18th Century and Earlier Wall Decorations

Miniature portrait of Louis Charles, son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Official documents state that he died in prison on 8 June 1795 at the age of 10, but numerous contemporary...

A very deeply carved mid-18th century Georgian overdoor, circa 1750. Beautifully carved in the shape of a figure of eight and embellished with carved foliage, this 275-year-old overd...

In 1665, Louis XIV gave workshops in Aubusson (France) the royal charter, making them responsible for producing tapestries for the King and nobility. A beautiful example of such an Aubusson tapestry is our verdure bleue wall hanging that depicts four grape harvest...

Label on verso. From Grosser Atlas. The name Belgium comes from the ancient designation "Gallis Belgica". Figural decoration upper left. M. Seutter was a famed German mapmaker in the...

Superb original hand-coloured engraving of Sunflowers by Basilius Besler dating to 1640. Basilius Besler (1561-1629) was a prominent botanist and apothecary in Nuremberg. He was ta...

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

A wall hanging tapestry, simply put, is a textile specifically designed and woven to portray an artistic scene with the intent of hanging it on a wall. Antique tapestries, those that...

Pair of 18th century French Architectural carvings, ca. 1780.

Important oil on canvas, anonymous work attributed to the 17th-century French school, depicting a refined allegory of Dawn, a mythological figure associated with dawn and the renewal...

This is a wonderful mid-to-late 18th century portrait of a young boy dressed in a blue coat with a tricorn hat under his left arm. The innocence of this beautiful boy draws you into ...

Pair of prints from the "Encyclopedie ou Dictionnaire raisonne des sciences, des arts et des metiers, par une Societe de Gens de lettres". The originals published between 1751 and 1...

This engraving depicts a group of Carthusian monks being executed, likely by hanging, in a gruesome scene reminiscent of the religious persecution during the Reformation. Here is a detailed analysis, a translated version of the text, and context for the engraving: The text at the bottom reads: "VMFRIDVS MIDELMOR, GULIELMUS EXMEY, ende verscheijden andere Carthuysers worden gehanghen." Translation: "Humphrey Middlemore, William Exmew, and various other Carthusians are hanged." The engraving depicts the martyrdom of Humphrey Middlemore, William Exmew, and several other Carthusian monks, who are shown being hanged. In the foreground, one monk lies dead or unconscious on a bench, while another man—likely the executioner—prepares a knife, suggesting the process of drawing and quartering. A large cauldron stands...

Title: St. Philip Apostle Engraving – John I Calling of Philip c.1735 Description: This detailed antique engraving titled “St. Philip the Apostle” depicts Philip, one of the Twelve ...

Title: St. Thomas Apostle Engraving – John XX Doubting Thomas c.1735 Description: This detailed antique engraving titled “St. Thomas the Apostle” depicts Thomas, also known as “Doub...

Originally gilded or painted. With a gadrooned edge to the demilune shaped shelf, the bracket with a rocaille carved shell and pierced scroll and flower head carving. From a Newport ...

William and Mary period Band Sampler, 1693, by Sarah Maydman. The sampler is worked in silk threads on a linen ground, in a variety of stitches. Divider lines in various patterns. Co...

Carved Fruitwood Plaque of Virgin and Child Madonna, after Donatello Sculpture . A Large Beautiful 18th/19th Century Carved Relief Fruitwood partially gilt of “ MADONNA AND CHILD” , ...

Pairr of Trompe L'Oeil still life paintings on wood-framed.

Exceptional fragment of a baroque altarpiece in carved and gilded wood. The technique used in the conception of this piece is exceptional, the different elements have been devastated...

Set of 3 Biblical Engravings – St. Luke: Apostle Simon, Simeon’s Prophecy & Christ’s Circumcision (1735) This beautifully composed set of three antique engravings illustrates scenes...

Set of 3 Biblical Engravings – Adoration, Flight to Egypt & Christ’s Baptism (1735) This refined set of three antique engravings, published in 1735, brings to life foundational even...

A beautifully executed and rare complementary pair of oil on canvas paintings depicting two of the moist famous and important counter reformation catholic saints St Francis Xavier and St Carlo Borromeo shown in scenes of what the respective saints are mostly famous for. St Francis Xavier for the conversion to Christianity of many S. E Asian countries notably India and St Carlo Borromeo shown asking the Virgin Mary to intercede for the cessation of the terrible plague of 1576. The paintings are presented in refreshed gilded carved wooden frames and are unsigned. St. Francis Xavier was born in Spanish Navarre in 1506 and in 1528, he met St. Ignatius of Loyola. He became one of the seven in 1534 who founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order). In 1536, he left the University of Paris and joined St. Ignatius in Venice. He was ordained in 1537, and in 1540 after the Society was recognized by the Pope, he journeyed to the Far East. Francis Xavier first evangelized the Portuguese colony of Goa in India, then Travancore, Ceylon, Malacca, and the surrounding islands. From there he journeyed to Japan, where he gave Christianity such deep roots that it survived centuries of violent persecution. He died on Sancian Island in 1552, while he was seeking to penetrate into the great forbidden land of China. Despite language problems, lack of funds, resistance from the Europeans as well as the natives, he persevered. St. Francis converted more people in his life than anyone since the Apostle St. Paul. He baptized over 3 million people, converted the entire town of Goa in India, and he labored in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Japan. He was truly a missionary par excellence. St Carlo Borromeo (1538-1584), was a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Milan from 1565 to 1583. He was described in the decree for his canonization, as “a man, even while the world smiles on him with the utmost flattery, he lives crucified to the world, spiritually, trampling earthly things, seeking continuously the things of heaven, emulating the life of the Angels on earth, in his thoughts and actions. The plague began in the month of August that year. Milan was celebrating joyfully the arrival of Don John of Austria, on his way to Flanders, where he had been appointed governor. The city authorities were abuzz with excitement in their desire to bestow the highest honours on the Spanish prince, but Charles, who had been Archbishop of the diocese for six years, was following with concern the news coming from Trento, Verona and Mantua, where the plague had begun claiming victims. The first cases exploded in Milan on August 11th, right at the moment when Don John of Austria arrived. The victor of Lepanto, followed by the governor, Antonio de Guzmán y Zuñiga, departed the city, while Carlo Borromeo, who was in Lodi for the Bishop’s funeral, returned in haste. Confusion and fear reigned in Milan and the Archbishop dedicated himself completely to assisting the sick and ordering public and private prayers. Dom Prosper Guéranger sums up his infinite charity in this way: “In the absence of local authorities, he organized the health service, founded or renewed hospitals, sought money and provisions, decreed preventive measures. Most importantly though, he took steps to ensure spiritual help, assistance to the sick and the burial of the dead. Unafraid of being infected, he paid in person, by visiting hospitals, leading penitential processions, being everything to everyone, like a father and true shepherd” St. Carlo was convinced that the epidemic was “a scourge sent by Heaven” as chastisement for the sins of the people and that recourse to spiritual measures was necessary to fight against it: prayer and penitence. He rebuked the civil authorities for having placed their trust in human measures rather than divine ones. “Hadn’t they prohibited all the pious gatherings and processions during the time of the Jubilee? For him, and he was convinced of it, these were the causes of the chastisement. The magistrates who governed the city continued to oppose public ceremonies, out of fear that the large gathering of people would spread contagion, but Charles “who was guided by the Divine Spirit” – recounts another biographer – convinced them by citing various examples, among which was the one regarding St. Gregory the Great who had halted the plague devastating Rome in 590. While the pestilence spread, the Archbishop then ordered three general processions to take place in Milan on the 3rd, 5th and 6th of October, “to placate the wrath of God”. On the first day, the Saint, despite it not being the Lenten season, placed ashes on the heads of the thousands gathered, exhorting them to penitence. Once the ceremony was over, the procession went to the Basilica of St. Ambrose. Charles put himself at the head of the people, dressed in a hooded purple robe, barefoot, penitential cord at his neck and large cross in his hand. The second procession led by the Cardinal headed towards the Basilica of San Lorenzo. The third day the procession from the Duomo headed for the Basilica of Santa Maria at San Celso. St. Carlo carried in his hands a relique of Our Lord’s Holy Nail, which had been given by the Emperor Theodosius to St. Ambrose in the 5th century. The plague didn’t show any signs of waning and Milan appeared depopulated, as a third of its citizens had lost their lives and the others were in quarantine or didn’t dare leave their homes. The Archbishop ordered about twenty stone columns with a cross at the top to be erected in the main squares and city crossroads, allowing the inhabitants from every quarter to take part in the Masses and public prayers - from the windows of their homes. One of Milan’s protectors was St. Sebastian, the martyr the Romans had recourse to during the plague in 672. St. Charles suggested that the magistrates of Milan reconstruct the sanctuary dedicated to him, which was falling into ruins, and to celebrate a solemn feast in his honour for ten years. Finally in July 1577, the plague ceased and in September the founding stone was laid in the civic temple of St. Sebastian, where on January 20th every year, even today a Mass is offered to recall the end of the scourge. St.Carlo Borromeo died on November 3rd 1584 and was buried in the Duomo of Milan. His heart was solemnly translated to Rome, in the Basilica of Saints Ambrose...

Lot and his daughters, EMILIAN SCHOOL XVIIIth century Oil on canvas 175 x 126 cm Lot and his daughters is one of the themes most frequently encountered by seventeenth-century pain...

Rare River landscape with three fishermen on a bank and a ferry arriving at a fortified village beside a lake, oil on wooden panel, firmly attributed to be the work of Cornelis Gerri...

Title: Antique Hand-Colored Engraving of Sparrow Hawk by Eleazar Albin, circa 1730 Description: This powerful antique hand-colored engraving depicts the Sparrow Hawk, titled Accipit...

ANNUNCIATION TRIPTYCH Spanish School 17th Century Oil on canvas glued to wood, Spanish school 17th century Dim.: (total) 97 x 153 cm very good conservation condition

Rare antique print titled ‘Bergh Sinai of Sint Catryn’. This engraving shows Mount Sinai (also known as Mount Horeb) with St. Catherine's Monastery at the foot of the mountains a...

Notable 18th century Flemish Tapestry Depicting the Biblical Account (Genesis 19) of Lots Flight from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with Lot...

18th Century English School, Portrait of a Boy, framed in an ornate, oval-shaped gold and dark-coloured frame. The child is dressed in period clothing, featuring a white ruffled coll...

A fragment of antique pre-Columbia textile panel from Chimu or Chancay culture located in Central and Northern Coast of nowadays Peru. Chancay culture thrived in the late Intermediat...

A wonderful French 18th century Oil on Canvas and Giltwood painting of a mother and son by Robert Le Vrac de Tournières. The painting is framed within a richly carved giltwood frame ...

Title: Landscape. Date/Period: 18th century. Dimension: measures without frame 89cm x 61cm. Frame 15cm in plus. with gold trim. Materials: Oil on canvas. Additional information: Ital...

Combat Naval dans le Golfe de Venise – Rare Optical Print of the Venetian Victory over the Turks, circa 1770 This rare and vividly hand-colored 18th-century 'vue d’optique' titled 'Combat naval dans le Golfe de Venise gagné par les Vénitiens sur les Turcs le 29 may 1749' portrays the dramatic naval engagement between Venetian and Ottoman forces in the Gulf of Venice. Published anonymously around 1770 and engraved with both French and contemporary Dutch captions, this optical print commemorates the final large-scale clashes between two former Mediterranean naval superpowers. The scene is packed with explosive detail. On the left, Venetian galleons fly red flags and dominate the composition, their cannon smoke billowing across the water. Soldiers and sailors tumble into the sea or scramble into longboats, while others engage in intense shipboard combat. To the right, the Ottoman fleet, also with full sails and ornate sterns, exchanges fire from a line of vessels that extends toward the hazy horizon. The turbulent sea, streaked with swimmers, debris, and gunfire, draws the viewer's eye toward the vanishing point, a classic technique in *vues d’optique* designed to create depth when viewed through a zograscope. The perspective is exaggerated and theatrical, heightening the tension of the moment. The hand coloring, still strong and fresh, adds to the dramatic impact—especially the reds, blues, and blacks used to signify uniforms, flames, and flags. Above the scene, a reversed French title along the top border is a hallmark of optical prints, meant to appear legible when viewed through mirrored optical devices. The lower margin features a printed French description and a carefully penned Dutch caption in brown ink, adding provenance and local historical context for a Dutch-speaking audience. These types of naval battle scenes are among the most collectable of optical prints, especially when they depict rare or less frequently recorded events such as this Turkish-Venetian engagement, which helped mark the waning of Ottoman influence in the Adriatic. Keywords: Venetian naval battle print, Ottoman fleet, vue d’optique maritime, 18th-century naval...

Decorate a den, study or office with this antique cow painting. Hand painted in the Netherland and set in the original ornately carved golden fra...

Temple of Jupiter in Thebes – Floor Plan and Gate Elevations, circa 1710 This precise architectural engraving, titled "Platte-Grond en Doorsnede des Tempels van Jupiter te Thebe, en...

Ancient Inscriptions from Sinai and Egypt – Inscriptio Memnonis, c.1710 This intriguing double-plate engraving features a meticulously rendered compilation of ancient inscriptions d...

17th Century Italian School "Saint Joseph and the Child" oil painting on canvas 95cm x 67cm measures without frame frame size: 10cm good conditions golden frame Private Italian Colle...

A Venetian opal glass plate from the early 18th century with stunning luminescent qualities. An epitome of Renaissance and Baroque Venetian cult...

Magnificent Pre-Columbian multi-color Chancay textile with animal figures in cubist form. The Chancay are known more for their textiles than for their ceramics. Textiles from elite Chancay tombs include elaborate gauzes, embroidery, painted plain weave and tapestry, and three-dimensional fibre...

Ancient Temple Plans at Amara and Tentyra – Egyptian Architecture c.1710 Description: This early 18th-century architectural engraving, titled "De Platte-Grond van vier Tempels te Am...

1810 Hand-Coloured Engraving - Tatar Peasants of the Crimean Peninsula Description: This 1810 hand-coloured copperplate engraving from Carl Bertuch's "Bilderbuch für Kinder" ("Picture Book for Children") presents a lively scene of Tatar peasants in the Crimean Peninsula (modern-day Ukraine). The engraving captures rural daily life in vivid detail, depicting various activities that reflect the agricultural lifestyle of the region. In the foreground, a peasant, smoking a pipe, points while instructing a child, creating an engaging snapshot of a family scene. Nearby, a woman, dressed in traditional clothing, is shown milking a dairy cow, demonstrating the importance of livestock to the community's economy. To the left, a farmer leads two Bactrian camels pulling a hay wagon, showcasing the use of these hardy animals for heavy labor and transportation in the region. The background features thatched-roof homes, with a minaret rising above them, symbolizing the cultural influence of Islam in the region. The peaceful pastoral setting, with cows grazing and a well in the foreground, further emphasizes the agricultural way of life. The detailed hand-colouring adds vibrancy to the scene, highlighting the distinct attire and activities of the Crimean Tatar...

Large oil painting of the holy family on hand woven canvas. Peruvian or Bolivian. Acquired from an estate in the San Francisco Bay Area f...

CIRCLE OF KAREL BREYDEL (ANTWERP, 1678-1744) Flemish School, circa second quarter of the 18th century Cavalry Battling Along the River Banks Oil on panel right panel signed illegibl...

Ancient Egyptian Rock Tombs at Hajar Silsili – 1776 Dutch Engraving by Pococke This finely executed 18th-century engraving presents a detailed architectural elevation and plan of th...

Japanese six-panel screen: Battle at Uji Bridge, the first battle at Uji was in 1180 and it marked the start of the Heike Wars. The Genji troops crossed the...

Decorate a wall with this colorful, antique Aubusson drawing cartoon. Created in the city of Aubusson, France circa 1780 and set in a carved frame with gilt trim and protected with g...

An important Japanese lacquer Maki-É Panel Depicting St. Petersburg on the River Neva, with the winter palace on the left and the academy of science on the right, 18th century. Nagasaki, 1780-1800 In black lacquer on copper, the front decorated in maki-é, the back inscribed, Vue Perspective des Bords de la Neva en descendant la Rivière entre le Palais d'hyver de sa Majesté Impériale et les batiments de l'Académie des Sciences à St Petersburg in gold and inlaid with flowers in mother of pearl. Measures: H 23 x W 39 cm The present plaque is identical to one in the Museum of Japanese History in Sakura and another one in the Museum of Peter the Great in St. Petersburg. (see: Oliver Impey & Christiaan Jörg, Japanese Export Lacquer, 1580-1850, p. 52-53) This last one was given to Catherine the Great in 1794 by the Swedish medical doctor Johan Arnold Stutzer who had served with the VOC in Deshima in 1787-1788. Apparently, such plaques were not unique and may have been made in several copies. This was certainly the case with the smaller lacquer oval portrait medallions (see for instance Uit Verre Streken, June 2017, no. 62) The scene of St. Petersburg was copied from an optical print taken by Stutzer to Japan, as shown by Yasumasa Oka of the Kobe City Museum. Stutzer in his diary writes: “I am the first to bring them (i.e. the Japanese) original pictures such as a view of St Petersburg and of Rudolf XV on horseback and try to have them made (in lacquer). According to the Japanese, it is the first time that these two pictures will be copied. Other products that I also ordered, for example, pictures of sea battles, are also appreciated as absolute masterpieces”. For two lacquered plaques depicting the sea battle of Dogger Bank in 1781 between the Dutch and the English navies, see Uit Verre Streken, December 2013, nr. 39 and March 2015, nr 56. Johan Strutzer at the same time also presented six beautiful Japanese glass telescopes to Catherine the Great of Russia, like the two Japanese glass telescopes illustrated in Uit Verre Streken, March 2015, item 59 and 60 and the one in the Kobe City Museum (illustrated in: Japan Envisions the West, 16th-19th Century Japanese Art...

Antique Spanish painting from the 18th century. Artwork oil on canvas depicting a religious subject, Adoration of Saints with Christ and the Virgin Mary, of good pictorial quality. T...

An Italian 18th century grand-scale gilded and painted wood pediment fragment. This antique architectural fragment from Italy has a greatly spanning ...

Collection of European Pine Primitive Hay Forks, priced per item/hayfork. Great for large art installation.

A world of timeless elegance with this breathtaking 18th-century French painting, once housed in a prestigious château in Bayeux, Normandy. Created on vintage linen, this monumental ...

The rectangular original mirror plate within a mirrored border surmounted by a foliate carved crest with birds and musical trophy, each side carved with floral and foliate swags, all above a pierced and swag carved apron centering fleur-de-lys medallion.

Provenance: Sold American Art Association and Anderson Galleries, NY, “The Lenore Wheeler Williams Private Collection of 17th and 18th...

Attribution to Francesco Solimena "Resurrection of Christ" 18th Century oil on canvas (129x77 cm.) framed good condition for the period Francesco Solimena, also called l'Abate C...

Pair, Original oil on canvas paintings with calvary soldiers near encampment. Unsigned, brass plaque on each reads August Querfurt 1696-1761. August Querfurt (1696–1761) was an Austr...

Embalmed Birds and Nile Fish – Egyptian Natural Curiosities, c.1776 Description: This intriguing antique engraving presents a detailed study of natural and ritual specimens found in...

This very large painting features as its main element ancient ruins, but also contains the bucolic elements and rusticated features so often associated w...

A sensational and large scale Italian 18th century oil on canvas from the Piedmont region. The beautiful painting is set in its original polychrome frame which displays a lovely carv...

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...

16th Century Spanish Colonial Oil on canvas painting of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception. In this representation of the Virgin Mary being f...

Egyptian Household Utensils – Antique Engraving of Domestic Tools, c.1776 Description: This intriguing antique engraving presents a detailed visual inventory of traditional Egyptian...