Pennsylvania - Wall Decorations

An elegant and sophisticated example of high style Art Deco eglomise painting, this depiction of a stylized Orpheus figure with lyre and cape is painted in rich tones of gold, black ...

This rare and striking woodcut print by Robert Pajer-Gartegen, an Austrian artist, depicts a nude male figure in a slender wood boat, using a long pole to mo...

Brilliantly painted in tones of blue, green and warm brown, this fractured view of a church and palm trees along the Mediterranean, the building's tower and apse depicted in a golden...

Large and dynamic, this 1947-vintage painting depicts a shirtless man handling a high-spirited Percheron horse that won a blue ribbon at the Indiana st...

Yrjo Edelmann Signed and numbered Litho from the Mid 1980's. Known for his hyperrealistic art subjects of wrapped and folded paper pieces. Framed in what appears to be it's origina...

In a brilliant interpretation of the Classic zodiac symbol for Taurus, Andrew Szoeke here depicts the bull with Europa, evoking the Greek mythological story where Zeus takes the form...

Full of color and movement, this detailed study for a room dominated by a monumental Art Deco mural was painted by a French artist, perhaps for an interior design firm in Bordeaux. T...

This masterful and extraordinary painting, filled with ghostly nudes in various poses in a dark interior, with Orpheus playing the lyre in the garden outside lit in an otherworldly golden light was clearly created by Pavel Tchelitchew, Eugene Berman or another Mid-Century master of Surrealism. Full of symbolism and allegory, the interior features sheep and nude figures who are in deep sleep or some kind of euphoric stupor. Some figures are painted in a silvery white, as if lit by the moon, and others are suffused in a golden lifelike...

This is a mid-century vintage oil on canvas male nude painting. This painting has beautiful tones of amber, cream and brown. The painting is presented in his original naturalist blon...

A finely detailed bucolic landscape capturing two sheep in the foreground and a pair of goats just behind them on a pasture of green grasses with golden billows of wheat in the background. In the distance we see hints of a windmill at the unusually low horizon beneath brilliant bright skies. The work is signed in his typical manner lower left. ARTIST Read about the life of Eugene Verboeckhoven...

Large Vintage French Style 58" x 70" Gold Frame Still Life Oil Painting with Bouquet of Flowers. Item features a large gold carved wood frame, oil on canvas, stately impressive size,...

In an era when the circus provided an affordable and exotic form of entertainment for the Everyman, this vivid painting, glowing with the colors of red clay, slate and dusty pink, ca...

Clearly influenced by Raoul Dufy, Marie Laurencin and Hollywood set designs, this striking depiction of two nude female figures around a table with a bowl of fruit was painted in 194...

Keiko Minami (1911-2004). “ A Japanes painter and printmaker, Minami became well known for her work for UNICEF greeting cards and book illustrations....

Striking in conception and execution, this half-portrait of a handsome, blue-eyed young man -- his back to a mirror and his arm folded over a chair -- was painted by Marion Huse, who...

Mid-Century Modern oil on canvas by listed artist George Barrel depicting a ballerina in several overlayed poses. In original frame with paperwork still taped to back. Measures 37.25...

A superb example of American allegorical painting celebrating the nation's trade and commerce, this gorgeous, high energy view of a major port, bustling with sailing ships, steam shi...

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

A very well done Signed "Ship in Storm" Gouache on Paper Artwork. Newly professionally framed and ready to hang. In the style of Edward Hopper & Win...

This fresh and vibrant portrait of a young woman with glowing blond hair and a blue 1940s frock is one of the finest World War II vintage portraits we have ever offered. Her complex...

This idealized view of a Greek city of cliffside temples and columned walls climbing a craggy mountain is also the depiction of a homophile Shangri-La, where lithe nude male figures ...

Stunningly sculpted and highly evocative of a harrowing period in American history, this pair of original plaster maquettes, beautifully finished in an old gold paint, were made by Brenda Putnam in preparation for her 1941 bronze medallion commissioned by the Society of Medalists...

A very interesting and unusual Lancaster Covered Bridge Original Oil Painting by artist J. Earle Pfoutz. The painting is produced on artist board and comes complete with what appears to be an original artist decorated/painted frame. The painting is signed on the front by the artist and is dated 1936 on the rear. Overall frame Size approximately 28″ wide x 2″ deep x 22″ high J. Earle Pfoutz had a long and distinguished career as a self trained artist. More can be learned about him from reading this article produced by Gary Hawbaker at askART Earle Pfoutz Born: 1891 – Lancaster, Pennsylvania Died: 1957 Known for: Landscape, figure, still life painting An image of J Earle Pfoutz Biography from the Archives of askART J. Earle Pfoutz (John Earle Pfoutz) – (Oct 23, 1891-Nov 9, 1957) “A seventh generation descendant of a Swiss family which arrived in America early in the 17th Century, J. Earle Pfoutz was born in Lancaster, PA, son of John Bachman and Susan Allison Pfoutz. He painted houses for a living and pictures for a life. A self-taught artist, described as a primitive, he was distinctive for his vivid imagination and bold color application. He painted hundreds of Lancaster County scenes. Pfoutz traveled through the hills near his home and along the Susquehanna River in search of scenes. He began painting with a brush when he was fourteen, but added a palette knife after suffering an eye injury. He completed eighth grade in the Lancaster Public Schools and there his formal education ended. However, the Department of Public Instruction of the State of Pennsylvania thought so highly of his work as an artist that officials certified him as an art instructor and he taught for a year in the York (PA) public schools. He also was an art instructor under the program for disabled veterans, sponsored by the Veterans Administration, when he gave private instruction to veterans in their homes. In 1947, J. Earle Pfoutz finally earned national recognition as an artist. His painting, Opalescent October, was chosen by the Museum of Art of Dayton Ohio, to travel all over the country for a year with its Group Exhibition. Described as a “very colorful, calm scene, iridescent in color, sweeping in design,” the painting started on its journey around the country early in 1948. In an interview with the Sunday News (Lancaster, PA – Nov 2, 1947), Pfoutz stated that he didn’t know whether he was a “primitive” or an “impressionist.” No master taught him, no school channeled his style. “Sometimes I didn’t eat, but I always managed to paint,” he recalled. Many of his hundreds of canvases -most of them not sold, but given away to friends – found their way to other parts of the country. “I never remember the day when I did not love color,” Pfoutz said. “I was about 12 years old when I saw my first palette – a string of different colored paint paddles that graced the stores of that day. As a boy I had two great desires. One was to be able to eat all the strawberry jam I could, and the other to possess a string of those beautiful paint paddles. Well, I’ve got my fill of jelly, but I’ve never yet got my fill of beautiful colors.” In 1950, Pfoutz’s one man show of paintings made front page headlines in the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal: “Most of the twenty oil paintings on exhibition are landscapes, although there are several interesting figure studies. Colors again, as in all Pfoutziana are rich and full-bodied, but for the most part not as startlingly as in some of the earlier work. Most of the paintings were done during the past year, and also reveal the painter’s characteristic heavy impasto technique, in which the rich swirls of paint carry their own message. Among the figures, The Banjo Picker, and The Magician, are the most provocative. Both are character studies; the first being of a tramp musician whose drab clothing is set-off by a luminous aqua blue background. Modern in feeling and treatment is The Magician, a clown-faced wizard whose spinning ball in the air suggests the fourth dimension – space. The use of the primary colors in this picture serves to emphasize the theme effectively. A large colorful landscape, Opalescent October, depicting rolling hills against a late afternoon sky is new to Lancastrians, as it has just returned from Dayton, Ohio, where it hung in the Dayton Art Institute. Another landscape with soft dreamy colors is Fantasie D’Autumne, and one of the loveliest pictures in the show. Pennsylvania Dutch Country is another with eye appeal, and was one of the works which was hung in the Old Customs House in Philadelphia during Pennsylvania Week, and before that in a collection of Pfoutz work in the same place. In deep contrast to the sunny skies and brilliant foliage of many of the pictures, is the somewhat morbid Worry, in which the center of interest is a tremendous rat. This, the painter explains, was symbolic of 1948 in China, which was ‘The Year of The Rat’ in the Chinese calendar. Background material for the picture was furnished to Pfoutz by author Pearl Buck. Other pictures include Autumn Prelude, Miners Village, painted at Cornwall, PA; Humid Day, Saint Peters Kierch, at Middletown, PA; Lady Pfoutz, inspired by the painter’s wife; Sun Flowers, Sentimental Journey, Gyne, Luzon Woman, Old Bridge, The Cow Path. Lemures, based on Roman mythology, and Ethiopian, painted from an ebony wood carving from Kenya Province, S. Africa.” In 1953, Pfoutz was installed as President of the Lancaster County Art Association. A. Z. Kruse, New York City artist, writer and member of the faculty of the Brooklyn College and the Cartoonists and Illustrators School, Manhattan, was the guest speaker. In January of 1953, thirty-five Pfoutz oils were exhibited at the Old Custom House in Philadelphia, PA under the sponsorship of the Carl Schurz Memorial Foundation. Several Lancaster County landscapes and covered bridges were included as well as Katy, a Pennsylvania Dutch scene. Symbolic paintings included End of the Second Day, the artist’s visualization of the second coming of Christ, and Twilight, typifying the grief of mothers of all lands for sons lost in battle. In June of 1953, a Pfoutz oil made history in Lancaster. From the Lancaster New Era: “For the first in local art history, a painting has been withdrawn from an exhibition because of objections from viewers and hostesses serving at the show. The painting, Jeune Fille, a standing nude done by Pfoutz, was one of the paintings in the annual spring exhibition of the Art Association and had become the center of the controversy. Pfoutz said he took the painting down… ‘graciously but reluctantly.’ ‘From an artistic standpoint, there is nothing offensive about the painting,’ Pfoutz said. ‘This community just wants its nudes with clothes on.’ “It is most brilliant in color, and because it is so brilliant I thought it would make a nice lively spot for the show. This is the first time I’ve had to take a picture off the walls. I substituted a seascape for it.’ Pfoutz said he felt the painting brought a lot of viewers to the show because it was so controversial. It had never been exhibited before. ‘If this had been shown in a metropolitan city,’ he commented, ‘people wouldn’t have given it a second glance. But the viewpoint here is more conservative, even though I don’t think moderns would have minded.’ He said he felt the painting was neither ‘objectionable nor pornographic,’ but had complied with the wishes of fellow members of the Art Association who telephoned him to relay the protests they had received. The art controversy was the first to arise here publicly since the showing of Amish Grandmother, an oil by William Gropper which was part of the Gimbel Pennsylvania exhibit at the Griest Building several years ago. — Numerous viewers of Amish Grandmother, [a painting showing an Amish woman holding a white goose], expressed themselves quite vocally, calling it an affront to the Plain Folk. But it stayed on exhibit throughout the length of the Gimbel show. Pfoutz expressed no rancor, implying that if Gropper could take it so could he.” After his death, there were several shows of Pfoutz’ work organized by his son J. Earle, Jr. J. Earle, Jr. also saw to it that President Eisenhower would receive an oil called The Cow’s Path. The president first saw the painting in 1950 when, as president of Columbia University, he visited Lancaster to address a student assembly at Franklin and Marshall College. After his address was over, the then Gen. Eisenhower stopped at the Fackenthal Library on the campus to view an exhibition of Pfoutz’s paintings. The Cow’s Path intrigued him. For some time, as his aides fumed to get him back on his time schedule, Eisenhower and Pfoutz talked, as artist to artist. Prior to his death, Pfoutz requested that The Cow’s Path be given to the President if he wanted it. The painting was presented to Ike at the White House in November of 1959. Mrs. Eisenhower owned a Pfoutz painting titled, In the Manor. Though house painting was his livelihood, he worked for Millersville State Teachers College (now a university) for a time during World War II, and called himself “the Chimney Sweep of MSTC.” During that period he knocked out a dizzying canvas in the surrealist style (he thought it was terrible) and got into the campus newspaper when one of the students spotted it. Earle Pfoutz was not the humble, downtrodden artist, not the Douanier Rousseau type at all. As he developed his skill and style through the years, he also fashioned a resilient confidence in himself as an artist. Whether he was building his own home (he built two) or painting one for somebody else, he never lost faith in his ultimate recognition—though he was never sure he would live to see it. Whether he was working as a rigger for a hoisting company, in the Stehli Silk Mill of Lancaster, carving Cloister-style chairs, decorating old chests, cementing bricks from the old Safe...

Magnificent classic John Powell still life of flower arrangements in meticulously detailed vases on a pretty French console. Serigraph on paper, Limited Edition 238/300, signed lower...

Created by Paul Mergier, one of France's great metalworkers and enamelists in the Art Deco period -- with an especially strong reputation for dinanderie or mixed-metal work -- this e...

- Signed and dated '89 - Framed in ornate gold frame - Framed dimensions : 25.5 in x 16 in.

Finely painted in gouache by J. Collazzi, who did a series of landscapes and fantasy paintings in the 1930s, this scene of two classical figures restraining a horse is classic Art De...

"A Fields View", Depicting green bushes in a large field. - Oil on Canvas , signed lower right - Unframed

LAI FONG OF CALCUTTA Hong Kong/India, active 1875-1910 "County of Caithness" (1897) Oil on canvas signed lower right "Lai Fong / Calcutta / 1897" Item # 403ZMN11W A very fine oi...

Although she is famous for her genre scenes such as "Bleeker Street Fire Hydrant" and "New Year's Eve in Greenwich Village," Kyra Markham began her career...

One of the most vividly painted and striking portraits of Native Americans ever painted in the 1920s, this oil on canvas depiction of a mother and child -- clearly reflecting centuries of painted Madonnas in Europe -- was made by Jean Hanau...

Executed in gorgeous shades of coral, dove gray and olive, this scene of two nude women perched on folding chairs was painted by Dorothy Van Loan, a c...

Highly atmospheric and charged with sensuality, this Art Nouveau-influenced print by Paul Herrmann (also known as Henri Heran) depicts the infamous dance o...

Dramatic and gripping, this pair of original paintings served as illustrations for “Slave Story” a book or magazine story. Pendexter may ha...

Beautifully rendered original pastel of "Dancers Before Rehearsal" by acclaimed American artist Alice Pritchard. Her painterly technique begins with the application of washes of opaq...

Frederic Montenard (FRENCH , 1849-1926) "Fishing Boats in a Harbor" Fishing boats docked at port in Mediterranean town. Oil on Canvas, sign...

Absolutely lovely, almost translucent in its use of color -- as if painted on glass or silk -- this very rare gouache painting was created by William Hentschel, one of the master art...

Lovely 19th Century Painting by Italian Artist Alessandro Sani (1856-1927). Lovely Painting by Alessandro Sani from 19th Century. Similar one sold in...

Vibrant and brilliant examples of Art Deco sculptural plaques, this pair was created by Valentin Shabaeff, a Russian-born artist who settled in Montreal, Canada. He became known for ...

Created by one of the great masters of bas relief sculpture in America, John Flanagan, this profile depiction of the goddess Aphrodite was used as the model for the famous "Aphrodite/Swift Runners" bronze medal issued in 1932 by the Society of Medalists...

Absolutely winning and full of charm, this book illustration depicts a bunny rabbit running across the land, the hilly landscape rich with browns and greens, and the sky a perfect blue. Painted in gouache on illustration board, the Sphinx mark -- one of the brands of the Weber company -- is visible on the reverse. This would make a perfect addition to the walls of a children's room, or a collection of American illustration art.

Much like Salvador Dali, who continued to create his mysterious and puzzling landscapes long after Surrealism had lost its popularity, John Lear drew and painted in the same manner f...

This brilliant Surrealist composition, with the stylization and exaggerated plant forms of Art Deco, was painted by Jan Matulka in 1944. Both Surrealism and "Moderne" decorative arts thrived in the 1940s, and here the artist draws from both styles. Matulka was born in Prague and came to America as a young man, and trained here and in Paris, where he became exposed to Cubism. He exhibited in New York, created illustrations for New Masses which advanced the interest of American workers...

These stylish and elegant, hand sculpted, Pair of Carved Wooden Wall Sconces bring a classic look to any home decor setting. It’s the perfect...

An expansive view of the flood plains of the Nile with people, palm trees, buildings and camel along the banks in the foreground and Pyramids in the background. - Oil on Canvas, sign...

Antique Victorian White Feather Flower Mourning Wreath Mahogany Shadow Box Frame. Item features and ornate white feather flower arrangement, mahogany s...

Although there is no evidence that Paul Cadmus knew Robert F. Kennedy, this portrait of a handsome, youthful man with blue eyes and a thick head of hair suggests that the artist admi...

This important and very rare mural study, executed in oil on canvas, was painted by Dunbar Beck in the 1930s, evidently for a project that was never completed. The painting depicts i...

Masterfully painted in tones of green and coral, this scene of an exotic knight fighting a fearsome dragon is full of energy. The dragon's snout and cresting suggests the influence ...

Created by Bonnie MacLeary, a Texas-born sculptor famed for her "Aspiration" and "Ouch" bronzes, two of several created in the 1920s, this classic Art Deco tile dates from the 1940s,...

JOHN FAULKNER, R.H.A. Ireland, 1830/35-1894 "The Smeltery" Oil on canvas signed lower left original label verso titled "The Smeltery / John Faulkner R.H.A." Item # 909KRP13 A wond...

This very large and energetic sketch, depicting several nude figures stepping forward through a circular opening, was painted by Raoul Pene du Bois, probably as a preparatory piece f...

Dramatic and bold, this painting of a shirtless man restraining a bull -- his skin dark as night, and the bull's hide as pale as moonlight -- is a classic example of Art Deco design....

Dating to 1943, at the height of Great Britain's battle, newly joined by America, against the Nazis, this rare, Art Deco bas relief sculptural panel was commissioned and presented by the Air Ministry to fund raisers across Britain "In Recognition of Successful Achievement in Wings for Victory Week," and in particular the "Per Ardua Ad Astra" campaign (which quoted the Royal Air Force's motto, translated as “Through Adversity to the Stars"). The panel features a nude male angel...

A fabulous example of Art Deco-influenced Folk Art, this panel features a running Eve figure, her hair flowing in the wind, in carved King of Prussia marble...

This strong and dignified portrait of the great Cherokee leader, Junaluska, painted by one of America's leading illustrators long after the Native American's death, uses a palette of black and mossy green to capture its subject. Junaluska lived in western North Carolina in the early 19th century and served as an ally of Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812, saving his life during the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Despite his heroism, he was exiled from his native land, participating in the Trail of Tears...

Abstract Image of Boats - Lithograph - signed Dated 1972 - 112 or 150 Very nice abstract image with great color. Will look great once framed. a couple of spots along edge a vertica...

ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN SMITH OF CHICHESTER England, 1717-1764 "The Second Premium Landscape, a copy" oil on canvas unsigned, attributed posthumously verso in pitch "jno Smith of Chichester 1716-1764" Item # 208DEJ23W In 1760 the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce initiated a prize to be awarded to artists based on the judgement of their work by the society. George Smith of Chichester one the First Premium award for his landscape submission and John Smith of Chichester was awarded the Second Premium for his own landscape. That painting would be acquired by the Goodwood House of Chichester where it remains in their collection today. It is a magnificent painting measuring 6' 4" x 4' 6" and it was included in the collection of engravings executed by William Woollett in 1763 for "Picturesque Scenery of England and Wales", a work that showcased many of the Smith Brothers' paintings reversed as engravings. Executed in oil on canvas, the present example remains in fine original condition over its original stretchers, the canvas being unlined and still presenting beautifully. It depicts a sweeping landscape that is clever in its melding of a classical pastoral ideal together with the intricacies of the Dutch landscape paintings of the seventeenth-century (Pallant, p. 49). The scene is anchored by a river with a trio of figures congregated in the center while a flock of sheep and some cows are herded over the arched bridge in the distance; sheep rest in the shade of the woods on the right while in the distance under pink sky is a hint of the coastal waters that border a small town. The spires of a church rise into the blue-ish hues of distant mountains. This example of the Second Premium is notable in that it includes elements of the scene along the left side of the painting that were left out of the original example at Goodwood: the boulders along the water, the castle on the hill and all the detail in between. And also that it was executed in the same orientation as the engraving, rather than the reversed scene originally painted. For a similar orientation, see the relatively low-quality painting after the engraving in oil on copper that was offered at Sotheby's in 2017, a small painting attributed to John Smith of Chichester that was offered with an estimate of $ 5,000 - $ 7,000. The painting is inscribed in black pitch on the reverse in a period script "jno Smith of Chichester 1716-1764", "FG6981" and in chalk "LOT 333"; it retains a label from Richard Feigen & Co of New York and the upper right corner is retained an early loan label that was never filled out. The painting is housed in an ebonized and parcel gilded frame from the middle of the 20th century. It is unknown whether the painting was executed by John Smith of Chichester or was completed by a follower of his work. As discussed by Brian Stewart in the Pallant House catalog of The Smith Brothers of Chichester, the exquisite engravings of works by the Chichester Brothers were incredibly popular and widely distributed. As an interesting annecdote, when their contemporary Thomas Hearne produced paintings of "The Improved Landscape" and "The Unimproved Landscape" that were engraved for Richard Payne...

William Littlefield was fascinated by boxers, capturing them again and again in the 1920s and 1930s, issuing a set of prints and producing a series of vivid, arresting drawings. Each...

One of the most spectacular high style Art Deco pieces we have ever offered, this large wall charger depicting two female nudes and a deer in an idyllic, color-drenched garden was made in 1927 by the famed Sevres porcelain manufactory in France. The designer was Jean Beaumont, who is known for designing some of the most ambitious and striking of Sevres' Art Deco vases and other pieces in the 1920s and 30s, and the ceramic artist who applied the glazes was Adrien-Auguste Leduc, who worked at Sèvres from 1923 until 1948. Made only two years after the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes was held in Paris, which gave the Art Deco style its name many years later, the theme of this charger -- and its stylized, elongated nudes...