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Period: 18th Century and Earlier
Item Ships From: England
Portrait of William Henry Kerr, Earl of Ancram, 4th Marquess of Lothian
Located in London, GB
James Fellowes
Flourished 1719 - 1750
Portrait of William Henry Kerr, Earl of Ancram, 4th Marquess of Lothian
Oil on canvas, signed & dated 1747
Image size: 29 1/2 x 24 1/2 inches (75 x 62 cm)
Original gilt wood frame
William Henry Kerr was born a member of the Scottish peerage to William, third Marquess of Lothian, and his first wife Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas Nicholson of Kemnay, first Baronet. William was styled Master Jedburgh until 1722, when his father was elevated to a Marquessate, after which he was referred to as Lord Jedburgh until 1735. Following his father’s military footsteps, on 20 June 1735 Ancram was commissioned as a cornet to the regiment (11th Dragoons) of his grand-uncle, Lord Mark Kerr. Ancram married Lady Caroline...
Category
1740s Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
THORNTON. The Roses
By Dr. Robert John Thornton
Located in London, GB
Magnificent print by Robert John Thornton. Aquatint and mezzotint, printed in colour and finished by hand, heightened with gum arabic, from The Temple of Flora.
[London 1799]
First state.
Thornton was a prolific medical author and Doctor of Medicine, practicing at St Andrews University and licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians. However, he is best remembered for this great botanical publication The Temple of Flora, which formed a part of the larger work - New Illustration of the Sexual system of Linnaeus.
In 1797, he also began advertising for subscribers to his planned natural history publishing venture, which eventually comprised of 30 folio botanical plates. For these remarkable illustrations, he engaged the services of the leading artists and engravers of his day: Sir William Beechey, James Opie, Henry Raeburn, John Russell, Philip Reinagle and others as painters; Francesco Bartolozzi, Richard Earlom and John Landseer. Most of the images were painted by Peter Charles Henderson and Philip Reinagle.
These botanical illustrations are unique as they were the first flower prints with landscape backgrounds, depicting the natural habitat of the plant. The life-size flowers stand out dramatically and the whole effect is startlingly modern. Thornton's announced intention was to make this work the most magnificent tribute ever paid to the famous Swedish botanist Linnaeus by illustrating his Sexual System with the finest possible prints. All these were engraved on a larger scale than anything which had hitherto appeared and then were printed in colour, an expensive and uncommon method in England at this time. A brilliant effect.
This rare and celebrated plate of the Roses...
Category
1790s Naturalistic England - Art
Materials
Mezzotint, Aquatint, Handmade Paper, Engraving
Travellers in Wooded Landscape - Dutch 17th century art Old Master oil painting
By Jan Wijnants (circle)
Located in London, GB
An original, very large Dutch Old Master oil on canvas which is attributed to circle of Jan Wijnants and was painted circa 1680. The huge canvas is in good clean condition and depicts a wooded landscape with travellers passing through. A delightful very large country house old master painting.
Provenance. Private collection, Christies.
Condition. Oil on canvas. Very large, image size is 53 inches by 41 inches and in good clean condition.
Framed size is 63 by 51 inches. The carved original 17th Century wood frame...
Category
17th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
Fisherfolk unloading the days catch
By John Thomas Serres
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
John Thomas Serres (1759-1825)
Fisherfolk unloading the days catch
Oil on canvas
Canvas Size - 17 x 25 in
Framed Size - 22 x 30 in
John Thomas Serres, a luminary in the realm of mar...
Category
18th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
The Procession Of The Ark Of The Covenant, The Battle Of Jericho, 17th Century
Located in Blackwater, GB
The Procession Of The Ark Of The Covenant, The Battle Of Jericho, 17th Century
Flemish School - rare & early depiction of the Old Testament - oil on light wood panel
Large 17th Century Flemish Old Master depiction of the Ark Of The Covenant carried around Jericho, oil on panel. Excellent quality and condition antique panel painting...
Category
17th Century England - Art
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Orpheus Enchanting The Animals, 17th Century Circle of Cornelis Saftleven
Located in Blackwater, GB
Orpheus Enchanting The Animals, 17th Century
Circle of Cornelis Saftleven (1607-1681)
Large 17th Century Dutch Old Master depiction of Orpheus enchanting the animals, oil on panel...
Category
17th Century England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Royal Navy Blue Squadron Off A Mediterranean Port, early 17th Century WIERINGEN
Located in Blackwater, GB
Royal Navy Blue Squadron Off A Mediterranean Port, early 17th Century
School Of Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen (1573-1633)
Large 17th Century scene of the Royal Navy Blue Squadron o...
Category
17th Century England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Mid-18th-Century English School, Portrait Of A Girl With A Posy
Located in Cheltenham, GB
This exceedingly charming mid-18th-century English oil painting depicts a girl wearing a red gown with a train over a white petticoat. She’s holding a posy or nosegay.
Evidently once commissioned for an English country house, the identity of this young lady remains a mystery. Her gown appears to be inspired by the popular ‘robe à la française...
Category
1740s English School England - Art
Materials
Oil, Canvas
'Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet' three-quarter-length portrait, oil on canvas
By John Vanderbank
Located in St. Albans, GB
Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet
Canvas Size: 50 x 40" (127 x 102cm)
Outside Frame Size: 58 x 48" (147 x 122cm)
Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet (1628 – 11 January ...
Category
1710s English School England - Art
Materials
Oil
The Penitent Mary Magdalene - Old Master religious art portrait oil painting
By Guido Reni
Located in London, GB
This is a superb Italian Old Master portrait oil painting attributed to circle of Guido Reni. It is a half length portrait of the penitent Mary Magdalene...
Category
17th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
A Bewigged Gentleman
By Enoch Seeman
Located in St. Albans, GB
Enoch Seeman
Oil on Canvas
Canvas Size: 30 x 25" (76 x 64cm)
Outside Framed Size: 37 x 32" (94 x 82cm)
He was born in Danzig, now Gdansk, Poland, around 1694. His father, also En...
Category
Late 18th Century English School England - Art
Materials
Oil
Portrait of an Italian Noblewoman
Located in London, GB
15th century, Italian
Circle of Antonio del Pollaiuolo (1429-1498)
Portrait of an Italian Noblewoman
Oil and tempura on poplar panel
With partial inscription: ALZETAPIN
Provenance:...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Renaissance England - Art
Materials
Oil, Tempera, Wood Panel
Ecce Homo, after Carlo Dolci (1616–1686)
Located in London, GB
Ecce Homo is a superb, striking and emotive Old Master in oil on copper after the renowned Italian Baroque artist Carlo Dolci. The "Ecce Homo" shows the figure of Christ before His c...
Category
17th Century Baroque England - Art
Materials
Copper
Portrait of a Gentleman, 17th Century Dutch Old Masters Oil
Located in London, GB
Circle of Gerard van Honthorst
1592 - 1656
Portrait of a Gentleman
Oil on wooden panel
Image size: 29 x 23 inches
Contemporary gilt frame
Gerard van Honthorst was a Dutch Golden Age...
Category
17th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Dutch Men o War Setting Sale In A Fresh Breeze
By Ludolf Bakhuisen
Located in Brecon, Powys
Ludolf Bakhuizen 1631 - 1708
Dutch Men oWar Setting Sale in a Fresh Breeze
Provenance Christies 1998
Pen and Grey Ink and Grey Wash.
Image 5 x 7.25". Fr...
Category
Early 17th Century Dutch School England - Art
Materials
Ink
18th century portrait of the German Flautist and composer Johann Joachim Quantz
By Arthur Devis
Located in Bath, Somerset
Portrait of Johann Quantz (1697-1773), flautist and composer, wearing a blue velvet coat, waistcoat and breeches, standing in a garden landscape with ...
Category
18th Century English School England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
18th CENTURY FRENCH GRAND TOUR WATERCOLOUR - ROMAN MONUMENT ST. REMY PROVENCE
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: French School, 18th century
Title: The Roman Ruins at St. Remy de Provence, France. Inscribed verso to the frame: ‘Ruins at Roman Monument...
Category
18th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Watercolor
Portrait of Lady Anne Howard (nee Montagu) Countess Of Suffolk (1660-1720)
By Sir Peter Lely
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait of Lady Anne Howard (nee Montagu) Countess Of Suffolk (1660-1720), 18th Century
follower of Sir Peter LELY
Large 18th Century English portrait of...
Category
18th Century England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Old Master portrait of a lady musician by the master or portraiture
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Attributed to Pierre Paul Prud’hon (French, 1758-1823)
'La belle musicienne'
Oil on canvas, oval
Signed ‘P. P. Prudon’ (lower left)
28.3/4 x 23.1/2 in. (73 x 59.5 cm.)
Pierre Paul Prud'hon is considered a prime example of early French Romanticism. He was born as the seventh and last child of a master tailor. At the age of 16 he was a pupil of the painter and sculptor Francois Devosge. After finishing his studies he moved to Paris, where he first worked for an engraver and became friends with the Baron of Joursanvault, who became his patron. He also made a friendship with the "incorruptible", the politician and revolutionary Maximilien de Robespierre. Despite important friendships and the care of some cardinals, Prud'hon plunges into loneliness and melancholy. He has a good reputation and produces allegorical paintings, but his attachment to Robespierre forces him to leave the French capital. He now lives in the Free County of Burgundy, where he makes portraits and illustrations for Pierre Didot, the owner of the printing house. After a few years he moved back to Paris and his career received a new impetus.
In the Louvre, Prud'hon is provided with a studio in which he paints "La sagesse et la vérité descendant sur la terre" (Wisdom and Truth descend to earth) for one year, as well as some ceilings of the Louvre. The government assigns him a studio in the Sorbonne, where his wife Jeanne, whom he married at the age of 19, comes looking for him. To escape her, he asks the museum director for protection. In 1808 he wrote "La justice et la vengeance divine poursuivant le crime" (Justice and divine revenge pursue the crime). In the same year he is also named Knight of the Legion of Honour and is able to break with his grumpy wife once and for all. He soon reconnects with his student and painter of neoclassicism Constance Mayer. Pierre is commissioned to paint a portrait of the Empress and wife of Napoleon, Joséphine de Beauharnais, which can still be seen today in the Louvre. He also paints the small "Roi de Rome" (King of Rome). In 1816 the Academy of Fine Arts elected him a member, where he took over the armchair in the painting section of François-André Vincent.
A few years later his depressed wife commits suicide, and full of pain Prud'hon finishes her last work "Une famille malheureuse" (Engl. An Unhappy Family) and exhibits it. He himself dies soon afterwards and is buried in Paris.
Many renowned artists admire Prud'hon for his "clair-obscur", the chiaroscuro painting...
Category
18th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Golden Age Sheep and Goat in a Landscape - Dutch 17thC Old Master oil painting
Located in London, GB
Abraham Begeyn, Dutch Golden Age painter and Prussian court painter painted this wonderful 17th century Old Master oil painting. Painted circa 1690 and signed lower right, the subject matter is sheep and a goat under a tree in the foreground, amongst beautiful flora and fauna. Through the trees one can see some classical ruins to the left and to the right some buildings with a shepherd and his flock in front of the buildings and mountains beyond. Above is a beautiful sky tinged with pink, suggestive of dawn. There is tremendous detail in the flora and fauna and also the sheep's woolly coat. Begeyn particularly favoured painting this sort of scene with the elements of landscape, ruins or buildings and animals and was a master at it and highly prized in the Netherlands. This is an excellent example of Begeyn's work and is good condition given its age as a 17th century Old Master oil painting.
Signed lower right.
Provenance: Collection of Mr P. Vienna (label on the reverse)
Sale, Sotheby's, London, 18 October 1995, lot 70.
Condition. Oil on canvas, 24 inches by 21 inches unframed and in good condition.
Frame. Housed in a gilt swept frame, 31 inches by 28 inches framed and in good condition.
Abraham Begeyn (c. 1637 Leiden - 11 June 1697 Berlin), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Begeyn was born in Leiden. Though perhaps known mostly for his Italianate landscapes and cattle in the manner of Nicolaes Pietersz Berchem, Begyn was a highly skilled painter active in many genres, who travelled widely. According to the RKD, Begeyn's earliest known work is from 1653, though he was first accepted into the Guild of St. Luke in Leiden in 1655. He stopped paying dues in 1667, because he set off for a trip to Italy. He is registered in Rome and Naples from 1659–1660. In the rampjaar or disaster year, of 1672, he is registered in Amsterdam, and after that he lived in London, where he painted at Ham House, Surrey, together with Willem van de Velde the Younger (1633–1707) and Dirck van Bergen...
Category
1690s Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
Cockfighting Champion Portrait of "Intrepid", 18th Century
Located in Blackwater, GB
Cockfighting Champion Portrait of "Intrepid", 18th Century
attributed to John Nost SARTORIUS (1759-1830)
Fine large 18th Century English study of a prize Cockerel in a farmyard, o...
Category
18th Century England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
ANCIENT ROMAN ALABASTER BUST OF THE GOD SERAPIS, ROME CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
Located in Milan, IT
Wearing a chiton with a himation draped at the left shoulder, and a modius on the crown of his head, the god's characteristic luxuriant wavy hair falling in ri...
Category
15th Century and Earlier England - Art
Materials
Alabaster
Italian Arch - Old Master British art Italian landscape and ruins through arch
By (Circle of) Hubert Robert
Located in London, GB
This lovely British 18th century landscape oil painting is attributed to circle of Hubert Robert or Robert of the Ruins as he was better known. The work depicts an extensive landscap...
Category
18th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
Lady Dormore - A 16th Century Portrait of a key member of Shakespeare's England
Located in London, GB
Lady Dormer, Mary Browne
c. 1592
oil on panel
35 x 29 inches, unframed;
41 x 34.75 inches, inc. frame
Inscribed 'Lady Dormore'
Mary married Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton who gave birth to Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton - one of the great figures in Shakespears"s circle and founder of the Virginia company, developers of Virginia USA.
Henry Wriothesley, born 6 October 1573 at Cowdray House, Sussex, was the only son of Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, by Mary Browne, the only daughter of Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montague, and his first wife, Jane Radcliffe.[5] He had two sisters, Jane, who died before 1573, and Mary (c. 1567 – 1607), who in June 1585 married Thomas Arundell, 1st Baron Arundell of Wardour.[6]
After his father's death, Southampton's mother married firstly, on 2 May 1595, as his second wife, Sir Thomas Heneage (d. 17 October 1595), Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, and secondly, between 5 November 1598 and 31 January 1599, Sir William Hervey. She died in November 1607.[7]
Early life
When his father died on 4 October 1581 Southampton inherited the earldom and landed income valued at £1097 6s per annum. His wardship and marriage were sold by the Queen to her kinsman, Charles, Lord Howard of Effingham, for £1000. According to Akrigg, Howard then "entered into some further agreement, of which no documentation can now be found, which transferred to Lord Burghley personally the custody and marriage of the young Earl, but left Howard holding his lands", and late in 1581 or early in 1582 Southampton, then eight years of age, came to live at Cecil House in the Strand.[8]
In October 1585, at age twelve, Southampton entered St John's College, Cambridge,[9] graduating M.A. on 6 June 1589.[10] His name was entered at the Gray's Inn legal society before he left the university, and he was admitted on 29 February 1588.[11]
On Southampton's 16th birthday, 6 October 1589, Lord Burghley noted Southampton's age in his diary, and by 1590 Burghley was negotiating with Southampton's grandfather, Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montague, and Southampton's mother, Mary, for a marriage between Southampton and Lord Burghley's eldest granddaughter, Elizabeth Vere, daughter of Burghley's daughter, Anne Cecil, and Edward de Vere...
Category
16th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
Ann Baker - Framed 1747, George II Needlework Sampler
By Ann Baker
Located in Corsham, GB
A charming George II sampler, hand embroidered by Ann Baker in 1747, aged 13. The sampler depicts numerous alphabets above a moralistic verse and a pair of birds beside a tree. Well ...
Category
18th Century England - Art
Materials
Tapestry
Still life of fruit and nuts
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
James Shaw (fl.1769-1784)
Still life of fruit and nuts
Oil on canvas
Canvas Size - 13 1/2 x 17 3/4 in
Framed Size - 16 1/4 x 20 1/2 in
Born in Sedgley in Staffordshire, it is unclea...
Category
18th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
17th Century Dutch Flemish Old Master Oil on Panel Figures Grape Harvest
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Grape Harvest
Flemish/ Dutch School, 17th century
oil on wood panel
panel: 13 x 16 inches
provenance: private collection, Belgium
condition: very good and sound condition
Category
17th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
Annunciation Garland Pendant - Flemish 17thC art religious floral oil painting
Located in London, GB
This superb trompe l'oeil painting is in the circle and quality of the Antwerp Jesuit master Daniel Seghers. Painted circa 1650, the central cartouche,...
Category
1650s Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
The Infant St John the Baptist with Lamb - Italian Old Master art oil painting
Located in London, GB
This beautiful 18th century Italian Old Master oil painting is something rather special. Painted circa 1750 the subject matter is Saint John the Baptist as a very young child. He is ...
Category
1750s Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
18th Century Neoclassical Oil Painting of the Trojan War: Briseis & Achilles
By James Thornhill
Located in London, GB
James Thornhill (1674-1735)
Oil on canvas
12 x 14 inches;
16 ½ x 18 ½ in. Inc. frame
The subject matter and inclusion of herms on both sides shows the influence of Louis...
Category
Early 18th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Architectural Capriccio Of Ancient Rome, 17th Century VIVIANO CODAZZI
Located in Blackwater, GB
Architectural Capriccio Of Ancient Rome, 17th Century
school of Viviano CODAZZI (1604-1670)
Huge 17th Century Italian Old Master view of an Architectural Capriccio with figures out...
Category
17th Century England - Art
Materials
Oil, Canvas
17th-Century Flemish School, Portrait Of A Gentleman In A Justaucorps
Located in Cheltenham, GB
This fine late 17th-century Flemish portrait depicts a distinguished gentleman wearing a justaucorps, black cloak, white shirt, vest, leather gloves, and breeches. He’s carrying a wi...
Category
1670s Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil, Canvas
18th Century Old Master pencil study of cows by French artist Jean Baptiste Huet
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
A rare and charming study of cows by 18th Century French painter, engraver and designer Jean-Baptiste Huet.
The details are:
Jean Baptiste Huet (French, 1745 – 1811)
Study of cows
P...
Category
18th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Pencil
An English 18th century portrait of James Stanley, standing in a landscape
By John Hamilton Mortimer
Located in Bath, Somerset
Portrait of James Stanley (1750 - 1810), circa 1775-1778, full-length, wearing a red coat and breeches and a gold embroidered waistcoat, hold...
Category
1770s English School England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil, ABS
18th Century Oil - Wheat Gatherer
Located in Corsham, GB
A charming 18th-century oil study depicting a woman gathering wheat in the fields. Part of a pair of oils of women harvesting by the same hand. Unsigned. On panel.
Category
Early 18th Century England - Art
Materials
Oil
Portrait of Ochius, also called The Passia Ahmed ex Royal Collection of Hanover
By (Attributed to) Sir Godfrey Kneller
Located in London, GB
Attributed to Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646 - 1723)
A Portrait of Ochius, also called The Passia Ahmed
Oil on canvas
In a gilded frame
Painted circa 1689 following the siege of Belgrad...
Category
17th Century England - Art
Materials
Oil
Study Of Farm Birds, 17th Century
By Melchior d'Hondecoeter
Located in Blackwater, GB
Study Of Farm Birds, 17th Century
attributed to Melchior DE HONDECOETER (1636-1695)
Huge 17th century Dutch Old Master still life of various farm bir...
Category
17th Century England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Portrait Of 1st Baron Hawkstone, Sir Rowland Hill, Tory MP for Lichfield
By Charles Jervas
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait Of 1st Baron Hawkstone, Sir Rowland Hill, Tory MP for Lichfield (1705-1783)
by Charles JERVAS (1675-1739)
Large 18th Century portrait of Baron Hawkstone, Sir Rowland Hill,...
Category
18th Century England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Tempi Madonna, 16th Century RAPHAEL (1482-1520)
By Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino)
Located in Blackwater, GB
The Tempi Madonna, 16th Century
After RAPHAEL (1482-1520) - early Christies stencil
Large 16th Century Italian High Renaissance depiction of...
Category
16th Century England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Road to Calvary, Oil on Oak Panel, 16th Century Painting
Located in London, GB
Oil on oak panel
Image size: 20 1/2 x 23 1/2 inches (52 x 60 cm)
Hand made frame
Herri Met de Bles, also known as Henri Blès, Herri de Dinant and Herry de ...
Category
16th Century England - Art
Materials
Oak, Oil
Portrait of Anna de Hooghe - Flemish art Old Master portrait oil painting
By Jacob Ferdinand Voet 1
Located in London, GB
This strong Flemish Old Master portrait oil painting is attributed to Ferdinand Voet. The sitter is Anna De Hooghe, the fourth wife of artist Ludolf Bakhuizen (1631-1708), a German-born Dutch painter, draughtsman, calligrapher and printmaker. He was the leading Dutch painter of maritime subjects after Willem van de Velde the Elder and Younger left for England in 1672. He also painted portraits of his family and circle of friends. Painted circa 1660 Anna is standing profile but turned to the viewer/artist with her hand to her heart. She is set in a landscape at twilight. A really lovely painting and superb example of Dutch art. It is recorded in the RKD archives with N Maes signature LL - since removed through restoration.
Provenance. The estate of George Way.
Archive RKD
Condition. Oil on canvas, 38 inches by 34 inches unframed and in good condition.
Frame. Housed in a fine period carved frame, 46 inches by 42 inches framed and in good condition.
Jacob Ferdinand Voet or Jakob Ferdinand Voet (1639-1689) was a Flemish portrait...
Category
17th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
Portrait of a Gentleman in Green Coat -British 18thC art Old Master oil painting
By Francis Cotes
Located in London, GB
This lovely 18th century Old Master portrait oil painting is by noted British artist Francis Cotes. It was painted circa 1760 when Cotes was preferring oil as a medium and comparison...
Category
18th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
Portrait Of Charles I Of England (1600-1649) Wearing The Order Of The Garter
By Anthony van Dyck
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait Of Charles I Of England (1600-1649) Wearing The Order Of The Garter, 17th Century
circle of Sir Antony VAN DYCK (1599-1641)
Large 17th Century English portrait of King Cha...
Category
17th Century England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
18th century painting of the Dalbiac family in the gardens of a country house
By Charles Philips
Located in Bath, Somerset
The painting depicts James (Jacques) Dalbiac, his wife Louise (ne de la Porte) and their five children, James, Charles, Louise, Marianne and Martha in the ornamental gardens of a grand country estate.
The extensive gardens extend into the distance with gardeners working in the background and figures strolling through the avenues of trees. A peacock and peahen can be seen on the wall to the left and a potted orange tree to the right. Louise Dalbiac holds an orange taken from the orange tree, aluding to the family's faith and their loyalty to the protestant King William of Orange and their adopted country.
The Dalbiacs were wealthy London silk and velvet merchants of French Huguenot origin who had fled France at the end of the 17th century to escape persecution for their protestant faith. England offered safe refuge and their skills and industriousness allowed them to establish one of the most successful businesses in London's Spitalfields which became a new centre of the silk trade, effectively leading to the collapse of the once dominant French silk industry. Both sons, James and Charles followed their father and Uncle into the family business, successfully growing the family's fortune and each going on to own their own country estates.
A conversation piece is a genre of painting used to describe group portraits of families and friends, often depicted with their servants and family pets and set within an elegantly furnished interior or the garden of a grand country house. They were a celebration of the intimacy of family relations as well as a sign of status, property and the power of succession. The informality of conversation pieces grew popular in 18th century England, allowing the sitters to present themselves in a more relaxed pose, perhaps engaged in intellectual conversation or showing their talents or interests. In this present portrait, the Dalbiacs are shown richly dressed and and at leisure in a grand country house setting, conveying their success and cultural and social aspirations.
Charles Philips (c.1703–1747) was an English artist known for painting a number of portraits and conversation pieces for noble and Royal patrons in the mid-eighteenth century. He was the son of portrait painter Richard Philips...
Category
Early 18th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
A portrait of a lady and her daughter with an exotic bird
By Michael Dahl
Located in Bath, Somerset
A portrait of a lady three-quarter length, seated in an interior, wearing a red silk gown draped in a pink silk sash with an exotic bird perched on her hand and one arm resting on a stone plinth, her young daughter wearing a green silk gown standing at her side.
Oil on canvas, housed in a period 'Lely' giltwood frame.
This double portrait was painted at the height of Dahl's career in circa 1715 when Dahl had become firmly established as one of the leading portrait painters in Britain. Although the identities of the sitters are currently unknown, it is a sensitive depiction of a close and affectionate bond between a mother and daughter, with the young girl's hand resting affectionately on her mothers lap. The tamed exotic bird adds a charming decorative element which also serves to convey the high social status of the lady, given only the very wealthy would be able to own such a rare and expensive pet and the lively colouring of the bird's feathers is reflected in the colours of the sitters' silk gowns.
Provenance: Private collection, London
Michael Dahl (Stockholm 1659-1743 London) was born in Stockholm in Sweden and studied under Martin Hannibal (d 1741) and later with David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl. In 1682 he travelled to London, where he became acquainted with Godfrey Kneller and Henry Tilson, and in 1685 he left for Europe with Tilson, working briefly in Paris before continuing to Venice and Rome, where they stayed for about two years. In Rome Dahl converted to Roman Catholicism and gravitated towards the circle of Christina, former Queen of Sweden, who sat for him (Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincs). He returned to England with Tilson via Frankfurt and arrived in London in 1689, staying in England for the remainder of his career.
During Dahl's absence, Kneller had consolidated his supremacy in London as the most fashionable portrait painter, but Dahl rapidly became Kneller’s closest competitor. His patrons probably had roots in the Swedish diplomatic circles, but it expanded as a result of his ability and his agreeable personality. His prices were lower than those of Kneller and he favoured softer, more diffused, colour tones and could respond to his sitters with sincerity and humanity. Politically, Kneller supported the ascendant Whigs while Dahl was a Tory, but they frequently painted the same sitters from both parties, and in spite of fundamental differences in technique and temperament, their work was sometimes similar in appearance.
Dahl was prolific but rarely signed his work, and comparatively few of his portraits were engraved in mezzotint, the method used by Kneller to widen his reputation. By 1690 he had painted the aged Duke of Schomberg (engraved by William Faithorne) and Prince George of Denmark (London, Kensington Palace). He was ignored by William III but received commissions from Princess Anne, including one for a portrait of herself (Oakly Park, Ludlow, Salop). He also painted the future Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, and his informal portrait of the Duchess (Althorp House, Northants), formerly attributed to Kneller, is perhaps the most intimate of all images of her.
During the 1690s he secured the patronage of Charles Seymour, the ‘Proud’ 6th Duke of Somerset, who ordered a series of seven full-length portraits of notable contemporary beauties from Dahl (1690s; Petworth House, W. Sussex, NT). This was originally a scheme similar to Kneller’s more famous ‘Hampton Court Beauties’, but the portraits were subsequently reduced to three-quarter-length formats. The features of the sitters are not individualized, but they possess a decorative, languorous glamour that recalls Lely rather than Kneller. Somerset gave Dahl further employment over the next 25 years.
In 1698, following the death of Klöcker Ehrenstrahl, Dahl was offered the post of court painter at Stockholm, which he apparently refused, preferring to remain in London at his studio in Leicester Fields, near the Swedish legation. In about 1700 he was joined by a young compatriot, Hans Hysing, who worked with him for many years. Dahl seems not to have married until after 1708, He had a son Michael (d. 1741), also a painter, of whose work nothing is known, and two daughters.
After the accession of Queen Anne in 1701, she and Prince George sat for a number of official portraits. His royal patronage ceased with Queen Anne’s death, and when Dahl refused to paint the infant Duke of Cumberland in 1722. He was suspected of Jacobite sympathies, and relations had cooled between him and the Swedish legation. However, his practice continued to prosper, and he acquired another important patron in Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford, who shared his political views and whose circle included the architect James Gibbs and the poets Matthew Prior and Alexander Pope, all of whom Dahl painted. Oxford commissioned several portraits of himself. In the earliest (1719; Welbeck Abbey...
Category
Early 18th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Tête d’expression portrait study of a gentleman
Located in Maidenhead, GB
French Academic School, 18th century
A tête d’expression study of a gentleman, c. 1780-90
Oil on canvas
46.1 x 35 cm.; (within frame) 57.5 x 46.6. cm.
Provenance:
Private Collectio...
Category
1780s French School England - Art
Materials
Oil
Portrait of a lady in widow’s weeds, seated in an architectural setting
Located in Maidenhead, GB
Charles d’Agar (1669-1723) (attrib.)
Portrait of a lady in widow’s weeds, three-quarter-length, seated in an architectural setting
Oil on canvas
In an original carved and gilded Le...
Category
17th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
Travellers and Carriage in Landscape Dutch 17th century Golden Age oil painting
Located in London, GB
This superb Dutch Old Master Golden Age oil painting is attributed to Pieter Bodding van Laer. Painted circa 1635 the composition is a group of travellers who have stopped to rest. I...
Category
17th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
Portrait of a Cleric - British 18th century art Old Master oil painting
By Joseph Highmore
Located in London, GB
This fantastic portrait oil painting is attributed to British Old Master Joseph Highmore and was painted in 1770. The half length standing portrait is of a Cleric, dressed in his wig...
Category
18th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
Laban Demanding the Return of the Teraphim from Rachel - Dutch Old Master art
By Willem van Nieulandt II
Located in London, GB
This very busy oil on panel is a Dutch Old Master painting dating to around 1620 by artist and poet Willem van Nieulandt. It is an incredibly detailed and colourful scene composed of...
Category
17th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
Citrus and Apricots
By Johann Wilhelm Weinmann
Located in London, GB
WEINMANN, Johann Wilhelm.
Citrus and Apricots
Hieronymous Lenzius, Regensburg, [1735]-1737-1745.
attractive plate, being one of the earliest examples of colour printing.
Johann ...
Category
Early 18th Century Naturalistic England - Art
Materials
Laid Paper, Mezzotint
Johann Weinmann: c18th Botanical Engravings in Decalcomania Frames, Set of 6
Located in Richmond, GB
A group of mezzotint engravings of flowers from: "Phytanthoza Iconographia", c1739, presented in hand-made parcel-gilt, ebonised and decalcomania frames.
Johann Weinmann (1683-174...
Category
18th Century England - Art
Materials
Watercolor, Mezzotint
Portrait Of A Lady, Frances Bard (1646-1702) Mistress of The Duke Of Cumberland
By Anthony van Dyck
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait Of A Lady, Frances Bard (1646-1702) Mistress of Prince Rupert von de Pfalz, Duke of Cumberland (1619-1882)
follower of Anthony Van Dyck (1...
Category
Late 17th Century Old Masters England - Art
Materials
Oil
Johann Weinmann : Mezzotint engraving in a decalcomania frame.
By Johann Wilhelm Weinmann
Located in Richmond, GB
From a wonderful selection of hand-coloured mezzotint engravings from: "Phytanthoza Iconographia", c1739, presented in a hand-made parcel-gilt, ebonised and decalcomania frame...
Category
Mid-18th Century England - Art
Materials
Engraving, Mezzotint
Johann Weinmann: c18th Botanical Engravings in Decalcomania Frames
Located in Richmond, GB
A wonderful selection of hand-coloured mezzotint engravings from: ""Phytanthoza Iconographia"", c1739, presented in hand- made parcel-gilt, ebonised and decalcomania frames.
Joha...
Category
18th Century England - Art
Materials
Watercolor, Mezzotint
17th Century French Still Life Peonies, Blossom & Tulips, 17th Century MONNOYER
By Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer
Located in Blackwater, GB
Still life with peonies, orange blossom and tulips in a vase on a ledge, 19th Century
ANTOINE MONNOYER (1670-1747) sales to $95,000
Large 17th Century French Still Life of peonies,...
Category
17th Century England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Whitby Harbour In The Moonlight, 19th Century Louis Hubbard GRIMSHAW (1870-1943)
Located in Blackwater, GB
Whitby Harbour In The Moonlight, 19th Century
attributed to Louis Hubbard GRIMSHAW (1870-1943)
19th Century view of Whitby Harbour in the moonlight, oil on panel by Louis Grimshaw...
Category
16th Century England - Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Blood Of Christ, The Milk Of The Madonna, 16th Century
Located in Blackwater, GB
The Blood Of Christ, The Milk Of The Madonna, 16th Century
circle of Adriaen Isenbrandt (1480-1551)
Huge 16th Century Flemish old Master depiction of...
Category
16th Century England - Art
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel