the episode from Shakespeare’s Henry VI Part II Act III Scene V in which Sir John Falstaff inspects the recruits mustered by Justice Robert Shallow and his cousin Silence. Falstaff sits in a chair surrounded by his cronies whilst Bardolph leads Bullcalf forward. Hayman’s treatments of Falstaff reviewing recruits are perhaps among the most successful depictions of a theatrical scene in British painting. The tableau vibrates with the energy that he brought to his Vauxhall supper box scenes of games and dancing, and is filled with the humour and observation of his portraiture. Every figure is in motion and proclaims its own individuality. About Robert Ball Hughes (British-American, 1804-1868) Known as Ball Hughes and also using that as a signature, this man was a sculptor and wax-portrait artist. He was born in London, England, and died in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He studied and exhibited at the Royal Academy in London as well as at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the National Academy of Design in New York City. He emigrated to New York in 1829, having earned much prestige in England. In New York, he received many commissions for portrait busts in bronze and wax. Among his subjects were John Trumbull, Alexander Hamilton, and Washington Irving. From 1838 to 1840, he worked in Philadelphia and from 1840, worked in Boston. In his final years, he began to produce pyrographic wood pictures (pyro engravings or "poker pictures"), including The Witches of MacBeth (c. 1840), Babylonian Lions (1856), Don Quixote in His Study (1863), The Trumpeter (1864), General Grant...

Vintage Original Pencil and Charcoal Study Depicting a rather serious situation at the gallows, the victim of the hanging is being read his last rights with his head down and eyes c...

A wonderful and rare pair of circa 1815 English regency "boulle work" or "buhl work" still life pictures, the parcel-gilt black lacquered cove-mold frames of rectangular form having ...

19th century cast iron shoemaker’s trade sign A highly decorative example of a late 19th century cast iron French shoemakers shop trade sign. Hand crafted from a hand cut iron metal...

Mid-Century Modern mosaic tableau wall piece. Abstract design of a figure in mosaic marble, shades of browns and greys. Sturdy wooden frame.

English etching artist proof. The bottom reads as follows: Printed by Henry Fradelle and engraved by Thomas Lupton. Rebecca and Ivanhoe AS THE WOUNDED KNIGHT WAS ABOUT TO ADDRESS THIS FAIR APPARITION SHE IMPOSED SILENCE BY PLACING HER SLENDER FINGER UPON HER RUBY LIPS...

Solid oak coated in fine golden brass sheets using a gold leaf technique. A company that has always attributed such great importance to the author of the designs could never forget the great figures in history. That is why the BD catalogue of contemporary creations has always included those by admired classical masters. Antoni Gaudí (1852/1926) is, without doubt, the most internationally well-known Spanish architect. But is not only his buildings and brilliant architectural solutions that have travelled the globe. His integrated conception of architecture led him to pay attention, not only to structural calculations, but also to all the decorative elements, including furniture, that would form part of the building. The admiration felt by modern designers for the furniture designed by Gaudí has not gone unnoticed by BD which was the first company to rescue them from history by embarking on their serial production using...

A French 19th Century Louis XV style mirror, carved in Pinewood with Gesso finish and gilded, in good condition. The frame has the typical Rocaille décor. The antique mirror has its ...

Very large, stunning Nordic decorative hanging wall plate / centerpiece / bowl in muted earth tones. Peanut brown matte glaze with navy ...

BOS Whiskey 19th Century Lithograph Advertising Poster A mid-19th Century sectioned lithographic BOS Whiskey advertising poster. Bos Whiskey wa...

Framed fine quality Iznik style Turkish ceramic tile with flower motif. Handcrafted Turkish Iznik style ceramic tile framed. Turkish traditional ...

Highly stylish and marvelous design Art Deco wall barometer. This stylish antique from the early 1900s is a dream of anyone with an Art Deco (inspired) interior. This design could...

Add some color to your kitchen wall or dining room shelf with this beautiful antique Majolica wall platter. Crafted in France, circa 1880, the plate features sculptural fruit motif in high relief which includes a pair of pears hanging from tree branches covered with green leaves. The colorful hand-painted faience round plate with pink flowers...

English Fairground Carousel panel We are proud to offer a wonderful example of an early 20th century English fairground panel. From a fairground carou...

A round, antique French monumental sized industrial wooden wall mirror with its original mirror glass, in good condition. Minor fading, scrat...

The Frameworks are created with the same technique as our wallcoverings and represent a unique artistic vision, which embellish the location where they are exhibited. This creation ...

These Christmas Stockings were made from mid 20th C. Uzbek Velvet Fragments. Please note these were made from vintage Uzbek Velvet fragments.

Large hand embroidered and quilted textile from North India. Mughal style silk and metal threaded tapestry framed from Rajasthan, India Fanciful Asian folk art design in this disti...

Wall Decoration Heart Light mirror made with LED lights with mirrored glass and plexiglass creating an infiny mirrored effect through a heart shape. With...

Striking mid-20th century wall sculpture by Casa Devall, featuring a cluster of stylized palm trees crafted in mixed metals. The textured gilt leaves catch the light with a warm glow...

This hand crafted cork work shows a romantic scene of an ancient castle in a charming diorama. The castle is perched atop a promontory overlooking a river, complete with forested te...

ANTIQUE ORIGINAL FRAMED DRAWING Depicting a romantic scene of a young woman in a pink dress relaxing on a big blue cushion with a book open on her lap and next to a basket of roses...

The Bible story of baby Moses drawn from the River Nile made with silkwork and chenille. Moses is gently taken from a basket made of reeds while his sister Miriam watches over him. ...

Mid-Century Modern Ignis Wall Decor Piece, Contemporary Collection, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by Greenapple. The Ignis modern wall decor is inspired by the inner fire that fu...

Vintage Handcrafted Rattan Carpet Beater, Early 20th Century – Functional Folk Art & Decorative Wall Object. A beautifully handwoven rattan carpet beater, also known as a rug beater,...

The Frameworks are created with the same technique as our wallcoverings and represent a unique artistic vision, which embellish the location where they are exhibited. The creation c...

Outstanding Japanese contemporary two panel "byobu" or folding screen featuring genryoku style handcrafted raised pure silk kimono in black, red and gold on textured black background...

Japanese contemporary framed three-dimensional decorative art piece in Japanese traditional silk and brocade in soft green, blue and purple on a deep gray background, recreating an 1...

An artistic wallcovering designed by Francesco Simeti, expertly enriched by Fabscarte, with white relief stucco workmanship and monochrome handpainted elements. Inspired images and ...

A superbly detailed mid-18th-century Indian miniature court painting, executed in gouache heightened with gold on handmade paper. Originating from Rajasthan circa 1760, this exquisite artwork captures a serene palace scene featuring the Hindu deity Krishna with Radha and accompanying Gopis in a lush, architectural setting. The composition is rich in symbolism, narrative depth, and emotional subtlety, hallmarks of classical Rajput painting. The figures are adorned with traditional garments, rendered in delicate pastel tones with intricate patterns and gilt accents. The architectural elements, marble pavilions, domes, carved screens, and floral gardens, are meticulously executed, offering a vivid impression of royal leisure and divine romance. Set against a tree-lined courtyard with peacocks and floral motifs, the visual rhythm is both vibrant and harmonious. The painting is professionally mounted in a deep tan linen mat and presented in an elegant gold-gilt frame with black detailing, complementing the composition's refined warmth and historic gravitas. A rare and captivating example of classical Indian court painting...

Ceramic wall tile decoration with leaf print using sgraffito technique. Tiles can be custom made to fit any wall of space. Take tradition to evolve, transform, and innovate are all...

Pair of reliefs; grutescos or candelieri. Carved, polychrome and golden wood. 16th century, and later Pair of reliefs made of hand carved wood, gilded ...

A blue-white, vintage Mid-Century Modern French abstract oil on wood painting of books, painted by Daniel Clesse in good condition. Signed on the lo...

Exceptional Japanese contemporary two-panel "byobu" or folding screen featuring two graceful ladies dressed in elegant formal traditional Japanese kimonos. This folding screen is ins...

Beautiful wall mounted flower decoration a glazed tile sculpture in the colorful colors of deep red, aubergine, orange and black. The flower sculpture is in a perfect condition.

This large antique charger was crafted in Holland, circa 1960. The large, wall hanging plate depicts a wintry cottage scene, a Dutch windmill and boat, as well as people enjoying the frozen lake! One person is assembling skate shoes, while the other 2 stand in front of their ice sled. This platter has the traditional ditch classic blue and white palette. The ceramic piece has a flower border and features a farm house, a fishermen on a boat and a windmill in the background. The hand painted, porcelain piece is stamped on the back "Royal Sphinx...

Rare stained glass artwork by Hubert Felix. Signed and dated 1966. Hubert designed and made some pieces himself but mostly made stained glass pieces for other artists. It measures 13...

A striking framed collection of Antique Beadwork. Antwerp label on verso. Group of individual antique neoclassical embroidered pieces- swags with fruits, bows, a flaming heart with s...

A turquoise-green, blue vintage Mid-Century Modern French abstract composition oil on wood painting, painted by Daniel Clesse in good condition. Signed on the lower right and counter...

Silver-framed Mary and Eddie by Ms. Robin Morris, is an original 172/350 limited edition lithograph printed using hand lithography techniques on archival Coventry Rag 100% acid free ...

Charming Japanese Showa period two-panel folding byobu screen featuring an embroidered silk picture of beautiful gift boxes. Stunning pattern of Hanaguruma (flower cart) laden with d...

Moroccan exotic metallic brocade caftan gown, circa 1970s. The luxurious kaftan is designed with brilliant gold metallic fabric. The front of the elegant caftan gown is embellished with woven gold buttons and loops that run down the centre to the hemline. The cuffs and border seams are accented with handmade applique trim. This exotic Arabic caftan gown makes a very extravagant garment for formal attire transitions effortlessly to casual wear Measurements The gown length from the collar to the hem 52" 1/2 inches The bust measured flat side to side 18" 1/2 inches The complete bust measures 37" inches The shoulders measure 15" 1/2 inches The outer sleeve length measures 24" inches The waist section measured flat 20" 1/2 inches The hip section measured flat 24" 1/2 inches Size small to Medium. Elegant vintage Moroccan caftan lime green and silver lame metallic floral Moorish brocade Kaftan, circa 1970s. This vintage long maxi dress kaftan is crafted in Morocco and tailored for a relaxed fit with wide sleeves This long maxi dress kaftan is embroidered and embellished entirely by hand. One of a kind evening Moroccan Middle Eastern gown. The kaftan features a traditional neckline, embellished sleeves It is a slip on, the button does not open. In Morocco, fashion preserves its traditional style inherited from great civilizations that found their way to Northwest Africa, such as the ottomans and the moors. Moroccan fashion has been recognized for its style and has garnered a reputation, winning awards in international fashion shows throughout Europe. Marrakech Bohemian, Yves Saint Laurent style. The Moroccan kaftans are worn by men and women, at home or at Moroccan wedding or traditional ceremonies. You can wear this traditional Moroccan caftan for your next Moroccan party, at the beach or to relax around the pool. Unisex long Moroccan robe...

Rare early 20th century opticians English enamel trade sign A rare example of an early 20th century opticians English enamel trade sign. With highly decorative graphics, stating ...

A mid-19th-century Caucasian Kuba rug hand-stitched onto a canvas like Linen Fabric. This item can be used preferably as a wall piece or floor covering, and it can be walked on if de...

Wall decoration double Chanel butterflies under glass box frame, anti UV glass, with real multicolored butterflies from bredding farms. Exceptional an...

- This product is priced per square meter. Please contact us for assistance with square footage calculations. - The lead time depends on the quantity of the order. This is a designe...

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...