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Item Ships From: Continental US
Majolica Strawberries Plate Sarreguemines, circa 1870
By Sarreguemines
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica strawberries plate signed Sarreguemines Majolica, circa 1870. Geometric pattern on the border.
Category

1870s French Victorian Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

19th Century French Palissy Majolica Platter Saint Honore Les Bains
By Saint Honore Les Bains
Located in Austin, TX
Large 19th Century French Palissy Majolica platter signed Saint Honore Les Bains. Decorated with pears,grapes,bugs and leaves. 16 inches L 9.2 inches H
Category

1880s French Rustic Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Rare 19th Century Majolica Oyster Fish Heads Plate Wedgwood
By Wedgwood
Located in Austin, TX
Rare 19th Century Pink Majolica Oyster Fish Heads Plate Wedgwood.
Category

1880s English Victorian Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Majolica

French Majolica Daisy Plate Orchies, circa 1890
By Orchies
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica daisy plate Orchies unsigned, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Art Nouveau Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Mid-Century Rare Ceramic Oyster Plate Robert Picault Vallauris
By Robert Picault
Located in Austin, TX
Rare Oyster Plate signed Robert Picault. Robert Picault (1919 - 2000) was born in Vincennes, Paris and studied at the School of Applied Arts in Paris. After the war he spent a short ...
Category

1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Faience

Clyde Burt Ceramic Wall Art
By Clyde Burt
Located in Chicago, IL
Clyde Burt abstract ceramic wall relief in glazed stoneware with wooden frame. Signed to front: [C. BURT]. American, circa 1965.
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Wood, Ceramic

After Raffaello Sanzio 1483-1520 Raphael La Madonna Della Seggiola Oil on Canvas
By (after) Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
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...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Baroque Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Canvas, Giltwood

1970's Curtis Jere & Friedle Bruce Brass Style Sunburst Wall Sculpture
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Inspired by the styles of Curtis Jeré & William Friedle Bruce, and crafted with precision, this vintage wall relief showcases a central three-dimensional...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Brass

Massive Oversized Jansport Backpacks
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Massive oversized Jansport backpacks. One red. One green. Over 2.5 feet tall. 400% larger than a normal backpack. Cool advertising piece. Great objec...
Category

1990s American Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Fabric

French Majolica Asparagus Onnaing Plate, circa 1890
By Onnaing
Located in Austin, TX
Unusual French Majolica asparagus plate attributed to Onnaing, circa 1890. Decorated with berries.
Category

1890s French Country Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

French Green Majolica Acanthus Leaves Plate circa 1880
Located in Austin, TX
Category

1880s French Rustic Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

French Majolica Cicada Wall Pocket Circa 1950
Located in Austin, TX
Large French Majolica cicada wall pocket from Provence. Height / 7 inches.
Category

1950s French French Provincial Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Faience

Vintage Charcoal Rubbing of Thai Musicians
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Vintage Thai Temple charcoal rubbing. Hand crafted temple scenes at the Wat Pho temple located in Phra Nakhon district in Bangkok Thailand...
Category

Mid-20th Century Thai Folk Art Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

Majolica Gooseberry Plate Sarreguemines, circa 1870
By Sarreguemines
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica gooseberry plate signed Sarreguemines Majolica, circa 1870. Geometric pattern on the border.
Category

1870s French Victorian Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Fabienne Jouvin Imari Japanese Asian Porcelain Wall Plates 1990s
By Fabienne Jouvin
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Vintage Fabienne Jouvin French designer decorative Imari Asian wall plates. from the French Parisian designer Fabienne Jouvin the plates with irregular shapes and quite shallow with a beautiful Oriental Asian Japanese style depicting a man and woman portrait on each plate. The portrait are period Imperial style, with Japanese kimono and hair style, vivid colors on each panel of the plate depicting different Asian traditional design motifs. Colorful modern Asian motif decorative plates or shallow bowls made by Fabienne Jouvin Paris...
Category

Late 20th Century Chinese Japonisme Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Porcelain

Art at Auction The Year at Sotheby's & Parke-Bernet 1970-71, 1st Ed
Located in valatie, NY
Art at Auction: The Year at Sotheby's & Parke-Bernet 1970-71. By Philip and Annamaria MacDonald. Viking Press, NY, 1970. Numerous color photos of important lots from all of Sotheby's...
Category

1970s American Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

18th Century Italian Rococo Carved Frieze Wall Panel - Antique Oakwood Door
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An antique Italian frieze panel with flowers, vines and leaves, made of hand crafted Oakwood in good condition. The vertical door features two hand crafted round metal door pulls...
Category

Late 18th Century Italian Rococo Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Oak

19th Century Majolica Grapes Wall Platter Longchamp
By Longchamp
Located in Austin, TX
Colorful 19th century French Majolica grapes wall platter signed Longchamp terre de fer. The fruits are in high relief with the leaves and branches. The ma...
Category

1880s French Country Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Majolica

50 Million Year Old Fossil Fish Triptych from the Green River Formation, Wyoming
By Green River Fossil Company
Located in Logan, UT
This sculptural stone triptych features a beautiful array of fossil fish: three Diplomystus dentatus, four Cockerellites liops, and twelve Knightia eocaena are all preserved in an el...
Category

2010s American Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Limestone

French Majolica Daisy Plate Orchies, circa 1890
By Orchies
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica daisy plate Orchies unsigned, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Art Nouveau Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Gold Frame Portrait Medallions of the Seven Caesars
Located in New York, NY
These oval medallions, sold individually, feature profile portraits of seven Roman Caesars rendered in low relief against a textured background. Each medallion is inscribed with the ...
Category

1980s Unknown Classical Roman Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Resin

18th Century French Louis XVI Period Gilded Barometer by Evangelista Torricelli
By Evangelista Torricelli
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A gold, large antique French Louis XVI period barometer, signed by Torricelli in gilded wood and of oval shape with original scientific illustrations, in good condition. The detailed wall décor piece is consisting its original glass. Framed with gilt foliate trim and important pediment. Minor fading, due to age. Wear consistent with age and use, circa 1750, France. The Italian scientist Evangelista Torricelli...
Category

Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Giltwood

Majolica Chesnut Leaf Plate Sarreguemines, circa 1890
By Sarreguemines
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica chesnut leaf plate Sarreguemines, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Rustic Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

French Majolica Oyster Plate Sarreguemines, circa 1890
By Sarreguemines
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica oyster plate Sarreguemines, circa 1890. 6 Shells and space for the lemon on the center.
Category

1890s French French Provincial Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Scissor Art Silhouette with Mirrored Frame
Located in Savannah, GA
A scissor art silhouette of a courting scene with a mirrored frame, c.1920s. 11 inches wide by 8 inches tall
Category

1920s Unknown Folk Art Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Mirror, Paper

Charles Levier Figurative Oil Painting, Bernard Buffet Style Oil Painting
By Charles Levier
Located in Miami, FL
French Figurative Oil Painting by Charles Levier. Titled "Une femme devant la mer", this masterful work of a well-known listed French artist whose work can be compared to Bernard Buf...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Wood, Paint

Vintage Handmade Turkish Rug Christmas Stocking
Located in Houston, TX
Handmade Vintage from the 1960s Materials: wool, cotton Sustainable, upcycled Turkish rug Christmas stocking made from hand-woven rug fragments. Width: 13 inches Height: 17 inches ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Mid-Century Modern Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Wool, Cotton

19th Century Small Majolica Platter Wedgwood
By Wedgwood
Located in Austin, TX
19th century small Majolica platter signed Wedgwood.
Category

1880s English Victorian Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

19th Century French Historical Hammered Copper Relief Plaque
Located in Miami, FL
19th century, French hand-hammered plaque historicizing Vercingetorix receiving an award of recognition, circa 1850. Vercingetorix (82-46 BCE) was a French Gallic chieftain who ral...
Category

19th Century French Revival Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Copper

19th Century Hand Colored Fruit Botanicals In Gilt Wood Frames, Group of 10
Located in Stamford, CT
19th century American framed still life depictions of fruit, set of 10. Group of 10 small framed still life depictions of fruit, to include: watercolor theorem depicting apples on a...
Category

Early 19th Century American Regency Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Giltwood, Paper

French Mid-Century Blue Majolica Daisy Plate Maunier Vallauris
By Vallauris
Located in Austin, TX
French Mid-Century Blue Daisy Plate signed Maunier Vallauris. 8 inches diameter.
Category

1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Faience

Andy Warhol Flowers (vintage announcement card)
By (after) Andy Warhol
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vintage 1989 Andy Warhol announcement card published on occasion of: Andy Warhol Flowers September 16-October 14, 1989 Vrej Baghoomian G...
Category

1980s Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

Pair of Metal Wall Sculptures
Located in New York, NY
A pair of American metal wall sculptures circa 1970's. Sold individually. Measurements: Height: 62" Width: 20" Depth: 9".
Category

1970s American Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Metal

House of Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) Set of 6 Sevenarts Porcelain Collector Plates
By Sevenarts Ltd., Franklin MInt, Erté
Located in North Hollywood, CA
House of Erté Plates Set of 6 Franklin Mint decorative porcelain plates with design realized by Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) . House of Erté Set of 6 Franklin M...
Category

1990s German Art Deco Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Porcelain

Large 19th Century Majolica Lemons Wall Platter
Located in Austin, TX
Large 19th Century Majolica Lemons Wall Platter from the South of France. Diameter / 13.3 inches.  
Category

1890s Finnish Rustic Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

After Bernard Buffet 1971 Blue Hydrangeas Wool Tapestry Framed Wall Art
By Bernard Buffet
Located in North Miami, FL
Made by DMC in the 70's, this is a vividly colored wool woven tapestry framed in a brass finish aluminum frame SIGNED Bernard Buffet 1971 to top. NOTE: THIS ITEM IS LOCATED AND WI...
Category

1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Aluminum

French, Majolica Bird Plate Onnaing, circa 1890
By Onnaing
Located in Austin, TX
French majolica plate with bird and white flowers Onnaing, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Rustic Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

French Faience Oyster Plate Moustiers Style, circa 1940
By Martres Tolosane
Located in Austin, TX
French Faience rustic oyster plate Moustiers style, circa 1940. Painting of birds and flowers.
Category

1940s French Rustic Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Faience

Signed 1980’s Colorful Impasto Painting
Located in Redding, CT
Signed 1980's colorful Impasto painting. Classic square shaped frame of the 80's. Earth tone colors with Palm Trees and abstract images. Perfect for t...
Category

1980s Post-Modern Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Paint

American Painting, Hudson River School, Oil on Canvas
Located in Huntington, NY
American painting, Hudson river school, Oil on canvas.
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood

18th Century French Louis XVI Musical Trophy Boiserie Panel in Carved Oak Frame
Located in Dallas, TX
Hand carved during the reign of Louis XVI, this linden wood and oak plaque was originally a boiserie panel that would have adorned the wall of a French manor...
Category

18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Wood, Oak

Otto Pilny Orientalist Oil on Canvas "The Slave Market" a North African Scene
By Otto Pilny
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Otto Pilny (Swiss, 1866-1936) A very fine orientalist oil on canvas "The Slave Market", depicting a desert scene with the offering of two female slaves. Signed and Dated (l/r): Otto Pilny, 1910. Canvas height: 31 1/2 inches (80 cm). Canvas width: 47 1/4 inches (120 cm). Frame height: 37 inches (94 cm). Frame width: 52 inches (132.1 cm). Previously offered at Christie's New York, 19th Century European Art, Sale 2521 on October 12, 2011, Lot 84. Latest Otto Pilny Sale: Christie's London - The Orientalist Sale including Works from the Najd Collection on 30 March 2021 - Lot 49 "Dance in the Desert" was sold for £100,800 ($138,500) There is not that much information about Otto Pilny who began his artistic education in Prague. Pilny also lived in Vienna and ended up settling in Zurich. Just like Ludwig Deutsch (1855-1935), Rudolf Ernst (1854-1932), and Carl Leopold Müller (1834-1892), Pilny was encouraged to travel abroad. During his two trips to Egypt, a favorite destination of the Austro-Hungarian school, the first one in 1889 and later en 1892, he acquired the taste of painting Orientalist scenes of Middle Eastern landscapes...
Category

Early 20th Century Swiss Islamic Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Giltwood, Canvas

French Mid-Century Majolica Pink Flower Plate Charolles
By Charolles
Located in Austin, TX
Small French Mid-Century Majolica Pink Flower Plate Charolles. 7 inches diameter.
Category

1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Faience

Italian 17th Century Oil on Canvas Head of Christ Crowned with Thorns, Mignard
By (circle of) Pierre Mignard
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine Italian 17th century oval oil on canvas "Head of Christ Crowned with Thorns" Circle of Pierre Mignard (French, 1612-1695) within...
Category

17th Century French Baroque Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Canvas, Giltwood

Fine 19th Century Oil on Canvas "Triumph of Flora" Attr. Ferdinand Wagner II
By Ferdinand Wagner II 1
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine and large 19th century Louis XV style Whimsical Neoclassical Revival style Oil on Canvas "The Triumph of Flora" attributed to Ferdinand Wagner II (German, 1847-1927), school of François Boucher (French, 1703-1770). The impressive artwork depicting a semi-nude Flora hovering through the clouds surrounded by playful cupids, cherubs, love doves and a seated maiden, within white and grey clouds, offering her Spring flower bouquets and floral wreaths, within a banded giltwood frame. Note: Previously used as a ceiling painting. Unsigned, Circa 1870. Measures: Canvas height: 91 3/4 inches (233 cm) Canvas width: 59 inches (150 cm) Frame height: 61 3/8 inches (155.9 cm) Frame width: 93 1/2 inches (237.5 cm) Depth: 2 3/8 inches (6 cm) Ferdinand Wagner II (German, 1847-1927) was the son of Passau Ferdinand Wagner Senior, a teacher at a vocational art school who began training him professionally at a young age. After traveling to Italy in 1867-1868, he continued with his art studies at The Munich Academy of Arts led by Peter Von Cornelius and Julius Schnorr Von Carolsfeld...
Category

19th Century German Neoclassical Revival Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Giltwood, Canvas

French Majolica Oyster Plate Orchies, circa 1910
By Orchies
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica oyster plate Orchies, circa 1910.
Category

1910s French French Provincial Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Roger Capron - Panel with 5 Ceramic Tiles - BIRD
By Roger Capron
Located in Stratford, CT
Playful and whimsical, Capron’s art panels are the most sought after, as editions were small, and in some cases not more than a few, or by special commission. Some are rough and mat...
Category

20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Mughal Rajasthani Black Marble Inlay Pietra Dura Table Top India
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Mughal Rajasthani Black Marble Inlay Pietra Dura Table Top India. This is an exceptional handcrafted Mughal Rajasthani black marble Pietra Dura inlay table top, featuring the same intricate craftsmanship seen in the Taj Mahal. The table showcases the traditional Indian art of Parchin Kari (Pietra Dura), where semi-precious stones like lapis lazuli, cornelian, and agate are meticulously inlaid into a marble surface, creating stunning floral and geometric patterns. Handcrafted Mughal Rajasthani Black Marble Pietra Dura Table Top, India. This stunning table top features intricate Mughal-style Pietra Dura inlay work, showcasing the artistry found in the Taj Mahal. Skilled artisans meticulously inlay semi-precious stones like lapis lazuli, carnelian, malachite, and agate into black marble, creating beautiful floral and geometric patterns. The technique, known as Parchin Kari, involves engraving grooves in the marble and filling them with precisely cut stones, each piece hand-shaped and polished to perfection. This vintage, octagonal marble table top from Rajasthan, India, blends traditional craftsmanship with vibrant colors, making it an exquisite decorative piece. The combination of lapis lazuli, jade, turquoise, jasper, and carnelian adds a rich depth to the design. This piece can also be used as a tray or accent table, making it a versatile addition to any space. This is a spectacular very fine Pietra Dura inlay black marble in an octagonal shape with wonderful colors and quality craftsmanship. This beautiful handcrafted marble inlay table...
Category

Mid-20th Century Indian Anglo Raj Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Marble

Max Bill Geneve Musee Serigraph, 1972
By Max Bill
Located in Hanover, MA
Max Bill (1908-1994) Geneva Museum exhibition serigraph, created to accompany the exhibition of works by Max Bill held from 6 April through 30 April 1972 at the Musee Rath in Geneva,...
Category

1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Aluminum

Vintage Coca Cola Sign
Located in Pittsburgh, PA
This original 1950s Coca-Cola sign has the perfect faded red look that gives it tons of character. With its worn-in, industrial vibe, this piece is an incredible find for any vintage...
Category

1950s American Industrial Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Metal

Moroccan Moorish Polished Brass Decorative Tray Wall Hanging
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Fabulous Moroccan Moorish hand-hammered brass tray, intricate multi dimension artwork, very fine Islamic Metalwork brass repousse designs. Handcrafted wall hanging decorative brass tray with a copper...
Category

Early 20th Century Moroccan Moorish Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Brass

Set 2 Bernhard Rohne Vintage Acid Etched Brass Owl & Frog Panel Framed Fine Art
By Bernhard Rohne
Located in Miami, FL
Here we offer 2 original vintage handcrafted acid etched brass metal owl and frog art pieces. Both are framed and have the original paper back label with the Models on the reverse. The frog is the symbol of prosperity, and the owl is symbol of the ghost spirit by the Haida Pacific Northwest Coast...
Category

1970s Canadian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Brass

19th Century Carved Wood Panel Fragment of Lotus
Located in Somis, CA
A solid wood panel with deep relief carvings of lotus in various stages of blooming. A pair of birds with one in motion of landing and the other on the ground echoing each other. On ...
Category

19th Century Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Wood

After Raffaello Sanzio 1483-1520 Raphael La Madonna della Seggiola Oil on Canvas
By (after) Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
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 Madonna holding an infant Jesus Christ next to a child Saint John the Baptist, all within a massive carved gilt wood and gesso frame, which is identical to the frame on Raphael's original artwork. This painting is a 19th Century copy of Raphael's Madonna della Seggiola painted in 1514 and currently exhibited and part of the permanent collection at the Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina, Florence, Italy. The bodies of the Virgin, Christ, and the boy Baptist fill the whole picture. The tender, natural looking embrace of the Mother and Child, and the harmonious grouping of the figures in the round, have made this one of Raphael's most popular Madonnas. The isolated chair leg is reminiscent of papal furniture, which has led to the assumption that Leo X himself commissioned the painting. A retailer's label reads " Fred K/ Keer's Sons - Framers and Fine Art Dealers - 917 Broad St. Newark, N.J." - Another label from the gilder reads "Carlo Bartolini - Doratore e Verniciatori - Via Maggio 1924 - Firenze". Circa: 1890-1900. Subject: Religious painting Canvas diameter: 28 inches (71.1 cm) Frame height: 54 inches (137.2 cm) Frame width: 42 1/2 inches (108 cm) Frame depth: 5 1/2 inches (14 cm) Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (Italian, March 28 or April 6, 1483 - April 6, 1520), known as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur. Together with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, he forms the traditional trinity of great masters of that period. Raphael was enormously productive, running an unusually large workshop and, despite his death at 37, leaving a large body of work. Many of his works are found in the Vatican Palace, where the frescoed Raphael Rooms were the central, and the largest, work of his career. The best known work is The School of Athens in the Vatican Stanza della Segnatura. After his early years in Rome much of his work was executed by his workshop from his drawings, with considerable loss of quality. He was extremely influential in his lifetime, though outside Rome his work was mostly known from his collaborative printmaking. After his death, the influence of his great rival Michelangelo was more widespread until the 18th and 19th centuries, when Raphael's more serene and harmonious qualities were again regarded as the highest models. His career falls naturally into three phases and three styles, first described by Giorgio Vasari: his early years in Umbria, then a period of about four years (1504–1508) absorbing the artistic traditions of Florence, followed by his last hectic and triumphant twelve years in Rome, working for two Popes and their close associates. Raphael was born in the small but artistically significant central Italian city of Urbino in the Marche region, where his father Giovanni Santi was court painter to the Duke. The reputation of the court had been established by Federico III da Montefeltro, a highly successful condottiere who had been created Duke of Urbino by the Pope - Urbino formed part of the Papal States - and who died the year before Raphael was born. The emphasis of Federico's court was rather more literary than artistic, but Giovanni Santi was a poet of sorts as well as a painter, and had written a rhymed chronicle of the life of Federico, and both wrote the texts and produced the decor for masque-like court entertainments. His poem to Federico shows him as keen to show awareness of the most advanced North Italian painters, and Early Netherlandish artists as well. In the very small court of Urbino he was probably more integrated into the central circle of the ruling family than most court painters. Federico was succeeded by his son Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, who married Elisabetta Gonzaga, daughter of the ruler of Mantua, the most brilliant of the smaller Italian courts for both music and the visual arts. Under them, the court continued as a centre for literary culture. Growing up in the circle of this small court gave Raphael the excellent manners and social skills stressed by Vasari. Court life in Urbino at just after this period was to become set as the model of the virtues of the Italian humanist court through Baldassare Castiglione's depiction of it in his classic work The Book of the Courtier, published in 1528. Castiglione moved to Urbino in 1504, when Raphael was no longer based there but frequently visited, and they became good friends. He became close to other regular visitors to the court: Pietro Bibbiena and Pietro Bembo, both later cardinals, were already becoming well known as writers, and would be in Rome during Raphael's period there. Raphael mixed easily in the highest circles throughout his life, one of the factors that tended to give a misleading impression of effortlessness to his career. He did not receive a full humanistic education however; it is unclear how easily he read Latin. Early Life and Works His mother Màgia died in 1491 when Raphael was eight, followed on August 1, 1494 by his father, who had already remarried. Raphael was thus orphaned at eleven; his formal guardian became his only paternal uncle Bartolomeo, a priest, who subsequently engaged in litigation with his stepmother. He probably continued to live with his stepmother when not staying as an apprentice with a master. He had already shown talent, according to Vasari, who says that Raphael had been "a great help to his father". A self-portrait drawing from his teenage years shows his precocity. His father's workshop continued and, probably together with his stepmother, Raphael evidently played a part in managing it from a very early age. In Urbino, he came into contact with the works of Paolo Uccello, previously the court painter (d. 1475), and Luca Signorelli, who until 1498 was based in nearby Città di Castello. According to Vasari, his father placed him in the workshop of the Umbrian master Pietro Perugino as an apprentice "despite the tears of his mother". The evidence of an apprenticeship comes only from Vasari and another source, and has been disputed—eight was very early for an apprenticeship to begin. An alternative theory is that he received at least some training from Timoteo Viti, who acted as court painter in Urbino from 1495.Most modern historians agree that Raphael at least worked as an assistant to Perugino from around 1500; the influence of Perugino on Raphael's early work is very clear: "probably no other pupil of genius has ever absorbed so much of his master's teaching as Raphael did", according to Wölfflin. Vasari wrote that it was impossible to distinguish between their hands at this period, but many modern art historians claim to do better and detect his hand in specific areas of works by Perugino or his workshop. Apart from stylistic closeness, their techniques are very similar as well, for example having paint applied thickly, using an oil varnish medium, in shadows and darker garments, but very thinly on flesh areas. An excess of resin in the varnish often causes cracking of areas of paint in the works of both masters. The Perugino workshop was active in both Perugia and Florence, perhaps maintaining two permanent branches. Raphael is described as a "master", that is to say fully trained, in December 1500. His first documented work was the Baronci altarpiece for the church of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino in Città di Castello, a town halfway between Perugia and Urbino. Evangelista da Pian di Meleto, who had worked for his father, was also named in the commission. It was commissioned in 1500 and finished in 1501; now only some cut sections and a preparatory drawing remain. In the following years he painted works for other churches there, including the Mond Crucifixion (about 1503) and the Brera Wedding of the Virgin (1504), and for Perugia, such as the Oddi Altarpiece. He very probably also visited Florence in this period. These are large works, some in fresco, where Raphael confidently marshals his compositions in the somewhat static style of Perugino. He also painted many small and exquisite cabinet paintings in these years, probably mostly for the connoisseurs in the Urbino court, like the Three Graces and St. Michael, and he began to paint Madonnas and portraits. In 1502 he went to Siena at the invitation of another pupil of Perugino, Pinturicchio, "being a friend of Raphael and knowing him to be a draughtsman of the highest quality" to help with the cartoons, and very likely the designs, for a fresco series in the Piccolomini Library in Siena Cathedral. He was evidently already much in demand even at this early stage in his career. Influence of Florence Raphael led a "nomadic" life, working in various centres in Northern Italy, but spent a good deal of time in Florence, perhaps from about 1504. Although there is traditional reference to a "Florentine period...
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Early 1900s Italian Baroque Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Canvas, Giltwood

7.6x8.3 Ft Silk Hand Embroidery Bed Cover, Suzani Wall Hanging, Vintage Throw
Located in Spring Valley, NY
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Late 20th Century Uzbek Suzani Continental US - Decorative Art

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Cotton, Silk

19th Century English Chinoiserie Pagoda Plate
Located in Austin, TX
19th century English Chinoiserie Pagoda plate.
Category

1890s English Chinoiserie Antique Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic, Faience

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Category

21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Anglo-Japanese Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Wood, Giltwood

Brass, Chrome and Black Metal Wall Art Attributed to Curtis Jere, circa 1980
By Curtis Jeré
Located in Saint Louis, MO
Sexy, large and impressive 1980s wall art attributed to Curtis Jere and made of brass, chrome and black metal sheets - as if bound together like a bow ...
Category

1980s American Modern Vintage Continental US - Decorative Art

Materials

Metal, Brass, Chrome

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