1681, Pair of Paintings signed Grechetto da Leone as Govaert G. VAN DER LEEUW

Pieter Van Lint (Antwerp, 1609-1690) Allegory of industriousness leading to peace and abundance Oil on copper; frame measures cm H 132 x W 159 x D 8, copper measures cm H 104 x W 130 Artwork signed (bottom center) "P.V. Lint F./ en A.B" The important and valuable painting, made of oil on copper, depicts the Allegory of industriousness that leads to peace and abundance. The work is signed in the bottom and center "P V Lint", or Pieter Van Lint (Antwerp, 28 June 1609 - Antwerp, 25 September 1690), famous Flemish painter and designer active in Antwerp in the second half of the seventeenth century. Van Lint elaborates a complex and articulated composition in which he inserts several figures also drawn from mythology to propose the allegorical message of industriousness that leads to peace and abundance. The artistic style of the author is characterized by meticulous realism and by the careful attention to detail and the rendering of the materials that make up the objects described. As we will see later, every detail represented within the work contains a symbolic and allegorical meaning that reinforces the message that already the same figures express. The remarkable dimensions of the copper support, not so infrequent in the artistic production of the artist, contribute to make the work of great value: Unfortunately, many of these artifacts have been lost because copper was often recovered in times of war and famine, and reused to obtain weapons and common tools. The copper foil proved to be ideal for oil painting because it constituted a non-absorbent support, rigid, smooth and characterized by the same reddish coloring that was used for the preparation of funds. The major production centers were Antwerp, Hamburg and Amsterdam, although the technique was widely used in Italy. The considerable cost of the material indicates a wealthy client, interested in possessing a valuable and durable work over time, this characteristic that the metal foil has more than the canvas. The painting is known to scholars. It is recorded in the catalog of the artist of the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History (with measures 104 x 129 cm). He also appeared on the French antiques market...

Francesco Simonini (Parma, 16 June 1686 - Parma, 1766) “The rest of the soldiers” and “The march of soldiers” oil on canvas cm 40 x 58 and 40 x 60 ; frame: h 52,5 x W 70,5 x D 6 an...

Francesco Lavagna (Italy, Naples 1684-1724) Pair of paintings depicting Still Life composition of flowers and watermelon and garden in the background The paintings, beautifully mad...

17th century, Pair of paintings depicting Architectural Caprices with Bacchanal and Sacrifice Scene, Alberto Carlieri (Rome 1672-1720) Oil on canvas; Dimensions: canvas cm H 73.5 x W...

Thomas VAN DER WILT (1659-1733) "Portrait of Noble Woman", oil on canvas 55cm x 46cm without frame 65cm x 56cm with frame very good conditions Thomas van der Wilt (1659–1733) was an...

Oil painting by Theo van der Horst, 1970s. Theo van der Horst (1921-2003 Arnhem Netherlands) is an expressionist painter with a great sense of colour. He was inspired by the pre-war Flemish expressionists such as Constant Permeke and Gustave de Smet...

Jan van der Vaart (1647-1727) Portrait of Dorothy, Lady Brownlow (1664-1700) Oil on canvas; held in a period carved wood frame circa 1687 Considered a beauty of the age, Dorothy, Lady Brownlow was painted on a number of occasions by some of the most talented and respected artists of the day; Kneller, Riley, Closterman, Dahl and Wissing, all rendered her features in oil for posterity. The portrait presented here is by Jan van der Vaart who from 1685-1687 was employed by Willem Wissing as a drapery and landscape painter. After Wissing’s death in 1687 he practiced as an independent portraitist much in the style of his master with some influence also of Kneller. This work is in fact the head and shoulders taken from Wissing’s three-quarter length of Lady Brownlow which hangs at Belton House, Lincolnshire and produced as a mezzotint in 1687. Van der Vaart has made some intriguing alterations particularly as the sitter now looks directly at us, appearing rather more provocative and self assured of her beauty. The confident rendering of the dress and pearls and the thickly drawn copious hair are hallmarks of Van der Vaart’s work. It is likely he completed this portrait – shortly after Wissing’s version – as a smaller variant intended for another family member as was often the practice. Dorothy Mason married Sir William Brownlow 4th Bt. in July 1688; she was the daughter and heir of Sir Richard Mason a politician and courtier to Charles II who owned estates at Bishop’s Castle, Salop and Sutton Surrey. She came from, and married into extreme wealth; her dowry upon marriage was £10,000 and on her death her husband inherited the estates that were once her father’s. In June 1697 William Brownlow succeeded his brother to the baronetcy and to most of his landed estates including Belton House. In 1698 he abandoned his Peterborough seat to contest Bishop’s Castle on behalf of his wife and in the interest of his mother-in-law, Lady Anna Mason...

Niek van der Plas grew up in Katwijk Ann Zee in the Netherlands. Taking inspiration from his hometown, his work features the famous sea and dunes of the fisherman village. Van der Pl...