Paintings

Contemporary mixed media abstract painting with textured 3D shapes painted gold on gold ground rectangular canvas in black wooden frame. (BARBARA KISKOVSKI).

Cherry Blossoms Kano Sanrakuki (1898-1981) Showa period, circa 1930 2-panel Japanese Screen Color, gofun and gold leaf on paper Against a backdrop of gold-leafed ground, the lichen covered trunk and branches of the life-sized cherry blossom tree reach out and beyond the confines of the pictorial surface. The overall composition has a feeling of flatness which draws emphasis to the surface and the three-dimensionality of the cherry blossoms. Painstakingly built-up layers of thickly applied shell-white gofun detail the voluminous blossoms and cover large areas of this tour-de-force of Japanese Nihonga painting. By simplifying the background, minimizing the number of colors and depicting the blossoms with such heavy relief, the artist has emphasized the stunning presence of the cherry tree. The type of tree depicted is the Yae-Zakura; a double-layered type of cherry blossom famed for its beauty and strength. When we think of Japanese cherry blossoms, the first thing that comes to mind is Somei Yoshino variety, which has a single flower with five almost white petals. This type is fragile and easily blown away by strong wind or rain. Most of the double-flowered cherry blossoms begin to bloom when the Somei-Yoshino falls, and the flowering period lasts longer than that of the Somei-Yoshino. Kano Sanrakuki originally studied painting at the Kyoto City Arts and Crafts School under the tutelage of Yamamoto Shunkyo...

Very large Sèvres porcelain plaque by Pastier after Jean-Baptiste Greuze French, 1853 Frame: height 71cm, width 89cm, depth 9cm Plaque: hei...

19th century gilt framed oil painting portrait of lady wearing black hat and blue striped dress.  

American portrait miniature by Thomas Story Officer, Woman in a White Gown, Signed "T.S. Officer, Pinxt", The 1830s The American portrait miniature signed by Thomas Story Officer depicts a beautiful young woman, her red hair “Coeffure a la Chinoise”, sitting in a red chair confidently looking out towards the painter and us, the viewers.  She wears a white dress with a pin in the center of her chest.  Based on her style of dress and her hair, we believe this was painted while Officer was in Philadelphia. It is signed to the lower right "T.S. Officer, Pinxt" along at edge. The reverse has a small oval glass Dimensions: 3 inches high x 2 3/16 inches wide x 1/4 inch deep Reference: Thomas S. Officer: Miniature and Portrait Painter, Gardner Library,  Author: Merri Lou Schaumann. Born in Carlisle in 1810, this gifted artist trained in Philadelphia, traveled extensively and won awards for his paintings. In 1872, James Miller McKim wrote a series of reminiscences for the Carlisle Herald newspaper about the places and people of Carlisle in an earlier day. He wrote that “David Smith, a boot and shoemaker, had two sons… one of whom early developed a taste for art and finally devoted himself to miniature painting as a profession. He was a contemporary, and for a while, a rival of Mr. Thomas Officer, though I believe he never reached the celebrity attained by that gifted young artist. Mr. Officer, by the way, was one of the last miniature painters of any eminence produced by this country, the daguerreotype and photographer having come in to sweep away the entire profession.” Thomas Story Officer was born in Carlisle on August 15, 1810, to cabinetmaker John Officer and his second wife Margaret. He trained in Philadelphia with the well-known portrait painter Thomas Sully and began his career there in the 1830s. Officer left Philadelphia occasionally to paint portraits in Mobile, Alabama in 1837, in Richmond, Virginia in 1845, and in New York City from 1846-1849 where he became a member of the National Academy of Design. In 1842, Officer intended to travel to Mexico and needed a passport. He asked Attorney Charles B. Penrose, formerly of Carlisle, to write a letter of recommendation for him. In his letter to Fletcher Webster, Esq., Penrose wrote, “This will be handed to you by Thomas S. Officer, Esq., a friend of mine, and a native artist of Pennsylvania, who is a gentleman of great talents and respectability. Intending to visit Mexico, he wishes to procure passports at the State Department…”  Officer was issued a passport in July 1842. He was described as 30 years old, 5’ 11” with a “full and round forehead, bluish-gray eyes, an ordinary nose, medium mouth, ordinary chin, sallow complexion with an oval face and brown hair.” Officer went to Mexico and later to Australia. In 1854, he opened a studio in Sandridge, Australia, and while there he “entered several oil portraits in the 1854 Melbourne Exhibition preparatory to sending them to the 1855 Paris Exhibition.” Officer left Australia, and in 1855 he settled in San Francisco where he would spend the last years of his life. He set up a portrait painting department in James Johnson’s photographic gallery in San Francisco. In 1857, Officer received a bronze medal for his oil portraits exhibited at The First Industrial Exhibition of the Mechanics’ Institute of San Francisco, as well as awards at several other exhibits in 1858. A short piece in the San Francisco newspaper, Alta, on October 30, 1859, read, “Mr. Thomas S. Officer, the talented portrait painter, lies near to death’s door and is in pecuniary distress. Out of the many to whose pleasure he has contributed by his gay, social manners, as well as by his pleasing artistic productions, may there not be found someone who will extend a helping hand?”  Officer died on December 8, 1859. Almost an entire column in the January 18, 1860 edition of the Carlisle Herald, was devoted to a very long and informative obituary of Officer taken from the Alta, California newspaper. Officer was buried in the now defunct Lone Mountain Cemetery in San Francisco. In 2014, the Cumberland County Historical Society received a bequest of a portrait painted by Thomas Officer from the estate of historian John J. Snyder, Jr. It joined a miniature portrait already a part of the Society’s museum collection in Carlisle, not far from where Officer was born. Notes: The May 28, 1834 edition of the Carlisle Weekly Herald reported that Thomas S. Officer had "...within the last few weeks, taken the portraits of several gentlemen of this borough...Mr. O. is principally self-taught, and although young, already evinced a degree of taste, judgment, and talent..." A short biography of Officer can also be found in Early American Portrait Painters in Miniature by Theodore Bolton, published by F. F. Sherman (New York, 1921). The entire book is one line  Bio. of Officer on page 117. See Officer’s portrait...

Kano school painting of a pheasant in a snowy pine. Artist signature reads: Hokkyo Shunyo. Mineral pigments on gold leaf with silk brocade border.  

Moon and bamboo in ink on gold paper with red and black lacquered negoro frame. (Meiji period) Calligraphy reads: Beauty in ink painting with standing woods and branches, like in par...

A pair of captivating black and white horses, believed to define hard work and power in Japanese mythology, are beautifully rendered in this painting of mineral pigments on mulberry ...

Verdant landscape of mountains and rolling foothills shrouded in mist. Mineral pigments on silk with gold dust. Raw silk backing.

"LAKEVIEW" (1868) BY FRANK HENRY SHAPLEIGH (AMERICAN, 1842-1906) In oil on canvas, signed lower left "F. H. Shapleigh 1868" Item # 001RDV25X Th...

ALBERTUS VERHOESEN Dutch, 1806-1881 Cattle and Sheep in a Landscape (1852) Oil on panel Signed lower left "A. Verhoesen 1852", ink-stamped verso "32 SPK(?)" "G.A.S. 51" with torn ...

Large painted antique porcelain plaque with musical party scene French, Late 19th Century Frame: height 58cm, width 77cm, depth 4cm Plaque:...

Pair of ebonized framed oil painting portraits of lady with hair up and man with long beard.  

"Rhapsody #1", a unique vibrant Abstract Expressionist etching in patinated bronze and pewter with colorful hand-painted enamels by Philip & Kelvin LaVerne, American 1972 (signed “Ph...

with thought to be Izumo no Okuni (1578-1613). Mineral pigments and gold dust on mulberry paper with silk brocade border.

Cranes Anonymous, Kano School. Edo period, second half of the 17th century. Pair of six-panel screens. Ink, pigment gofun and gold l...

Unique complex Impressionist painting "Caribbean" on patinated bronze and pewter with colorful hand-painted enamels in special braided bronze frame by Philip & Kelvin LaVerne, Americ...

With training lines on some branches, typical in Japanese arboreal sculpting. Colorful mineral pigments on paper. Beautiful hand-printed back paper.

PIETER GERARDUS VAN OS Dutch, 1776-1839 Shepherd with Flock in a Pastoral Landscape (1821) Oil on canvas Signed lower left "PG Van Os f 1821" Item # 204GPP23A An extensive and brilliantly detailed scene, this fine woodland pastoral landscape highlights the ability of Pieter Gerardus van Os to manipulate light for dramatic and somewhat ecclesiastical effect. There is a certain other-worldly insinuation in the golden light as it pierces the dense cover of the leaves to highlight the shepherd and his flock as the focal point for the painting. Here we find the young boy entirely at peace on the bank surrounded by long golden grasses with his hat and staff tossed aside while watching the action of the small waterfall on the otherwise tranquil stream. His small dog stands beside him while the sheep graze carelessly, each showing total disregard for the two men and their dog hunting in shadows of the woods behind them. Across the bank a pair of unattended billy goats graze on the trees of the deeply shaded forest floor. There is a harmony and perfect sense of balance in this intricately detailed scene, an effective infusion of the transcendental into a quiet landscape scene. The work is signed lower left in his typical scrawling script "PG [intertwined] Van Os f 1821" and the back of the frame retains an early Christie's label. It is presented in a very fine carved giltwood frame. PIETER GERARDUS VAN OS Born in The Hague on October 8th of 1776 into the renowned Van Os family of painters, Pieter would spend his early years studying under his father Jan together with his brother Georgius Johannes Jacobus (Dutch, 1782-1861) in their father's studio. The three men had remarkable careers and would become some of the most influential painters in the Netherlands throughout the first half of the 19th century. Unlike his brother and father, Pieter moved away from still-life paintings and focused his work on rural landscapes of the Dutch countryside. He was self-taught in this pursuit, first as a copyist of the renowned Dutch "Golden Age" painters Karel Dujardin (Dutch, 1626-1678) and Paulus Potter (Dutch, 1625-1654) while also being heavily influenced by the landscape work of Jacob van Ruisdael and the allegorical landscapes of Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem. From his studio in Amsterdam, Pieter taught such notable pupils as Wouterus Verschuur...

An Elegant Musical Party in an Interior’ attributed to Gillis van Tilborgh, oil on canvas depicting a Dutch genre scene with figures dressed in rich silk clothing, fine lace ruffs and fichu collars grouped round musicians playing a clavichord, a fiddle and a flute, some couples holding hands or sitting close together and a baby playing on the floor, with a plaque reading ‘Gerard Terburg 1608-1681’, the reverse with a chalk notation ‘Ld Hesketh’. Dutch, circa 1870. Provenance: George, 3rd Earl of Pomfret (1768-1830), or his brother The Hon. Thomas Fermor, later 4th Earl of Pomfret (1770-1833), Easton Neston. Thence by descent, Lord Hesketh, Easton Neston. His Sale, Sotheby’s London, 17-19 May 2005, lot 82. Private Collection. Literature: George Baker...

This unique work in mixed media is by Ynez Johnston. Amidst a pale of grays, greens and blue, Johnston intricately created this piece with different textures, drawings and etchings. Using plumbers putty to imply a topographical effect, her etchings and drawings can be seen in a plethora of different textures. The piece has been custom framed in a 3" frame. This unique piece can easily stand alone our join an existing art collection. "Ynez Johnston was born in 1920 in Berkeley, California. She attended the University of California, Berkeley where she studied drafting, painting and printmaking with Worth Ryder, Erle Loran and Margaret Peterson...

The hand-written notes on the back of this miniature watercolor tell what was, at the time, a scandalous story. The portrait is of Hanah Tichbon. The inscription reads in part, "wen...

Dutch style (19th Century) oil painting portrait of boy on a white and green background in an ebonized frame (Van Dyke copy, Caruso Collection).  

JOHN WILSON CARMICHAEL British, 1800-1868 "View over Lake Nemi, Italy" (1865) Oil on canvas Signed lower right "1865 J. W. Carmichael" Item ...

American Mid-Century (signed 1963) abstract painting with shapes and letters in green, red, black, and blue, painted on a rectangular salvaged section of hardboard. (signed on back a...

English Georgian style gilt framed oil portrait, painting of 19th Century man sitting on red cushion.

JULES DUPRÉ French, 1811-1889 A Pastoral Landscape of Horses Drinking Oil on canvas Signed lower right "Jules Dupre", numbered verso with ink stamp "28288" circa 1840s Item # 11...

Mineral pigments on silk, mounted on a gold panel, in silk border. Signature and seal read: Yoho.

Pair of gilt framed oil painting portraits of a 19th Century man and lady.

A Continental brass marble-topped coffee table, of rectangular form with a pinkish marble top raised upon four waisted and sharply tapering square section legs, decorated with stippl...

Contemporary American abstract painting made of painted concrete with a lighter top section and darker gray below with a textured surface, mounted in a rectangular wooden frame.

Hinoki (Japanese red pine) and other deciduous trees in mineral pigments on mulberry paper. Signature reads: Yosui.

Portrait Miniature of a young girl, Signed Corno 1817 The large oval miniature within a gold frame and raised hanging loop depicts a young girl fac...

Very large Royal Vienna painted porcelain plaque after Correggio Austrian, 19th century Measures: Frame: height 77cm, width 74cm, depth 7.5cm Plaque: height 58cm, width 48.5cm, depth 0.5cm. This beautiful and very large painted porcelain plaque was made by the Royal Vienna Porcelain Manufactory, in the 19th century, and shows the Sacred Family...

Chinese panel art featuring a raised bird perched on a flowering tree branch detailed in pieces of mother of pearl against a burgundy and brown floral bordered background in a carved...

"HEN AND CHICKS" (1867) BY ANDREA CHERUBINI (ITALIAN, 1833-1905) In oil on canvas, signed lower left "A Cherubini 1867, Roma" Item # 007NKJ21H An exqu...

Maria Lagorio, who studied under the "World of Art" members Bilibin and Lanceray, fled Russia after the revolution, and spent most of her working life in France. Her early graphic wo...

Bamboo in moonlight Gamo Rakan (1784-1866) Hanging scroll, ink on silk. Dimensions: Scroll: 201 cm x 58 cm Image: 137 cm x 45 cm In this early 19th century work by Gamo Rakan a light ink wash applied to the silk background silhouettes the moon and suggests the atmosphere of early evening. Even though it is a literati subject, Rakan’s bamboo is quite realistic with a strong decorative style. The painting finds its inspiration from Chinese Ming dynasty painters who often used a single-tone, jet black stroke to emphasize the calligraphic nature of bamboo. In a different era, decorative would have been seen as somewhat unrefined. But increasingly in the Edo period, it was the hallmark of high style. The Japanese people, in particular the rising merchant class, had gradually become apathetic toward the traditional Sesshu and Kano schools of painting. Chinese professional and amateur painters living in the port of Nagasaki during the 18th century had a profound effect on Japanese painting and the freshness of their style and its decorative appeal contributed greatly to its popularity. Gamo Rakan’s teacher, Tani Buncho...

Copeland porcelain plaque depicting the Casket Scene from The Merchant of Venice English, Late 19th Century Frame: height 47.5cm, width 65.5cm, de...

A vibrant celebration of spring using a colorful ensemble of coxcomb, irises, lilies, hybiscus, and a blossoming cherry tree. Great examples of "tarashikomi" or "painting-in", a Rim...

Mineral pigments on gilded silk with gilded bronze hardware. Signature reads: Shunkan.

PAIR OF LANDSCAPES "RESTING ON THE BLUFF" ATTRIBUTED TO PIETER VAN BLOEMEN (FLEMISH, 1657-1720) Unsigned, later engraved attribution plaque on each frame, executed in oil on canvas I...

Mineral pigments on gilded silk with gilded bronze hardware. Signature reads: Shunkan.

A pair of oil on canvas hunt paintings attributed to Henry Alken (1785-1851) entitled "The Find" and "The Death", in original giltwood frames. Provenance: Provenance: The Hon. Mr...

JAMES RENWICK BREVOORT United States, 1832-1918 View over an Italian Lake, probably Lake Maggiore Oil on canvas Signed lower right "J.R.B." Item # 105NWG23P A fine tonalist pai...

Ink on gold leaf with a silk brocade border. Signature reads: Nakajima Raishou (1796-1872). Student of Maruyama Okyo (one of Japan's most famous artists).

One hundred birds Hasegawa Gyokujun (1863-1921) Meiji period, circa 1900. Ink, color and gofun on silk. Dimensions of each screen: H. 170 cm x W. 190 cm (67’’ x 75”) Despite the title, well over 100 birds are represented in this pair of two-fold Japanese screens (the title functions figuratively to convey the idea of a large number). The monumental work is rendered with a comprehensive and highly complex composition which is exquisitely executed and meticulously colored. More a celebration of naturalism than the traditional “One Hundred Birds” paintings which originated in China. This was a subject matter known for its auspicious meaning as much as its actual depiction of nature. These paintings generally had a phoenix (occasionally peacocks) placed in the center, and the other birds paying homage to it. In this quintessentially Japanese scene painted by Gyokujun, a couple of long-tailed birds modeled after paradise flycatchers are included; these are traditional auspicious motifs in Oriental bird and flower painting and denote themes such as celebration and enduring generations. In addition there is the playful inclusion of single exotic parrot. Even so, the vast majority of the birds and flowers are native to Japan. Reading the scene from right to left, from spring through to autumn, the overwhelming sense is one of movement and haste. It is almost as if the birds are in a race, with the fleetest leading the way forward. Although these native birds were commonly drawn amongst artists of the Shijo school, rarely were they painted with such drama and dynamism. It is not strictly a depiction of sketched birds whose manner was faithfully handed down through the traditions of the Shijo school. Rather we see Gyokujun seeking and achieving new expressions in the heart of the turbulent Meiji period. Hasegawa Gyokujun (1863-1921) was born in Kyoto. He was the eldest son of Hasegawa Gyokuho, a Shijo school painter who studied under Matsumura Keibun. Gyokujun studied painting under his father and became a prominent member of the Kyoto painti ng world from a young age. In 1891 he established the ‘Young Painters Social Club’ along with Takeuchi Seiho, Miyake Gogyo and Taniguchi Kokyo. Also in 1891 he was selected as a judge of the Great Private Paintings Exhibition along with Takeuchi Seiho, Yamamoto Shunkyo...

"BEFORE THE HUNT" LANDSCAPE PAINTING BY JOHN SYER, JR. (BRITISH, 1846 - 1913) In oil on canvas, signed lower right "J. Syer 188.." Item # 012IRM11P A fine open landscape depicting ...

Mineral pigments on gold. Not signed, by Baikei Hitsu.

FREDERIC MILTON GRANT United States, 1886-1959 "Lake Shore" Oil on canvas Signed lower right "Frederic M. Grant", signed and titled "Lake Shore" verso on stretcher bars Item # 109MPK24Q A vibrant landscape that blends the lines of genre work with the impressionist landscape, it captures a pair of woman caught in the middle of a conversation while a young child is exploring the path barefoot. The traditional dress is reminiscent of a century prior and is evocative of a rural Italian landscape, though the stretchers on the reverse of the painting are simply titled "Lake Shore" with no recorded indication of the placement of the scene. The brilliant cobalt blue of the lake is visible to the far right of the nearly square composition while the trees stretch like spires through the horizon and beyond the scope of the canvas, proportionally dwarfing even the cliffs in the distance behind the women. It is a composition familiar to Grant, with his preference for framing subjects with towering local trees, utilizing a relatively square canvas and including just a hint of water. In this particular example, the interplay of light and shadow in the scene is positively brilliant with Grant's palette switching from high-chroma to low-saturation within the span of a single brushstroke. The scene is signed in the lower right in his typical script, "Frederic M. Grant" and is housed in a good quality period correct carved giltwood frame. ARTIST Born in Sibley, Iowa on October 6th of 1886, Frederic Milton Grant studied at the North Dakota State University before heading to the Art Institute of Chicago. There he trained under John Vanderpool, Alphonse Mucha, Frederick Freer...

Three Friends of Winter Nakajima Raisho (1796-1871) Late Edo period, circa 1850 Ink and gold leaf on paper. This is a double-sided Japanese Furosaki or tea-ceremony screen from the mid 19th century; bamboo and plum on the front, young pines the back. It by Nakajima Raisho, a master painter of the Maruyama school in the late Edo and early Meiji periods. In this work Raisho combines exquisite ink brushwork with large open spaces of brilliant gold-leaf to inspire the viewers imagination. Rather than naturalism, he is searching for the phycological impression of the motifs, resulting in abstraction and stylization. His simplification of the motifs the result of looking to capture the inner nature of the objects. This art motif is known as Sho Chiku Bai, or the Three Friends of Winter. Evergreen pine connotes steadfastness, bamboo suggests both strength and flexibility, while plum blossoms unfurling on snow-laden branches imply hardiness. Combined, this trio is emblematic of Japanese new year. Chinese literati were the first to group the three plants together due to their noble characteristics. Like these resilient plants flowering so beautifully in winter, it was expected of the scholar-gentleman to cultivate a strong character with which he would be able to show the same degree of perseverance and steadfastness even during times of adverse conditions. The screen would have been placed near the hearth of a room used for the Japanese tea ceremony, shielding the fire from draughts and also forming a stimulating and decorative backdrop behind the tea utensils. It would have been used in the Hatsugama, or first tea-ceremony of the new year. Nakajima Raisho (1796-1871) originally studied under Watanabe Nangaku before entering the school of Maruyama Ozui. He was the highest ranking Maruyama school painter at the end of the Edo period and was known as one of the ‘Four Heian Families’ along with Kishi...

Mineral pigments on gold leaf with brocade border. Calligraphy and sketching on back paper.

Beige ground lacquer with black and grey lacquer penguins with small pieces of shell making up white areas. Lacquer on wood. Writing reads: Lacquer Screen By Izumi Atsuhiko. It was ...

Mineral pigments on gold leaf on mulberry paper with a silk brocade border.

Vintage (20th Century) trompe l'oeil still life featuring all facets of correspondence – hand-written notes and letters, wax-sealed envelopes, and a feather quill – held to a woo...

Suzuki Shonen (1848-1918) Meiji period (1868-1912), late 19th century. Twisted pines Pair of six-fold screens. Ink on a gold leaf ground. Sig...

Japanese six-panel screen: waterfall and cherry in Audubon landscape, Edo period painting, 18th century, depicting summer and spring. A Kano Schoo...

EUGENE VERBOECKHOVEN Belgian, 1798-1881 Sheep and Goats in a Bucolic Landscape (1859) Oil on panel Signed lower left "Eugene Verboeckhoven 1859...