Old Masters Art

The Trading Port Italian artist, circa 1720's period circle of Michele Marieschi (Italian 1696-1744) oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 21 x 30 inches provenance: private collection, UK...

Swans Startled by Dog Flemish Old Master, 18th century oil on bevelled wood panel, framed framed: 14.5 x 17 inches panel: 10 x 13 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition:...

Giacomo Guardi (Venice, 1764 - Venice, 1835) View of Venice with the Giudecca Canal and the Gesuati Church oil on canvas 34 x 42 cm. - framed 40 x 50 cm. Expertise dott Federica Sp...

Bacchanal Etching, 1649 Inscribed in the square left: "Magnificentis/simo Principi/Paolo lorda/no. II Bracci/ani Duci/Aud. P.DDD/1640; Inscribed on right: Rome apud Franciscsum Saluu...

Enoch Seeman - 1894 - 1744 An excellent example of Seeman's work. It is typically unsigned as was the case of many portraits of that time. A three quarter length portrait showing a r...

French painter (18th-19th century) - Trompe l'oeil. 61 x 48 cm without frame, 69.5 x 56.5 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on panel, in wooden frame. Condition report: Good sta...

Tuscan School, second half of the 16th century The Annunciation Oil on canvas 51 x 65 cm. In tabernacle frame 77 x 91 cm. We offer this refined Annunciation, to be attributed to t...

Anonymous Titianesque, 16th century Portrait of Christ the Redeemer Oil on canvas cm. 50 x 40/ Framed cm. 72 x 62 (full details by clicking on the following LINK) Intense portrait o...

Cornelis van Cleve, or Van Cleef (Antwerp, 1520 - 1567) workshop Flemish School, late 16th century Dance of Putti Oil on wood panel 51 x 108 cm. - framed 67 x 124 cm. Click HERE to...

Dimensions: 165 x 123 cm without frame - 194 x 152 cm with frame Black painted, carved, sculpted and guilloché wooden frame, gilded parts in the inner groove. Publications: unpubl...

19th century Dutch romantic painting of animals resting in their pasture by Jan Van Ravenswaay Jan van Ravenswaay was a prominent Dutch painter of the 19th century, recognized for h...

Without frame. Expertise by Prof. Antonio Vannugli A brightly lit gash opens up in the middle of the sky; within it appears the figure of the Virgin with the Child and beside her a...

Circle of Paul van Somer (Antwerp c. 1577-1621 London) Portrait of a gentleman, traditionally identified as Thomas Carey (1597-1634), youngest son of Thomas, 1st Earl of Monmouth Oil...

Circle of Michael Coxie (Malines, 1499 - Malines, 1592) Ecce Homo with Pontius Pilate Oil on panel Flemish school 16th-17th century 112 x 81 cm - framed 121 x 90 cm. The proposed p...

Giovan Battista Lama (Naples, 1673 - 1748) workshop Exaltation of the Holy Cross with the Symbols of the Passion oil on canvas 84 x 135 cm. - with frame 98 x 148 cm. The proposed p...

In this masterly painting, Francesco de Mura presents the meeting of Herminia and the shepherds, a famous episode taken from the seventh canto of Torquato Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered...

With a "cassetta" frame in gilded and carved wood. Publications: - Expertise by Prof. Egidio Martini; - G. M. Guidetti, in From Sacro to Profano. The Giorgio Baratti...

This exceptional bronze group (unpublished), executed in Rome in the second half of the 18th century, bears witness to the fascination with the Laocoön since its discovery on January...

Although we have little bibliographical information on William James, we know that he was trained by Canaletto during the painter's stay in England between 1746 and 1755. Although he may never have been to Venice, William James remained under the influence of his master for a long time and became known for his paintings inspired by Canaletto's artworks. In this painting, William James is inspired by one of the twelve views of the Grand Canal painted by Canaletto for Joseph Smith, or more precisely by the engraving made by Antonio Visentini in 1735 after this painting. He delivers a very personal version, vibrant with colours, in which he brilliantly reproduces the moving surface of the sea, animated by the ever-changing traffic of the gondolas. 1. William James, the English follower...

Artist: Francis Swaine (English, 1725-1782) Title: "Dutch Fishing Vessels in Storm" *No signature found Circa: 1770 Medium: Original Oil Painting on wood panel Framing: Framed in a Louis XV style gold moulding Framed size: 10.63" x 12.63" Panel size (irregular margins): 6" x 7.75" Condition: One small restored spot upper left. Cosmetic wear to frame. In otherwise very good condition Notes: Provenance: private collection - London, England; acquired from art dealer Ernest Alden, London, England retaining his original gallery label on verso. Metal plaque inscribed "F. Swaine 1740-1782", (active dates), attached to frame bottom center. Ernest William Alden (1866-1947) was recorded in successive censuses, in 1881 as a picture mounter (card maker), age 14, living at 9 Bloomsbury St, with several other members of his family also given as picture mounters, including his father, James; in 1891 as a picture frame mounter with his father and family at 208 Shaftesbury Avenue; in 1901 as a photographer and picture dealer at 39 King’s Road, Chelsea; and in 1911 again at 39 King’s Road but the census form is damaged. His listing in trade directories, initially as picture mount cutter, changed to picture framemaker from 1904, soon after he set up in the King’s Road. He advertised his large stock of second-hand swept and other frames, claiming to have been established in 1893 (The Year’s Art 1913). Alden died in Chelsea in 1947, leaving effects worth £5,011, with probate granted to his widow Lily Alden and to Marjorie Frances Alden. Two of his younger brothers, Henry Cyril Alden (1871-1939) and James Preston Alden (1876-1960), were also active as picture framemakers. - National Portrait Gallery, London, England. Biography: Francis Swaine (1725–1782) was a British marine painter. He was born in 1725, and christened on 7 October of that year at St Dunstan's, Stepney, London. His parents were named Francis Swaine and Ann Joel. In 1735 the elder Francis Swaine, the marine painter's father, applied in writing to the Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy for employment as a Navy Messenger, in succession to Mr William Wyatt. He mentions that he had served "upwards of twenty eight years" in the Navy, and that his father had died Purser of the Royal Katherine. He mentions also that he had carried out "little labours in drawing", and that he at that time had five small children. The first-born of these children was the Francis Swaine who became the marine painter. The elder Swaine was duly employed as a Navy Messenger. He served for 20 years and died on 10 October 1755, aged 64. Swaine is said to have been influenced by the style of Van de Velde. There is no clear evidence of this alleged influence. The suggestion that Swaine may have been a pupil of Charles Brooking...

This portrait depicts us the trusted confidant of the Conflans d'Armentières family. More precisely, Julien Prieur was the fiscal procurator of the Marquisate of Armentières, playing the role of representative of the "public ministry", safeguarding the interests of his lord. His role, one can imagine, was crucial at the death of Michel de Conflans (in 1717) since the latter left an heir, Louis, aged only 6, and a widow, Diane Gabrielle de Jussac, whom some memoirs describe as "a very clever grande dame" . Prieur ensured the smooth running of the family's affairs and it is probably to thank him for his services that Diane Gabrielle had his portrait painted, most probably by a painter close to Jean-Baptiste Oudry. Julien Prieur appears as he is, middle-aged, with a benevolent look, in his hunting suit. Only his knotted wig links him to the nobility. Above all, he is depicted as a hunter, a passion that he shared with the Marquis of Armentières. His very young master, Louis, became a first-rate hunter, hunting in the King's entourage, in whose cabinet he died of apoplexy in January 1774. As for the his son, he was one of Louis XVI's closest hunting companions, as numerous souvenirs attest . 1. Some biographical information about the model and the commissioner While the identity of many 18th century portraits is uncertain, an old label stuck on the reverse of the canvas gives us some precise information on the identity of the model: "Mr. Julien Prieur, homme d’affaires de Mr. le Marquis d'Armentières - Commune of Brécy - Aisne". The label also suggests that it could be his son Louis Prieur living in Rocourt (probably Rocourt-Saint-Martin, a neighbouring municipality of Brécy), born on 30 September 1745, who died on 8 July 1826, but this hypothesis must be rejected in view of the model's clothing. This label probably gives us an indication on the previous owner the owner of this painting; we will see later why it seems likely that this label was affixed between 1826 and 1832. Brécy is now a municipality in the Aisne County (Hauts-de-France) located between Soissons and Château-Thierry, slightly north of the Paris-Reims axis. It borders the municipalities of Armentières-sur-Ourcq and Rocourt-Saint-Martin. According to Louis Prieur's death certificate, he was in fact born in 1743 and not in 1745 . The age of the model in the painting and the dating of this painting would indicate that Julien Prieur, was probably born at the very end of the 17th century. In Louise-Marthe de Conflans-Coigny, chatelaine de Brécy , we read that "the Conflans were a family of ancient nobility, which genealogists trace back to the 12th century, when it was said to have come from the house of Brienne. In the 16th and 17th centuries, this family had several illustrations in the profession of arms. [...] Michel de Conflans, [...] belonged to a younger branch of the family, of which Saint-Simon wrote, with his acid soaked pen, that "poor and obscure, they had never left their village, where their house resembled a hut" and elsewhere that they "lived on their rifles and cabbages". Fortunately for Michel de Conflans, the last representative of the elder branch, Henriette d'Armentières, made him her heir on her death in 1712. It was through her that the land of Armentières and its 14th century castle became part of the estate of this branch, as well as, not far from there, the land of Brécy and the castle of Le Buisson, where the family lived. In the early years of the 18th century, Michel de Conflans was able to push himself into the entourage of the Duke of Orleans, becoming his first gentleman of the chamber. However it was above all his son Louis who restored the family status through his military career. Born on 23 February 1711, Louis de Conflans, Marquis d'Armentières died of apoplexy on 18 January 1774, in the King's cabinet at Versailles. Appointed lieutenant general in 1746, he received his Marshal of France’s stick in 1768. The Dictionary of French Biography writes of him that "without ever achieving a high command, he appeared with honour in all the wars of his time". The estates of Armentières and Le Buisson were sequestered during the French Revolution, declared national property and sold at auction (in 1794 and 1795 respectively) after the Marquise d'Armentières, the Marshal's second wife, was beheaded in 1794. The Château du Buisson (where Michel de Conflans died in 1717) was bought by a granddaughter of the Marshal de Conflans, the Marquise de Coigny, in 1816 and remained in her family after her death in 1832 until the sale of the 1,054 hectares estate in 1866. The bayonet blows that probably pierced the canvas in three places may well have a revolutionary origin and it is conceivable that the painting, acquired by the Marquise de Coigny from Louis Prieur, Julien's son, after the latter's death, was then restored and given the label specifying the name of the model. 2. Description of the portrait The painting presents a man in his thirties in his hunting costume. Pictured at mid-body, his face is marked by his life in the open air and characterised by a look of great bonhomie. Holding a rifle under his elbow, he is soberly dressed in a large caramel-coloured jacket, decorated with silver buttons. Presented in a three-quarter view, the model holds a partridge in his right hand. The jacket opens onto a vermilion waistcoat. A green shoulder strap probably holds a powder flask hidden under his arm while a satchel is visible on his belt. The model is wearing a grey wig, tied at the back with a black ribbon that seems to fly in the wind. This ornament anchors Julien Prieur in his time. "The new King of France, Louis XV, [imposed] a style of smaller wigs for men and the rigorous white or preferably greyish powdering. From the middle of the century men also used a ponytail on the back of the neck, tied with a ribbon, a style that became very popular in all courts." He stands out against a dark, purplish sky at the end of an autumn day in a soberly sketched forest landscape. The treatment of the sky recalls the influence of Largillière, Oudry's first master. 3. Jean-Baptiste Oudry Jean-Baptiste Oudry was born on 17 March 1686 in Paris, rue de la Ferronnerie. He began his apprenticeship around 1705-1707 with Nicolas de Largillière, with whom he stayed for five years. In 1713 Oudry established his "livre de raison" in which he reproduced all his early works in wash drawings up until 1718. During this first period which lasted about 7 years, Oudry produced works of great diversity, both in the genres that the artist tackled and in the artists which influenced him. It has been estimated that he painted about 150 pictures during this period: mainly portraits, but also still lifes and some religious paintings and landscapes. Of the hundred or so portraits that Oudry is said to have painted during this period, only fifteen have been identified today. A number of those lost portraits are probably still confused with works by Largillière. First admitted to the Académie de Saint-Luc in 1708, he was then allowed to join the Académie Royale in 1717, and subsequently admitted as a history painter in 1719. This year marks a turning point from which Oudry will assert himself as an animal painter. In 1723 he met Louis Fagon, Intendant of Finances, and the Marquis de Beringhen, the King's first equerry, who became both friends and patrons of the artist, giving him access to royal commissions and enabling him to be appointed as painter of the Royal Tapestry Factory of Beauvais in 1726. From 1728 onwards, the creation of tapestries became the core of his work, even though at the same time Oudry developed his skill as an illustrator, first for Scarron's Roman Comique and then for La Fontaine’s Fables. Between 1726 and 1731, Oudry created the decoration of a large drawing room at the château de Condé-en-Brie, about twenty kilometres from Brécy, which has remained in place to this day. This important commission, about which few details are known, is said to have originated with the Countess de Verrüe, a great lady of the French Regency who often stayed at Condé with her friend Jean-François Leriget, Marquis de la Faye, then owner of Condé. A prolific artist, Oudry fulfilled numerous commissions in parallel with his regular contributions to the Salons, to which he regularly took part until 1753. He suffered a stroke in 1754 and died the following year. It seems almost certain, in view of the importance of his work, that Oudry supervised a workshop in which several artists were involved, but this point is very poorly documented. Given the geographical proximity of Brécy and Condé-en-Brie, the links between the Armentières family and the Condé patrons, and finally based upon the quality of our portrait, we propose the hypothesis that it was painted by one of the painters who worked with Oudry at Condé. 4. Related artworks: comparison with some other portraits of hunters by Jean-Baptiste Oudry While Oudry gradually abandoned portraiture from 1720 onwards to devote himself to animal paintings, he seems to have made an exception for hunter portraits, which were often depicted in the company of their hunting dogs. Two examples seem particularly evocative and suggest a dating for our painting around 1730. We will see in a second part why this dating proposal seems relevant. The first portrait worth mentioning is the presumed portrait of Lieutenant Claude-André Courtin de Crouey, lord of Quatre Fils and Cormeilles-en-Parisis made in 1723, reproduced below. Also presented in a very tight frame, it is interesting for the similarities in the representation of the rifle, and in particular the two metal rivets that are almost identical in our painting. The painting that seems closest to ours is the presumed portrait of Monsieur...

Pietro Bardellino (Naples, 1731 – Naples, 1806) Mary Magdalene Oil on canvas, cm. 75 x 60 – with frame cm. 97 x 82 Antique shaped and carved wooden frame Publications: unpublished T...

Bolognese school of the seventeenth century Circle Giovanni Battista Ramenghi, known as Bagnacavallo (Bologna, 1521 - 1601) Oil painting on canvas (86 x 72 cm. - With antique frame ...

A beautiful mid 17th century Flemish Old Master oil on panel depicting figures in a tavern interior by Anthonie Victoryns. Excellent quality early F...

A fine painting after Caravaggio of "The card sharps" housed in a gilt frame, excellent condition. The size overall being 99 cm x 86 cm whils...

'Summer Flowers' by Margaret Ryder (British b. 1908) signed oil on canvas, framed frame: 33 x 26 inches canvas: 27 x 20 inches provenance: private collection, UK Exhibited at the Roy...

Master of the Grotesque Vase (active in Rome and Naples in the first quarter of the 17th century) Still life of flowers in a classic vase oil on canvas 66 x 51 cm, In frame cm. 82 x...

Ancient Roman Fresco, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an original etching on paper realized by Francesco Cepparoli in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate on the ...

Judith with the head of Holofernes, antique oil painting after Cristofano Allori. Painting has been restored. Dimensions without f...

A Venetian Gentleman 18th Century Venetian School oil painting on board, framed framed: 7.25 x 6 inches board: 5.25 x 4 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: sound bu...

Gaspar van den Hoecke (Antwerp, 1585 - 1648) Herod's banquet Early 17th century oil on panel, with gold highlights (in the guise of Salome and in the curtains of the building in the background) 56 x 80 cm. framed 72 x 90 cm. Note: The painting probably dates from an original by Frans II Francken (1581 - 1642), which is shown under the number 0000344789 in the RKD. Valuable oil painting on panel depicting King Herod and the beautiful Jewish princess Salome according to the episode taken from the Gospel of Matthew (14.3-11), which sees her as the protagonist in the story of the martyrdom of John the Baptist. The event shown is a cross between history and legend, a myth faced for centuries by artists in every field: Caravaggio in painting, Oscar Wilde in theater, Richard Strauss...

Style of Francesco Guardi (1712-1793) Venetian Canal Scenes, a pair -San Giorgio Maggiore from the Bacino di San Marco -Santa Maria della Salute from the Grand Canal Oils on canvas: 13 X 18 ¼ in. Frame: 18 ½ x 23 ½ in. Late 18th / early 19th century. Francesco Guardi was an Italian painter of veduta, nobleman, and a member of the Venetian School. He was born in Venice in 1712, the son of a minor painter, Domenico Guardi, and went on to become, after Canaletto, the main painter of views of Venice in the mid-18th century. His early figurative paintings were carried out in association with his brother, Gian Antonio, but in about 1760 Guardi turned to view painting, recording both the architecture of the city and the celebrations of its inhabitants in interior and exterior scenes. These works brought him great success. The earliest of these show the influence of Canaletto, but he gradually adopted a looser style characterized by spirited brush-strokes and freely imagined architecture. Gallery notes: This fabulous pair of Venetian scenes are a work by a highly talented but unknown artist painting...

Franz Weirotter (1730-1771), Suite of 12 Views of Italy, etchings, 1759 [most signed in the plate by Weirotter]. Reference: Nagel 5. 10 printed in pairs on one sheet; one on a small...

Rembrandt van Rijn 1606-1669 Dutch Canal with a Large Boat and a Bridge Etching on paper New Hollstein Dutch 252: second state of two Signed and dated lower left: Rembrandt. f. 16...

Circle of Thomas Hudson (1701-1779) British. 18th Century Bust Portrait of a Lady, Oil on Canvas, Inscribed on a label verso, canvas: 30" x 25" (76.2 x 63.5cm). frame: 30 x 25 in...

Portrait of Henrietta Paulet, Duchess of Bolton, née Crofts, (c. 1682–1730), three-quarter length, standing on a colonnaded terrace wearing an ivory silk gown and holding a sprig of ...

Palmo Napolitano, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an original etching on paper realized by G. Morghen. Signed on plate on the lower right. Good conditions. The et...

Large Marine Scene Dutch or Flemish, 20th century color print on canvas, framed framed: 27 x 34 inches canvas: 20 x 27.5 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: very goo...

The Military Encampment Dutch School, 17th century circle of Philips Wouwermans (Dutch 1619-1668) oil painting on canvas, in 18th century gilt frame canvas measures: 19.5 x 17 inches...

A 19th-century portrait of a terrier dog, especially one attributed to a renowned artist like Ben Marshall, offers more than just an artistic piece—it's a window into history and a c...

A portrait of Lady Catherine and Lady Jane Brydges, Marchionesses of Carnarvon, seated in an arcadian landscape by a stone fountain holding a garland of flowers, with a lamb seated b...

Unknown (European, probably Eighteenth Century) Shepherds and Peasants in a Landscape Ink, watercolor, and gouache on vellum; 12 5/8 x 19 3/8 inches Framed: 20 x 28 inches (approx.)

Louis de Caullery (1582-1621) Antwerp School early 17th century Oil on oak panel Dimensions: h. 51 cm (20.08 in), w. 43 cm (16.93 in) Ebonized wooden frame Framed: h. 67 cm (26.38 in...

Portrait of Louis de France (1661 -1711), known as the Grand Dauphin, son of Louis XIV and Maria Theresa of Austria. 17th century French School, circa 1670 Workshop of Beaubrun Henri...

Oil on copper Step into the world of Christoffel van den Berghe with this captivating small painting titled "The Robbery." This intriguing scene unfolds within a lush forest, where...

Oil on panel We'd like to thank dr. Jan De Maere for his advice. The exquisite detail and vibrant composition of this painting attributed to Jan Baptist Bouttats, show a versatile ...

Immerse yourself in the serene spirituality and masterful technique of David Teniers the Elder with this evocative depiction of Mary Magdalene in her cave. Trained under the tutelage...

Immerse yourself in the charm of Dutch Golden Age artistry with this captivating piece by Edward Collier, an acclaimed still-life painter renowned for his vanitas and trompe-l'œil wo...

The temptation of Saint Anthony - Attributed to Cornelis de Baeillieur Oil on copper Cornelis de Baellieur the Elder was an Antwerp painter who was strongly influenced by Frans Fran...

Oil on panel Comes with a certificate by dr. Jan De Maere "In my opinion they are early works, inspired by the river views of Jan Griffier the Elder, the italianate coulisses by Dir...

This lovely Dutch Old Master portrait oil painting is attributed to circle of Willem Wissing. Wissing settled in England and emerged as Peter Lely's most important pupil after his de...

Saint Jerome supported by two angels Early 17th century Venetian painter Oil on canvas 86 x 67 cm. - In frame 103 x 84 cm. The proposed painting offers us an intense portrayal of S...

‘Fire and Moonlight’ by Abraham Pether FSA (1752–1812). The painting – which depicts an extensive moonlit view across the City of London with a cottage on fire in the foreground – w...

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...

This superb Dutch 17th century Golden Age Old Master cityscape oil painting of Amsterdam is by noted artist Jacobus Storck. Painted circa 1670, the composition is a Dutch Amsterdam h...

Annibale Carracci (Bologna, 1560 - Rome, 1609) Workshop of Polyphemus and Galatea (or Polyphemus in love) First half of the 17th century Oil on canvas 75 x 62 cm. - In antique fram...

Rembrandt van Rijn 1606-1669 Dutch The Ringball Player Etching on paper New Hollstein’s first state of two Signed and dated lower left: Rembrandt F. 1654 Among the foremost figur...

Provenance: Alfred Stevens Collection Sold by Madame Blanc on May 3, 1876 (number 24 representing The Departure of the Vendéens, FRF 510, bought back by Madame Blanc). Paul Touzet (...