Veneer Photography

William Curtis Rolf (American, 20th/21st c.), "Armillaries and Telescopes; Collection of Peter the Great of Russia", archival pigment print on Hahnemuhle Photo rag Ultra Smooth paper. Print no. 3 from an edition of 100 sold by Restoration Hardware in the 2000's. A Certificate of Authenticity, signed by Rolf on verso, matted and framed under plexiglass, in a black olive wood veneer frame. Drawn from the archives of fine art photographer William Curtis Rolf, his exquisite black-and-white photographs depict a life-long affection for the 18th- and 19th-century lifestyles of France and England. These instruments were part of the collection of Peter the Great of Russia, housed in the Kunst Kammer, Saint Petersburg. Peter the Great was an insatiable student of the natural sciences and technologies of his era, including architecture and ship building. In the early 18th century he took Russia out of the Middle Ages and brought the breadth of knowledge of Western Europe to Saint Petersburg. Rolf was fascinated by this view of the instruments with the dome of Saint Isaac...

A chic '70s Modern Italian square picture frame with tapered corners, circa 1970s Italy. Colors include gold brass, black and red burgundy. With maker's mark label on back (underneat...