Baroque Wall Decorations

A rare and visually striking 17th-century Florentine tapestry from Italy, distinguished by its unusual marriage of geometric pattern and botanical decoration. The field consists of r...

A lovely collection of old antique iron skeleton keys. Found at an estate sale in Nuremberg, Germany. A nice addition to your collection or...

Immense 17th Century Flemish wool verdure tapestry Flemish, 17th Century Height 323cm, width 424cm This very large and exquisite tapestry was crafted in wool in Flanders during the ...

19th-century Baroque-style German hand-carved wooden deer head on a carved and hand-painted wall plaque. An impressive antique hand-carved wall-hang...

This is a monumental and spectacular 18th century, or possibly early 19th, oil on canvas of the Italian school. The canvas depicts a shepherd serenading a maiden in a wooded glen. B...

This is a gorgeous antique late 17th century Flemish verdure landscape tapestry depicting a beautiful and rich summer scene of a countryside with lush trees and vegetation, with two ...

"This antique French needlepoint tapestry features a central medallion surrounded by intricate floral motifs and scrolling details on a soft cream background with a rich red border. ...

Oil painting of a rococo scene 19th century F. Heinz. Oil on mahogany plate. Scene of a rococo group of people. Return with Inventory number. Unrestored historical condition. Gold f...

Antique French Aubusson Tapestry Birds Wool Large "This is an outstanding antique French Aubusson tapestry in a fantastic large size- This piec...

A magnificent antique French tapestry depicting an exotic verdure scene with animals and floral elements set against a rare dark background. This circa 1920 piece features intricate ...

After Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (Spanish, 1617–1682) Boys Playing Dice and The Little Fruit Seller Continental School, likely Italian, 18th Century Oil on canvas Offered as a matched...

Wonderful print Chromolithograph Published by Connoisseur circa 1900 Unframed.

19th century still life painting after Pieter Claesz (1597-1660) Dutch. This outstanding 19th century oil painting on copper shows an amazing intuitiv...

This antique Baroque period oil on canvas painting, is an authentic 1600s Italian School Allegory of Winter featuring putti and cherubs in a rich still life, and housed in its original golden frame, is a rare masterpiece preserved in prima tela (original first canvas). Sourced directly from an exclusive, historic private villa in Tuscany, this exceptional piece has been meticulously preserved by the same noble family for generations. Emerging on the art market for the very first time, this late 17th-century canvas represents a premier acquisition from The Tuscan Villa Collection, offering absolute authenticity and prestigious provenance. Design, Details & Attribution The composition is a sophisticated allegorical study executed with the dramatic chiaroscuro and emotional depth characteristic of the late Italian 1600s. Four masterfully proportioned putti (cherubs) gather around a small fire, their flesh tones illuminated by a theatrical play of light against a deep, crepuscular Italianate landscape. To the right, a monumental Baroque urn overflowing with a finely detailed floral still life anchors the scene, symbolizing the cycles of nature. The dense brushwork, rich earthy palette, and expressive anatomical rendering point directly to a highly skilled hand active in the Italian Baroque School circa 1680-1710. Stylistically, the artwork shares strong affinities with the classicizing Baroque circle of Carlo Cignani and central Italian genre painters of the era. The canvas remains housed in its spectacular coeval original frame, which retains its genuine gold leaf gilding and a magnificent, deep, age-earned patina. Styling & Placement With its grand visual presence and historical importance, this authentic 17th-century canvas serves as an elite statement piece for high-end interiors. The Classical Anchor: Perfectly suited above an early 18th-century walnut console table or credenza in a formal dining room, entryway, or library, where the golden frame and warm tones create an immediate focal point. The Curated Contrast: Highly effective when placed in a minimalist, contemporary space. The juxtaposition of a genuine Baroque masterpiece against clean, modern architecture offers profound historical depth. Collection Harmony: This painting communicates beautifully with fine period furniture, particularly Biedermeier walnut pieces or Italian marquetry chests...

Coriolan's mother and wife beg him to spare Rome , Oil On Canvas . German School Circa 1750 This painting represents the story of Coriolan, Roman general and leader of the Patrici...

This is a gorgeous and rare exquisite pair of antique 17th century Flemish Verdure landscape tapestries depicting a beautiful and rich summer scene of a countryside with lush trees a...

79767 Vintage Chinese Aubusson Tapestry, 06'06 x 07'10. The Château de Monceaux: A Vintage Chinese Aubusson Tapestry Masterpiece of Grace. This handwoven wool and silk vintage Chines...

An intimate 18th-century Baroque religious oil painting on wood panel depicting Saint Joseph with the Christ Child, presented in an ornate gilded frame. The composition offers a ten...

This exquisite pair of 19th-century French paintings captures playful putti, or cherubic children, rendered in a Baroque-inspired style. These charming artworks, executed in delicate...

Research note: the iconography matches Noli me tangere, with Mary Magdalene kneeling before the risen Christ, often shown in garden or landscape settings with Christ in the role of g...

Beautiful antique silver gilt hand carved wood wall shelf. Perfect for displaying art work or décor.

An 18th century Italian Venetian-style wall mirror with original silvered patina.

A beautifully preserved late 17th-century embroidered silk and metallic thread textile panel, likely English and dating to the late Stuart period, circa 1680–1700. The panel is work...

Attractive Italian Gilt Leaf Wall Sconce with Stone Fruit. 1960's Italy. 45" x 25" x 4". Excellent condition.

A very fine Italian 17th century oval oil on canvas "Head of Christ Crowned with Thorns" Circle of Pierre Mignard (French, 1612-1695) within...

A pair of fine engravings of two Swedish monarchs by Samuel Blessendorf for Puffendorf’s History of Sweden, in antique birch frames, 1663 and 1696. Engravings of Swedish King Karl X Gustav (b. 1622 - d. 1660) dated 1663 and his successor, King Karl XI (b. 1655 - d. 1697) from 1696 by Samuel Blessendorf, a Prussian enamel painter and engraver, born in Berlin in 1670. He designed and engraved these portraits for Puffendorf’s History of Sweden by Freiherr Samuel von Pufendorf (1632-1694), Historiographer to King Karl X of Sweden. Freiherr Samuel von Pufendorf (b 1632 – d 1694) was a German jurist, political philosopher, economist and historian. He was born Samuel Pufendorf and ennobled in 1684 when he was made a baron by Charles XI of Sweden a few months before his death at age 62. Among his achievements are his commentaries and revisions of the natural law theories of Thomas Hobbes...

17th century old master oil painting of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Spanish school. Dramatic expression and perfect use of chiaroscuro, the art of light and shadow effects, makes th...

Julius Caesar Ibbetson 1759-1817 old master painting English, 18th century This English school painting by Julius Caesar Ibbetson (1759-1817) depicts a countryside farm house off of a road with a horse drawn wagon...

Oval shield with coat of arms and shell carving flanked by carved scrolls, the whole flanked by men with turbans , the base with the head of a soldier. This item is illustrated in 'Spanish Polychrome...

This painting illustrates one of the great episodes of royal encounter in the Old Testament: the visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon. According to 1 Kings 10, the queen had h...

Tapestry from the Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period , made in 1738 at the Gobelins One panel from a series of Gobelins tapestries depicting the History of Esther, illustrating Esther seated and attended by handmaidens, one washing her feet in golden basin, another fastening a bracelet, another offering a mirror, all observed by Mordecai, woven in the workshop of Michele Audran after a design by J. F. de Troy. The Toilet of Esther c.1778-85.Royal Collection Trust-Queens Audience Chamber Windsor Castle The Sketches for the Esther Cycle by Jean-François de Troy (1736) “and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mor’decai, ..., took for his own daughter.” (Est. 2:7) A supple and undulating genius, both a flattering portraitist and a prolix history painter, as well as a brilliant genre painter, in a gallant or worldly vein, Jean-François de Troy (Paris, 1679 – Rome, 1752), solicited, although he had passed the threshold of old age, a new royal commission up to his ambitions. To obtain it, he submitted – successfully - for the approval of the Bâtiments du roi (administration), seven modelli painted in 1736 with his usual alacrity. Inspired by one of the most novelistic texts of the Old Testament, the Book of Esther, these sketches in a rapid and virtuoso manner were transformed by the artist, between 1737 and 1740 into large cartoons intended to serve as models for the weavers of the Gobelins factory. Showing undeniable ease and skill in the composition in perfect harmony with the sensitivities of the times, the tapestry set met with great success. The Story of Esther perfectly corresponded to the plan of the Bâtiments du roi to renew the repertoire of tapestry models used for the weavers of the royal factories while it also conformed to the tastes of Louis XV’s subjects for a fantastical Orient, the set for a dramatic tale in which splendour, love and death were combined. Indeed, no tapestry set was woven in France during the 18th century as often as that of Esther. The series of modelli painted by de Troy during the year 1736 looks to the history of French painting and decoration under Louis XV as much as it does the history of the Gobelins. It probably counts among the most important rococo pictorial groups to have remained in private hands. First the Biblical source illustrated by De Troy which constitutes the base of one of the richest iconographical traditions of Western art will be considered. Then the circumstances and specific character of French civilisation during the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV which contributed to making the theme of Esther a relevant subject, both attractive to contemporaries and remarkably in line with the sensitivities of the time will be elucidated. An examination of the exceptional series of sketches united here, the cartoons and the tapestries that they anticipate as well as a study of their reception will close this essay. The Book of Esther: A scriptural source at the source of rich iconography. The origin of the Esther tapestry set by Jean-François de Troy – origin and creation of a masterpiece According to the evidence of one of the artist’s early biographers, the chevalier de Valory, author of a posthumous elegy of the master, read at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture on 6 February 1762, it was apparently due to early16 rivalry with François Lemoyne (1688-1737), his younger colleague who had precisely just been appointed First Painter to the King in 1736, that had encouraged François de Troy to seek a commission allowing him to show off his ease and his promptitude at the expense of a rival who was notoriously laborious: “M. De Troy, retaining some resentment of the kind of disadvantage which he believed to have suffered compared with his emulator looked to regain some territory by making use of the facility his rival did not possess. Lemoyne was excessively long in the creation of his works,and M. De Troy of a rare celerity: consequently, with this particular talent, the latter offered to the court to make paintings appropriate to be executed at the Gobelins Factory; and it is to this circumstance that we owe the beautiful series of the Story of Esther, which would be sufficient alone to give him a great reputation.”17 Beyond the suspicion inspired by the topos, which still constitutes, more or less, a tale of rivalries between artists in ancient literature, there is probably some truth in what Valory reports although A.-J. Dezalier d’Argenville (who indicates rather spitefully that de Troy did not hesitate to “cut prices” to impose himself, benefitting from the productivity assured by the unlikely rapidity of his brush)18 proves to be more evasive: “As he looked to busy himself, he had offered to make the paintings that serve as models for the King’s tapestries cheaply: which did not please his colleagues. He was given a choice of two tapestry series to be made and he took the Story of Esther and that of Jason”.19 Whether or not the choice was actually left to de Troy (which would appear rather casual on the royal administration’s part all the same), it seems likely that the artist, whose contemporaries extol his “fire”, as the faculty of invention was then called, must have ardently aspired to the possibility of using on a very large scale the “creative genius” with which Dezallier d’Argenville credits him. The decoration of the private apartments, the fashion for which Louis XV had promoted at Versailles and Fontainebleau, offered little opportunity to excel in this area. Other than painting for altarpieces, only tapestries could allow comparison with Lemoyne who had been granted – unfortunately for him – a major decoration: the enormous ceiling of the Hercules Room at Versailles. Favoured by the recent improvement in France’s financial situation, the revival of patronage offered de Troy a commission fitting for him, in a field in which, however, he had hardly any experience. Anxious to renew the repertoire of models available to the Gobelins factory, the Duc d’Antin, surintendant des Bâtiments du roi from 1708 to 1736 followed by his successor, Philibert Orry comte de Vignory, gave him the task of producing seven large cartoons inspired by the Book of Esther corresponding to the brilliant sketches or modelli which de Troy had produced in one go, or almost (very few preparatory drawings can in fact be linked to the Esther cycle and all seem to be at the execution stage of the cartoons).20 Subjected to the approval of the Administration des Bâtiments according to the procedure in use for projects being planned for the Gobelins, sketches made rapidly during 1736 were approved and the project launched immediately. Thereupon came the news of François Lemoyne’s death, who, ground down by work and a victim of his private torment, committed suicide on 4 June 1737. Against all expectations, de Troy did not replace his rival in the position of First Painter (which remained vacant until the appointment of Charles Coypel in January 1747), which would perhaps have made him too obviously the beneficiary of the drama. The awarding of the position of Director of the French Academy in Rome came to console him while he had already produced (or he was in the process of finishing), in Paris, three of the seven cartoons of the cycle (The Fainting of Esther finished in 1737 and the Toilet and Coronation of Esther, both finished in 1738). De Troy, we can see, did not follow the order of the narrative but began with the subjects which apparently offered the least difficulty because he had already depicted them, or because they fall into a strong pictorial tradition (such is the case especially for the Fainting of Esther). He had hardly settled at the Palazzo Mancini in August 1738, when his first task which awaited the new director of the French Academy naturally consisted of honouring the royal commission and finishing without delay the final cartoons of the Story of Esther after the sketches he must have taken with him. As prompt as ever, de Troy discharged himself of the execution of the four remaining cartoons in only two years, by beginning with the largest format which allowed him to strike the imagination and to impose himself as soon as he arrived on the Roman stage: the Triumph of Mor’decai which was finished in 1739 (like Esther’s Banquet). The following year, the Mor’decai's Disdain and The Sentencing of Haman were brought to an end in the same Neo-Venetian style, obviously tributary to Veronese with its choice of “open” monumental architecture which is characteristic of the entire cycle.21 The series, it should be noted, was almost augmented with some additional scenes in the mid 1740s. Indeed, the first tapestry set finished at the Gobelins in 1744 proved to be unsuitable for the arrangement of the Dauphine’s apartments at Versailles for which it had been intended to decorate the walls the following year (cf infra). Informed of this, de Troy, considering that the story of Esther offered “several good subjects,” immediately offered to illustrate one or new subject among those “which could appear to be the most interesting”. The directeur des Bâtiments Orry, who managed the State’s accounts, obviously judged it less costly to have one of the tapestries widened to fill in the end of the Dauphine’s bedroom,22 which has probably deprived us of very original compositions, because de Troy had already illustrated the most famous themes, those that benefitted from a strongly established iconographical tradition and from which it was not easy to deviate The Tapestry Set of the Story of Esther Placed on the tapestry looms of the Gobelins at the end of the 1730s in Michel Audran’s workshop, the cycle created by de Troy aroused true infatuation. The few hundred tapestries made between 1738 and 1797 – all in high-warp tapestry and woven in wool and silk except for four in low-warp made in Neilson’s workshop – show the impressive success of a tapestry set that was without any doubt the most frequently woven of the 18th century in France. 29 Only three cartoons had been delivered by de Troy in 1738 when the first tapestry set was begun by Audran under the expert eye of Jean-Baptiste Oudry to whom the Directeur général des bâtiments, Philibert Orry had assigned the (weekly) supervision of the weaving. During the summer of 1738, the piece of the Fainting of Esther, which Oudry judged to be admirable, was finished. During the winter of 1742, Oudry informed Orry that about two ells of the Triumph of Mor’decai had been made “with no faults”,that the Coronation of Esther was finished and that the Esther at her Toilet “a very gracious tapestry” was “a little over half” finished. Exhibited at Versailles in 1743, these two last pieces were admired by Louis XV and the Court. On 3 December 1744, the set of seven tapestries was finally delivered to the Garde Meuble. It was intended, the honour was not slight, to decorate the apartments of the Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain whose marriage to the young Dauphin Louis-Ferdinand had been fixed for the following year (it took place on 23 February 1745). Apparently it was thought that the theme of Esther the biblical heroine and wife of a foreign sovereign was appropriate for the apartments of the Spanish Dauphine. As early as the month of March, the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel informed de Troy that her grand cabinet was decorated with the “Esther tapestry set” specifying however that “for lack of two small or one large piece, we have not been able to decorate the end of the room”. This difficulty led immediately to the Banquet episode being woven a second time in two parts (they were delivered to the Garde-Meuble on 30 December 1746) to garnish the panels on each side of the bed of the Dauphine who would hardly enjoy them (she died on 22 July 1746 and the decoration was installed for the new Dauphine Maria Josepha of Saxony). The appearance of the set’s remarkable border, which imitated a richly sculpted wooden frame, should be mentioned. Conceived in 1738 by the ornamentalist Pierre Josse-Perrot and used in the later weavings until 1768, it tended to reinforce the resolutely painterly appearance of the tapestry set which, in this regard, pushed the art of tapestry as far as its ultimate mimetic possibilities. With the exception of Mor’decai's Disdain which had been removed earlier, the “editio princeps” of the story of Esther (from then on in nine pieces) remained at Versailles until the Revolution. Of the eight surviving tapestries, four are at the chateau of Compiègne and four belong today to the Mobilier National. No less than seven tapestry sets reputed to be complete (one of them in fact only had six tapestries) would be produced officially at the Gobelins up to 1772. Literature: 1- The Œuvres mêlées of an emulator of Racine, the Abbé Augustin NADAL thus include an Esther. Divertissement spiritual which is exactly contemporary with Jean François de Troy’s cycle since it was performed in 1735 and published in Paris three years later. 2-Le Siècle de Louis XIV, 1751, 1785 ed., p. 96-97 for French ed. 3- Lemoyne and de Troy had been obliged to share the First Prize in the competition organised in 1727 between the most prominent history painters of the Académie Royale. 4- Mémoires…, pub. L. DUSSIEUX et al., 1854, II, p.265. 5-The fact that de Troy, at the risk of falling out with his colleagues, did not hesitate to make use of prices in order to convince the new directeur des Bâtiments Philibert Orry, is confirmed by Mariette who adds tersely “it caused much shouting” (pub. 1851-1860, II, p. 103). 6- Abrégé de la vie des plus fameux peintres…, ed. 1762, IV, p. 368-369 20 Early comments on the painter are inclined to present him as a kind of “pure painter”, doing without the medium of drawing, a few intermediary studies between the Esther sketches and the large cartoons at the Louvre nevertheless show that de Troy used red chalk (see in the catalogue, the notice for the Meal of Esther and Ahasuerus under the entry drawing) to change one or other figure. 7-C. GASTINEL-COURAL (cat. exp. PARIS, 1985, p. 9-13) as well as the article by J. VITTET, exh. cat. LA ROCHE-GUYON, 2001, p. 51-55. 8-The Hermitage in St. Petersburg conserves five tapestries of these two royal gifts whose provenance still awaits elucidation (as far as we are aware). In 1766, the Grand Marshal of Russia, Count Razumovski (or Razamowski), acquired the Fainting and the Banquet extracted from the sixth weaving (J. VITTET, 2001, p. 53). 9- Lettres écrites de Suisse, d’Italie…,quoted by J. VITTET, op. cit., p. 54. 10-The tapestry set remained in the hands of a branch of the Hapsburg-Lorraine family until 1933 (ibid. P. 54). 11-Quoted by Chr. LERIBAULT, 2002, p. 97, note 269. 12-Y. CANTAREL-BESSON, 1992, p. 241. Catalogue The Esther at her Toilet Oil on canvas, 57 x 51 cm Provenance: Painted in 1736 at the same time as the six other modelli of the Story of Esther intended to be presented, for approval, to the direction des Bâtiments du Roi; perhaps identifiable among a lot of sketches by Jean-François de Troy in the post mortem inventory of the amateur, historian and critic Claude-Henri Watelet (1718-1786) drawn up on 13 January 1786 and following days (A.N. T 978, n° 30) then in the sale of the property of the deceased, Paris, 12 June 1786, n° 33; Paris, François Marcille Collection (who owned a series of six sketches from which the Triumph of Mor’decai was missing, see infra); Paris, Marcille Sale, Hôtel Drouot, 12-13 January 1857, n° 36; Asnières, Mme de Chavanne de Palmassy ( ?) collection; Paris, Galerie Cailleux; Paris, Humbert de Wendel collection (acquired from the Galerie Cailleux in 1928); by inheritance in the same family; Paris, Sotheby’s, 23 June 2011, n° 61. In order not to add unnecessarily to the technical commentary on each work, the catalogue raisonné by Chr. Leribault which contains a substantial bibliography on the series should be referred to. The other bibliographical references only concern the publications and exhibitions to have appeared and been presented more recently. Bibliography and Exhibitions: Chr. LERIBAULT, 2002, n° P. 247 (repr.); E. LIMARDO DATURI, 2004, p. 28; Exh. cat. NANTES, 2011, p. 138, n° 34, referred to in note 1; Sotheby’s catalogue, Tableaux anciens et du XIXe siècle, 23 June 2011, n° 61 (repr.). Related Works: Tapestry cartoon: The cartoon (oil on canvas, 329 x 320 cm), the third made by the artist in Paris after the sketches had been approved by the direction des Bâtiments, is in the Louvre (Inv. 8315). It previously bore the painter’s signature and the date 1738 (inscriptions which are found on the tapestries). The royal administration paid 1600 livres for it on 21 June 1738 and it was exhibited at the Salon in the year of its creation. Summary Biography 1679 (27 January): Baptism in Paris (Parish of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet) of Jean-François de Troy, son of the painter François de Troy and Jeanne Cotelle, sister of the painter Jean II Cotelle. 1696-1698: Studies (apparently rather turbulent) at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture. 1698-1708: First trip to Italy. Is obliged to leave Rome in January 1711 after a tempestuous affair (a duel?), de Troy extends the traditional Roman experience as a pensionnaire at the Académie de France by also visiting Tuscany where he stays for a long time, Venice (his art in face has a strongly Venetian character) and Genoa. 1708: De Troy (whose father had been elected Director of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture on 7 July) is agréé and immediately received at the Académie with Apollo and Diana Piercing with their Arrows the Children of Niobe (Montpellier, Musée Fabre) on 28 July. 1710: First royal commission, paid for on 10 May (a sketch representing “the Promotion of the Order of the Holy Spirit” for the tapestry series of the History of the King). 1716: Jean-François de Troy is elected Assistant Professor at the Academy. 1720: He is appointed Professor. 1723: The artist creates the double portrait of Louis XV...

This large Italian Baroque oil on canvas, dating from the late 17th century represents an exceptionally vivid battle scene with the unusual subject of a brigand ambush on a stagecoac...

French Engraving Hand Colored Galerie des Modes Costumes Francais, 1779. Rare antique French fashion print hand colored published first ...

A pair of Italian baroque paintings of Jesus Christ: - An 18th Century painting that depicts the Holy Family, Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and the elderly Saint Joseph, with the An...

Fine 17th century Baroque period silk and metallic thread embroidery panel. Excellent vibrant colors of bold burgundy, pale cream and beautiful, elegant teal with a border of textur...

This powerful mid-17th century French crucifix, carved in walnut circa 1650, exemplifies the raw devotional intensity and expressive realism associated with early Baroque religious s...

A fine Italian 19th century oil painting on canvas "La Madonna della Seggiola" after Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino 1483-1520). The circular painted canvas depicting a seated Ma...

An elegant and richly carved pair of Italian 19th century Baroque st. Giltwood wall brackets. This stunning pair are designed with three handsome scrolled and tapering acanthus leave...

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...

Pier Francesco Cittadini (Milan, 1616-Bologna, 1681) "Jacob and his family go to Egypt" Oil on canvas, cm 109 x 190 (canvas only) The valuable painting, made in oil on canvas, depicts Jacob and his family go to Egypt and we believe it can be, given the high quality painting, autograph work of Italian Pier Francesco Cittadini (Italy Milan, 1616 - Bologna, 1681) made after 1647. The work, in excellent condition is accompanied by a coeval frame in wood finely carved and golden. The scene depicted, which was confused with the Flight to Egypt in the past years, is instead identified with the biblical episode of Jacob’s journey. In the foreground, reading the painting from left to right, we see a caravan composed of animals, including donkeys, dromedaries, goats, dogs and horses and people, women, men and slaves, who carry on their journey along the banks of a river, following a path that to the right, would seem to lead to the through of a bridge. In addition to the watercourse is described an environment characterized by large rocks and impervious come far to cover the entire verticality of the canvas. On the left, in the distance, we see the tail of the caravan that runs along the steep path. Large trees enliven and harmonize the environment, as well as white and grey clouds characterize the predominantly clear sky and illuminated on the right by sunlight. The story is told in the Bible, Book of Genesis, 30, 25, passage in which is described the flight of Jacob from Haran after the contrasts with Laban, father of his wife Rachel. Jacob is the third great patriarch of the Bible. From his descendants originate the twelve generations of the people of Israel. He is the son of Isaac and Rebekah, who led him to flee from the wrath of Esau to Haran to seek refuge from his brother, Laban. At his uncle’s house Jacob met his daughter Rachel. As soon as he saw his cousin, Jacob was taken. Jacob will stay seven years in the service of Laban to marry his beloved Rachel. But Laban, with a deception, will give him in marriage first Lia, the least beautiful eldest daughter, and only after another seven years the splendid Rachel. From his first wife he will have several children, while Rachel will give birth to the beloved son, Joseph, who will become viceroy of Egypt. After years of service, Jacob asked to be paid with every dark-coloured garment among the sheep and every spotted and dotted garment among the goats. Laban accepted and sent away from his sons all the leaders of that kind. So Jacob took fresh branches of poplar, almond and plane tree, and flayed them, and put them in the troughs. The optical suggestion induced the goats and the sheep to conceive and give birth to dark, striped and dotted garments. He also ensured that all the strongest and healthiest leaders of the flock of Laban would drink near the barked branches, thus assuring a genetic superiority to his part of the flock. His flocks grew numerous and strong and he became richer than his relative, arousing envy. It was clear that Laban would not respect him much longer. At the suggestion of the Lord, Jacob decided to return to Canaan. Trying to avoid any possible dispute, he left with his family while Laban was absent for shearing sheep. But when, three days later, his uncle returned home, he became angry, feeling offended because Jacob had gone secretly and had not allowed him to greet his daughters and grandchildren. In addition, his teraphim, statuettes, or idols, which depicted the family deities, had disappeared. After 7 days of pursuit, Laban and his men reached Jacob’s group on Mount Gilead, in the mountainous region west of the Euphrates River, where his uncle and grandson had a stormy conversation. The younger man was outraged at being accused of stealing idols and told Labano to rummage through his family’s tents at will. Neither of them could know or even imagine that it was Rachel who took the idols and hid them in the saddle of the camel. During the search, she sat down firmly on the saddle, apologizing for not being able to get up, «because I usually have what happens to women» (Gen 31:35). So the loot wasn’t discovered. The author of this work was inspired by the composition of an engraving by Stefano Della Bella (1610-1664) of circa 1647. The engraving by Stefano della Bella bears the title "Iacob sur ses vieux jours quitte sans fascherie pour voir son filz Ioseph, sa terre et sa patrie" and is signed on the bottom left "Stef. of the Beautiful In. et fe." while on the right it is declared "Cum privil. Regis", that is with license of the king. Stefano Della Bella (Italy - Florence, May 18, 1610-Florence, July 12, 1664) was born in a family of painters, sculptors and goldsmiths and was left early orphan of his father sculptor, he dedicated himself first to the art of goldsmith at the school of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione and Gasparo Mola, then turning his attention to drawing and engraving. He soon began drawing figures and copying the etchings of Jacques Callot, which inspired his early works. Under the protection of the Medici, in particular of Don Lorenzo, cadet son of Grand Duke Ferdinand I, Della Bella has the opportunity to make study trips to Rome, where he stayed from 1633-1636; In Rome he met French engravers and publishers of prints such as Israël Henriet and François Langlois, who influenced his decision to move to Paris in 1639, four years after the death of Callot. In Paris he soon reached, thanks to the engravings commissioned by Cardinal Richelieu, the success also worldly; he frequented courtiers, theatre artists and writers, while refusing too oppressive honors. In 1646-1647 he continued his travels in the Netherlands to Amsterdam, Antwerp and Dordrecht. He returned to Florence in 1650 and resumed working under the protection of the Medici court, working for his patrons. In 1656 he became a member of the Academy of Apatists. The painting object of this study is reasonably attributable to Pier Francesco Cittadini, or Pierfrancesco Cittadini, called the Milanese or the Franceschino (Italy - Milan, 1616-Bologna, 1681) as some exemplary stylistic comparisons proposed to follow can prove. Pier Francesco Cittadini was an Italian baroque painter, mainly active in Bologna. His artistic training first took place with the painter Daniele Crespi...

Wonderful image after Rembrandt Fine Steel engraving. Published by Blackie & Sons London. C.1850 Unframed.

A magnificent antique French tapestry depicting a scenic river including a fountain and a large tree full of flowers, dating to circa 1920 and showcasing elegant craftsmanship and ar...

Italian painting from 1600 Banquet with Figures Memento Mori by Giovanni Martinelli, titled Death Comes to the Banquet Table, vanitas circa 1635. The oil-on-canvas painting is inspi...

Italian religious sculpture depicting Christ on the Cross, hand carved and lacquered in light ivory, dating from the late 18th century, lacking the arms and with missing at the fee...

Antique 18c Religious Oil Painting of Saint John the Baptist

This six panel Italian screen is from the Baroque period, circa 1700. The four central panels have been affixed to a foldable frame, while the two outer panels are detached. When all...

Unique Baroque wall shelve from Portugal, adorned with beautiful gilt and faux marble, Having arrived in Portugal later than it did in the rest of Europe, baroque art was to take on ...

1600s Guercino Follower Italian Religious Painting Beautiful oil painting on canvas depicting the Penitent Magdalene. This important painting is unique in that it shows Magdalene wit...

This is a vivid and finely executed reverse glass painting depicting the biblical scene of Joseph being sold by his brothers to passing merchants (Genesis 37). This subject was frequ...

This rare 17th century panel, carved in high relief, is museum quality and without doubt the work of an important Flemish master carver. It represents the biblical scene of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem for the census. Multiple figures surround the center in a well balanced setting. Rich, deep color and great patina, which developed over about 400 years, make this piece of art exceptional. The panel is mounted on a later dusty rose velvet backing. Condition: Small part of backdrop on right is missing. Joseph’s left hand is missing. Measurements: Image size - 8 ½” W x 12 ¼” H x 2” D Back panel - 10 ¼” W x 14” H x ½” D Entire piece - 10 ¼” W x 14” H x 2 ½” D Weight: 2 lbs. 8 oz.  

Wonderful image after Rembrandt Fine Steel engraving. Published by Jones & Co., London. C.1850 Unframed.

Circle of Carlo Maratta (active in the 17th century) "Mary Immaculate in Prayer" Bust portrait of Mary with her body slightly turned in profile, her gaze lowered, and her hands rais...

An exquisite late 17th-century French verdure tapestry from the celebrated workshops of Aubusson, capturing a serene woodland scene with remarkable artistry. The composition is defin...

18th Century Dutch Oil Painting Portrait of a Winged Putto. Charming Baroque style painting in oil on canvas depicts a putto visage, ...

Dipinto Fiammingo del 1600 a olio su rame raffigurante uno scorcio di paesaggio con figure, una scena di genere con una moltitudine di personaggi affollati in una strada con delle ar...

This exceptional 17th century Flemish tapestry presents a richly detailed pastoral composition characteristic of the great weaving centers of Flanders during the Baroque period. The ...

Curtis Jerė Sun And Moon Wall brass sculpture circa 1993. Signed.

Italian 17th century still life painting in period carved gilt frame Italian school still life painting from the workshop of a great master. The 17th century Baroque painting in oil...

Venetian School painting of four angels, allegorically depicting the variable winds of change and time. Unsigned, believed to be by a follower of Pietro Li...

French Engraving Hand Colored Galerie des Modes Costumes Francais, 1779 Rare antique French fashion print hand colored published first i...