Vanitas, oil on canvas with a small cartouche, Italy circa 1850.

Oil painting on iron plate, depicting a Vanitas with skull and fruit. Octagonal frame in interlocking ebonized wood with flaring to match the painting and gold profiling on lead. Ita...

Small shelf in carved hazel wood, depicting an Ionic capital. Italy, circa 1850.

American oil on canvas portrait of seated young lady in the original gilt wood floral flame, New York, Mid-19th century.

The Vajolet Towers - Italy Artist: A. Thöny Period: Early 1900s Origin: Italy Technique and support: Oil on canvas mounted on cardboard Dimensions: Height – 33 cm Width – 27 cm Description: The artwork depicts a landscape view of the Vajolet Towers, a prominent rock formation in the Catinaccio Dolomite massif. The artist employs a vertical composition, ideal for emphasizing the upward thrust of the towers, which rise monumentally against the sky. Thöny’s pictorial language is marked by a dense and vigorous brushstroke, particularly evident in the rocky details, where the use of oil paint enhances the typical limestone hues of the Dolomite rock. Dominant tones include ochre, warm greys, and earthy greens, with accents of white and light blue suggesting reflected light or lingering snow. The atmosphere is conveyed through a balanced interplay of solid and airy elements: the towers emerge from low-lying clouds, creating a contrast between the mountain’s solidity and the sky’s dynamic quality. The latter is rendered in cool tones—shades of blue and light grey—achieved through light glazing, contrasting with the more textured and impasto treatment of the rock. The vantage point is elevated yet slightly off-center, offering a framing that enhances the landscape’s perspective and depth, with hints of blurred mountain ridges on the horizon, painted in cobalt blue and greys to evoke a sense of atmospheric distance. Signed lower right, “A. Thöny”. A. Thöny was active in Merano, in the alpine region of South Tyrol, and belonged to the romantic-naturalist school of the late 19th century, connected to the Central European tradition of alpine landscape painting...