{"title":"Watercolour","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"trompe-loeil","title":"Trompe L'oeil","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVilhelm Hammershoi 1864-1916, was a Danish painter. He predominantly painted interior scenes also a wide range of genre subjects with people in regular poses within the house. This painting is painted in the manner of Hammershoi but it is not by him but an unknown artist and the subject is a virtual trompe l'oeil of a window with a mountain view, the picture is unframed, we think it may have been painted for a theatrical stage, film set or similar. It is continental in production and may well be Danish as in the work of Hammershoi. The picture is on canvas and would probably be displayed on a wall unframed as is. Interior decorators generally delight in such work as it can inspire imaginative decoration.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Circle Of Vilhelm Hammershoi (1864 - 1916, Danish)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56679414890841,"sku":null,"price":0.01,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_64b779a0-ce3d-43d9-a431-2c4c270378c1.png?v=1768575268"},{"product_id":"harbour-with-mountainous-landscape","title":"Harbour with Mountainous Landscape","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn the manner of Francis Hodgkins 1869 - 1947, was a New Zealand born painter and teacher of art. She was a strong colorist of art and painted in a somewhat abstract simple manner that was deemed a modernist in her day, and she is considered one of New Zealand's most influential painters, however it is her European works that are most desirable and where her reputation lies. She exhibited in Christchurch and Dunedin in the late 19th Century and the Royal College of Art in London. She travelled widely visiting Morocco, England, France, Ibiza, and many more locations, there is a great deal of information throughout the internet on Francis Hodgkins and it would be a dis-service to her ability and reputation to pursue a brief biography here. However this painting is in the manner of Hodgkins despite being signed and in our humble opinion it is not by the artist herself but perhaps a follower or another artist within her own circle of painters.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Circle Of Francis Hodgkins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56947234799961,"sku":null,"price":3500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_1d60186b-7281-4453-8531-d0872c70776f.png?v=1768589523"},{"product_id":"quicksilver-royal-mail-and-the-blenheim","title":"Quicksilver Royal Mail and The Blenheim","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJames Pollard 1792-1867, was an English painter and watercolourist. Pollard was born in North London he was the son of a painter and publisher. He exhibited at the Royal Academy, Suffolk Street Galleries and the British Institution, he established himself as a painter of coaching , fox hunting, shooting, fishing and horse racing scenes, some of which he worked with Frederick Herring senior. His fame for his coaching scenes grew from his observation of coaches passing through his residential area, he lived in North London in Islington, where the coaches would stop for refreshments and carry on to pass through to Birmingham and areas to the North, this was a regular occurrence on the Highgate Road. In 1821 Pollard was commissioned by the Kings Print seller to paint a Coaching Inn signboard showing a mail coach with horses and passengers. This was displayed in a shop window which led to a great deal of commissions for many of the same and it launched his career to further the sale of affordable prints of Coaching scenes and all the other subjects, and then, as now were very popular in the 19th Century with the middle and lower classes. These prints, 2 in the lot here, are hand coloured with watercolour the prints are early to mid 19th Century, they are framed in later oak frames. The 2 prints are Quicksilver Royal Mail and The Blenheim leaving the Star Hotel Oxford. The condition of the prints are commensurate with their age and could be reframed but we have left them as they are having been on our home wall for the last 45 years.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"James Pollard","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57001689088345,"sku":null,"price":950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_e1b756ee-8482-43af-b279-eb64ce45a4c1.png?v=1768568820"},{"product_id":"art-school-study-of-a-seated-nude","title":"Art School study of a seated nude","description":"\u003cp\u003eRoland Suddaby 1912 -1972, was an English watercolourist and oil painter. Suddaby predominately painted in watercolour and mostly landscapes form his home in Suffolk. However he won a scholarship at the Sheffield College of art and studied studied there until 1926, he then travelled to London in 1931 and exhibited at the Wertheim and The Redfern Galleries. At the start of WW11 he moved out of London to the provinces like some other artists who had experienced their studios and works lost or damaged through the bombing. This watercolour is a monochrome brown wash and is quite rare for Suddaby who was a landscape artist, consequently we concluded that this picture was painted when he was at art school, Sheffield, and it almost certainly dates before 1926. He was already making a name for himself within the artists community and therefore signed the work, which in itself is unusual for a student as their works are generally much criticised during their early days and avoidance of such confrontation is regularly seen to be avoided and artists are known to hide or disguise their name, but not here. Whether he was known personally to the sitter is unknown but he was confident enough to sign it. Well done Roland !\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Roland Suddaby","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57002220650841,"sku":null,"price":750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_4e43f83b-d959-462c-8405-fa1300cac8aa.png?v=1768477829"},{"product_id":"man-of-war-the-fleet-in-action","title":"Man of War. The Fleet in action","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWilliam Calcott Knell 1830-1880, was a British painter of maritime subjects. His father was William Adolphus Knell 1801-1875 who was also a maritime painter and he influenced his son on subject , manner and identity of his works, both painters displayed a general motif of small detailed works. Both father and son exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Society of British Artists and the British Institution. William Calcott Knell as his father painted maritime pictures at different times of the day to show the prevailing weather around the English coastline. This picture relates to the Battle of Trafalgar and shows a man of war in action, I believe it may have been influenced by his father's tales of the Battle, the times of which he lived through and as William Adolphus Knell died in 1875 therefore this picture may have been painted as a remembrance picture for personal grounds and the means of motivation for the work. The picture is in original condition and has been deliberately left as such I believe as a tribute to the son's love of his father.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Calcott Knell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57002456809817,"sku":null,"price":600.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_a2203e0f-a892-4d09-9449-eb5f4051c8d7.png?v=1768485286"},{"product_id":"garden","title":"Garden","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDavid Gentleman 1930- R.D.I. , is an English artist born in London, attended Royal College of Art. His works frequently compose of London urban landscapes and this picture seems to represent his familiar output, often drawing in ink and watercolor. This may well be his own rear garden but unfortunately we have not researched his history, however in light of his standing and age I believe this is best left for the present. His works are very popular with the ever growing London urbanization and he has become very collectable in his own lifetime, a position few artists manage to achieve.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"David Gentleman","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57002895671641,"sku":null,"price":1950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_eeb0fbaf-0976-4819-aee2-5b9cec6586a4.png?v=1768482232"},{"product_id":"potts-point-sydney-australia","title":"Potts Point Sydney Australia","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSydney Ure Smith O.B.E. 1887-1949, was an English born Australian Arts publisher and part time painter, but did not exhibit his own works. He studied pencil and ink drawing at the Ashton School of Art where he also learnt etching. This picture is inscribed on the reverse and bears a Sydney, Australia, frame maker's label, it also reads that it is a gift to Margaret ( Preston ). This is a conclusion of study into the biographies of Sydney Smith and Margaret Preston who had a long established affection for art and each other. They communicated throughout the period when Preston moved from Macquaire Street, Sydney, to the outback where she extended her range of still life art. Smith and Preston lived on the same road in Sydney, Preston lived in a colonial type house and Smith lived virtually opposite in a small block of flats overlooking Potts Point. It is our suggestion that this picture was drawn and painted by Smith as a gift to Margaret Preston upon her return to Sydney, and probably painted from her garden. This picture was presented upon her return, this particular conclusion has been disputed by those that are supposed to know better and yet fail to understand the deep affection between Preston and Smith, where Smith promoted Margaret Preston when there was no- one else to do so, he had complete faith in her ability to succeed which she managed, it is a true story of the love of art.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sydney Ure Smith","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57002916249945,"sku":null,"price":1750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/KA_99_Mockups.png?v=1768477042"},{"product_id":"north-african-market","title":"North African Market","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHercules Brabazon Brabazon 1821-1906, was an English watercolour painter. He was born Hercules Brabazon Sharpe his father was Hercules Sharpe and his father in-law was Sir Anthony Brabazon and upon his death he declared the young painter had to adopt the name Brabazon to be able to inherit his estate, hence the name Brabazon Brabazon. The young artist was destined to become a lawyer as his father was, but he insisted on travelling to Rome to study art and music at the Academia di Santa Cecilia and the Academia di San Luca, upon his inheriting the estate in Ireland he became independent financially and he travelled widely and extensively, throughout the Mediterranean. There is a 1912 biography of the artist which promotes the most accurate version of his life. This picture was painted around the later part of the 19th Century when Brabazon was travelling and painting in the North African states, Tunisia , Algeria, Morocco , Brabazon died in 1906, the location of the picture remains a mystery and the general consensus of opinion is the location is in one of the North African states. If we manage to identify the area we will amend the biography.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hercules Brabazon Brabazon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57174642983257,"sku":null,"price":1250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_95426091-6d6e-430b-9ef0-3f4c700ae6de.png?v=1771334461"},{"product_id":"the-song-bird","title":"The Song Bird","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAugustus Jules Bouvier (1827–1881) was a French-born English painter active in London. He exhibited at the British Institution and the Royal Academy. He is best known for oil paintings of women of the English aristocracy, but also was an accomplished water colourist. Augustus Bouvier was the son of Paris-born artist Jules Bouvier (1800–1867), who moved to London with his family in 1818. His brother, Gustavus Arthur Bouvier, also became a British figure painter. Bouvier was a student at the Royal Academy. He later went on to complete his studies in France and Italy. In 1852 he exhibited for the first time at the Royal Academy, he continued to exhibit there over the years, often with genre scenes and a series of idealised feminine portraits such as Jessica in 1854, Emily in 1857, and Hermosita in 1859. Bouvier was one of the first artists known to have exhibited at the British Institution, where he debuted with the oil painting The Fish Market in Boulogne. From 1865 onward he was a member of the New Watercolour Society. While he specialized in figure paintings and portraits of elegantly dressed women in the English aristocracy, Bouvier also exhibited genre paintings (some of European scenes), and occasional domesticated mythological scenes like his The Three Graces of 1875. He also produced miniatures and sensitive watercolours. Influenced by the early aesthetic movement, his style relates to both Victorian academic painting and the Pre-Raphaelites. This picture is signed and dated 1866 and has been conserved to a high degree, the date and signature are at the Lower left, additional images have been supplied. I have included an alternative biography for your interest. Augustus Jules Bouvier (1827–1881) was a French-born English painter best known for his portraits of upper-class women, genre scenes, and watercolor paintings. Early life and education Family: Born in France, Bouvier was the son of Jules Bouvier, an artist from Paris who moved to London with his family in 1818. His brother, Gustavus Arthur Bouvier, was also a British figure painter. Training: Bouvier was a student at the Royal Academy Schools starting in 1841. He later continued his artistic studies in France and Italy. Career and style Bouvier painted figure paintings, particularly portraits of women, as well as genre and mythological scenes. Known for a delicate and idealized style, fine lines, and muted colors, he was an accomplished watercolorist and was elected to the New Watercolour Society in 1865. His style shows influences from the early Aesthetic Movement and connections to Victorian academic painting and the Pre-Raphaelites. Bouvier also illustrated books. Exhibitions and notable works Bouvier exhibited at major London institutions, including the Royal Academy and the British Institution. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Augustus Jules Bouvier","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57174728737113,"sku":null,"price":1875.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_f063d4a9-46fe-4475-bc57-729776712ce2.png?v=1771432265"},{"product_id":"pigs-delight","title":"Pigs Delight","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnrid Banniza Johnston was a Swedish born English sculptor, illustrator and animalier. She was born to a Swedish mother and English father, she studied at the Slade School of Art, as a sculptor she worked in stone, wood and marble, mostly sculpting animals. She also painted posters for several zoos including London and Bristol which were extensively printed as lithographs. She worked in television in the 1930's with a Sunday afternoon programme teaching drawing and painting I suspect for children with a passion for animals. This picture is a cartoon of animals in the style of Animal Farm representing a pigs homestead where they seem to be enjoying their day. The picture is signed and dated , still in it's original frame and mount. This is a rare and unusual work for her and I do not know of another watercolor to come onto the market in the last 15 years.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Anrid Banniza Johnston","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57208641749337,"sku":null,"price":3750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_28b61e3b-ee5a-4e11-81b0-1793f1729ca3.png?v=1771429900"},{"product_id":"cranberries-in-a-basin","title":"Cranberries in a Basin","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSue Read (b. 1941) is an English watercolourist known for her contemplative, small-scale still-life paintings. A member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI), her delicate work features everyday objects like porcelain, eggs, and glass. Early life and education Born: Susan Melia was born in 1941 in Slough, Buckinghamshire. Education: She attended Aylesbury Grammar School before studying art at: High Wycombe School of Art (1959–1963) The Royal West of England Academy (1963–1964) Family: In 1965, she married Robert J. Read and later adopted his surname for her professional work. The couple had three sons. Artistic career and style Professional since 1980: Read has been a professional painter since 1980, primarily focusing on still-life works. Still-life subjects: Her preferred subjects include: Porcelain bowls and lustreware jugs Eggs, shells, and small fruits Glass and flowers Watercolour technique: She works in transparent watercolours, building up layers of color and tone. Her paintings are typically small and created in natural light. Capturing light: Her technique is focused on representing the light-reflecting qualities of translucent and lustrous objects. Artistic aim: Read has stated that her work is intended to convey \"calm and quiet\". Exhibitions and memberships Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours: Read was elected as a member in 1985 and is a regular exhibitor. Notable exhibitions: Her work has been shown at a number of prestigious venues, including: Royal Academy Summer Exhibition Royal Watercolour Society New English Art Club Mall Galleries, London Awards: She has received the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery Award and the Evening Standard Award. Publications: She has contributed to art magazines and has had her work published in instructional books on watercolour painting. Current location Studio in Suffolk: Read currently maintains her studio in Halesworth, Suffolk\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sue Melia Read","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57208737628505,"sku":null,"price":450.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_ea964a72-8462-4fbe-83f3-c694d20716e8.png?v=1771431368"},{"product_id":"dahlias","title":"Dahlias","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSir Jacob Epstein K.B.E. 1880-1959, was an American born English sculptor, who pioneered modern sculpture. He had a very long and productive career and was considered the greatest sculptor in the World at one point, he sculpted portraits of the rich and famous throughout his career and huge forms in bronze and stone. He also was a talented painter and this watercolor which is of dahlias is a fine example of his skill.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sir Jacob Epstein","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57208764072281,"sku":null,"price":6500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_9e5ded86-ba04-4daa-92d9-3e52a465e358.png?v=1771340515"},{"product_id":"19th-century-french-school","title":"19th century French School","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrench School picture circa 1790-1810, the landscape depicts a group of fishermen and appear to be preparing for the journey out to sea, there are fishing boats with nets suggesting it is painted from the habitable mainland, and might represent a fishing party from a man of war which is nestled in the bay out of sight . The picture is inscribed to the lower area in French which is somewhat indistinguishable, but a very interesting subject and still mysterious, hence the brief description for which I apologise. However I have included a image of the picture before the conservator applied his skills, the picture is in very good condition and framed ready for display.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fernando De Noronha, Brazil","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57208788975961,"sku":null,"price":1250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_c0cb9771-1364-4a22-9054-9733eaef2a57.png?v=1771332737"},{"product_id":"venice-1857","title":"Venice 1857","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJames Herve d'Egville c1810 - 1880, d'Egville was an British born watercolourist the exact date of his birth is currently under research by our authoritative colleagues and further information will be submitted if discovered. He certainly spent a great deal of time in Italy and Venice especially, as his works date from at least 1847 to 1873. This picture is of one of the most famous ports in the World, Saint Marks Square in the near distance and the Doges Palace and the Bridge of Sighs in the foreground. This a highly detailed and and historically accurate depiction of a time when a great many British artists travelled to Italy and painted their favourite sights. There is very little in the way of biographical detail of James Herve d'Egville and our researchers are working to supply more detail of his life , if more information regarding his travel experiences are forthcoming we shall endeavour to submit the findings here. This picture is signed and dated.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"James Herve d'Egville","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57208943182169,"sku":null,"price":1750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_9ee6b033-1a7a-4bbc-a4f2-12460a5a6324.png?v=1771339763"},{"product_id":"fernando-de-noronha-brazil","title":"Fernando De Noronha, Brazil","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"_ea633ddf\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"_R_cbcp_\" class=\"_85f5162c\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_dda3618c\"\u003eFrench School picture circa 1790-1810, apparently according to the script below it is now assumed to be dated around 1806, the landscape depicts a group of fishermen and appear to be preparing for the journey out to sea, there are fishing boats with nets suggesting it is painted from the habitable mainland, and might represent a fishing party from a man of war which is nestled in the bay out of sight . The picture is inscribed to the lower area in French which is somewhat indistinguishable, but a very interesting subject and still mysterious, hence the brief description for which I apologise. However I have included a image of the picture before the conservator applied his skills, the picture is in very good condition and framed ready for display. This work is a historical record of maritime travel in the early 19th Century. Below is a complete document relating to this work. For which AI is responsible, I merely pointed it in the direction to follow. A beautifully executed early 19th-century marine landscape depicting an intimate group of sailors on an expansive sandy shore. In the right foreground, a heavy, dark-hulled wooden fishing vessel sits high on the beach, partially shaded by an improvised canvas awning or sail rig. A cluster of figures—likely French naval sailors or explorers—are seen in active conversation and preparation next to the hull. Further down the spit, a solitary lookout or guard watches the horizon. The backdrop is dominated by a striking, angular volcanic mountain formation rising sharply from the sea, rendered in delicate layers of blue wash. The geographic profile strongly indicates the volcanic archipelago of Fernando de Noronha off the northeastern coast of Brazil, a strategic stopping point for French naval, scientific, or trade expeditions cross-navigating the Atlantic during the late Enlightenment and Napoleonic eras. To the left, a thick copse of windswept coastal trees grounds the composition, balancing the sweeping minimalism of the clear sky and vast foreground. This work exemplifies the late 18th-century and early 19th-century tradition of French topographical and expeditionary art. Before the advent of photography, naval expeditions frequently staffed professional artists or highly trained cartographic officers to document newly explored coastlines, military outposts, and local topographies. The artist utilizes a disciplined, transparent watercolour technique characteristic of the period. The meticulous attention to the boat's rigging, the structure of the distant landscape, and the distinct posture of the figures hints at a hand deeply familiar with maritime life. The indistinguishable French inscription along the bottom edge points directly to its continental origin and provides a tantalizing clue for further historical attribution. The French script translates as To his friend... It was an incredibly common practice for 19th-century French painters to dedicate and gift sketches, watercolours, or smaller finished works to close friends, fellow artists, or patrons. The middle section contains the friend's name, which appears to start with an A or R possibly Arban, Ruben, or Alban. De indicates From Artist's Name or Of a specific location. The handwriting trailing off after \"De\" looks like a stylized signature or place name ending in .pany or .gany. Because the text confirms this was a personal gift à son ami, it strongly supports the idea that this watercolour was painted live or handled directly by the artist as an intimate, non-commercial piece. à son ami Alban... De Kergariou Breakdown of Findings The Dedication: à son ami (To his friend) remains clear, standard practice for works gifted outside commercial sale. The Recipient's Name: Alban is now distinct. The initial letter is a capital A written in a swift, fluid style, followed by a clear l-b-a-n. The Artist: De Kergariou is the most significant discovery from this view. The capital letter K is written in a highly characteristic Breton style (with a sharp vertical anchor and a detached loop structure), followed by the telltale letters e-r-g-a-r-i-o-u. Who was De Kergariou. The Kergariou family is an ancient and prominent noble lineage hailing from Brittany in northwestern France — specifically the Lannion and Finistère regions — historically famous for producing high-ranking naval officers, privateers, and explorers during the 18th and 19th centuries. Given the subject matter of this painting (naval sailors\/expeditions) and the estimated timeframe (Late Enlightenment\/early 19th century), this work was almost certainly painted by a member of this naval dynasty. Notable candidates from the family line during this period include: Count Théobald-René de Kergariou-Locmaria (1739–1795), a famous French Navy officer who served extensively in the Atlantic and the American Revolutionary War; and Pierre-Joseph de Kergariou\/Joseph-François de Kergariou, high-ranking naval figures active during the transition from the Royal Navy to the Napoleonic and Restoration eras. Naval officers of this tier were rigorously trained in topographical drawing and watercoloring to accurately chart coastlines, enemy ports, and foreign landmarks before photography existed. French ships frequently crossed paths with the Brazilian coastline and strategic archipelagos like Fernando de Noronha when sailing down toward Cape Horn or heading into the South Atlantic. An aristocratic officer-artist like Kergariou would easily have kept an intimate, beautifully rendered watercolour journal of their travels, eventually gifting this specific sheet to his friend Alban upon returning to France. The signature belongs to a prominent member of the Breton naval dynasty, most likely Jonathas-Marie-Théobald de Kergariou (1773–1850) or his relative Pierre-Joseph de Kergariou. The Kergariou family from Brittany was exceptionally famous for producing elite naval commanders and explorers. In accordance with Royal French Navy training practices of the Enlightenment and early 19th century, officers were thoroughly schooled in cartography, topographical drafting, and transparent watercoloring to visually map newly encountered shorelines and strategic global islands. This exceptional topographical watercolour is a rare visual record of late Enlightenment or Napoleonic-era French maritime exploration in the South Atlantic. Executed with the disciplined, luminous washes characteristic of trained naval draftsmen, the work captures a French detachment preparing a coastal landing craft against the unmistakable volcanic silhouette of Fernando de Noronha. The personal dedication directly ties the sheet to the noble Kergariou naval lineage of Brittany, elevating its historical and narrative importance. The artist Jonathas-Marie-Théobald de Kergariou served as a Capitaine de frégate (Commander) in the French Navy. The vessel he commanded during his deployment to the South Atlantic was the French frigate La Valeureuse. Timeline of the Voyage According to French Ministry of the Navy records (Série Campagnes), the specific dates for this voyage are as follows. Departure: August 22, 1806, from the French naval port of Brest. The Mission: a strategic patrol cruise through the South Atlantic, making landfall at the Brazilian port of Salvador de Bahia before moving northward past the Guianas and into the Caribbean. The Stopover at Fernando de Noronha: ships navigating from Brest southward to Salvador de Bahia regularly dropped anchor at Fernando de Noronha during this exact route window to take on fresh water, wood, and provisions — placing the execution of this watercolour precisely in late 1806. The Fate of the Ship: La Valeureuse never made it back to France. After sustaining severe damage during her South Atlantic cruise, she sought refuge in the Delaware River estuary on the eastern seaboard of the United States on August 29, 1806, where she was inspected, condemned as unseaworthy, and dismantled on-site. As Kergariou's ship was condemned in late 1806, this watercolour can be accurately dated to circa August–October 1806. It represents one of the final visual records captured by the crew of La Valeureuse before the vessel was lost to the fleet. This specific historical anchor transforms the artwork from an \"attributed lifestyle scene\" into a precisely dated piece of early 19th-century naval history. This picture is signed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbutton class=\"_1862016c _3af1f966 _45b2f2b\" type=\"button\"\u003eSee Less\u003c\/button\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"19th century French School","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57380823957849,"sku":null,"price":1250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_ff703447-309d-4236-b67a-d4de1c07dedc.png?v=1787607035"},{"product_id":"eltham-london","title":"Mountainous Landscape","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRaymond James Coxon 1896-1997, was an English landscape and portrait painter, he was a war artist during the second World war after which his works became more abstract. He studied at Leeds School of Art and the Royal Academy of Art, he taught at the Richmond School of Art. At the Leeds School he became friends with Henry Moore and travelled with him in France and later in life to America. Moore was best man at his wedding where Coxon married a fellow student who he had met at Leeds, Edna Ginesi another artist. This picture we think may have been painted on one of his trips to France after the war on one of his many travels with his wife. Signed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Raymond Coxon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57380847157593,"sku":null,"price":1650.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_303385b3-a0d2-4608-ae18-fbb8dd2f4188.png?v=1775569585"},{"product_id":"urbino-italy","title":"Urbino, Italy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJohn Arthur Malcolm Aldridge R.A. 1905-1983, was an English watercolor and oil painter, designer and art teacher. He visited Northern Italy during the summer holidays for many years, this landscape had been drawn and painted several times over an unknown number of years. Clearly a favourite landscape within easy distance of his accommodation around the area of Urbino. In England he lived in Great Bardfield where several artists lived as a small gathering of fairly distinguished painters all of whom are represented in the Fry Gallery Essex. He was a plein-air painter who would finish his works in the studio as this picture would almost certainly have been.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John Arthur Malcolm Aldridge","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57380936089945,"sku":null,"price":1500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_06a96a7c-b91a-4388-83fa-487a8bddd0b5.png?v=1775570929"},{"product_id":"estuary-landscape-possibly-morbihan","title":"Estuary landscape, possibly Morbihan","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMarcel Dyf 1899-1985, was a French, still life, portrait and landscape painter in the post impressionist manner. This picture is a monochrome watercolor and wash and is a typical scene he painted. He was a prolific painter of estuary scenes, with boats and landscape beyond, a good number of these were painted around Morbihan. This picture may have been a study for a larger work, although it is very well finished and presented as a completed work in it's own right. It remains in it's original frame with an inscription on the reverse side from his wife Claudine - which states that it is a gift to a friend. It is therefore most probably that it was a personal possession of the artist and then gifted, probably at a later date than when it was painted. I have enclosed another biography of the artist which you may find of interest. Marcel Dyf, whose real name was Marcel Dreyfus, was born in Paris on October 7, 1899. While he showed a talent for art at an early age, he began his adult life as an engineer, but by the age of 23 he became a professional artist. A self-taught artist, his influence and inspiration came from the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists; among his favorite was Pierre A. Renoir. Dyf set up a studio in Arles in 1922 and began his career as a landscape artist – painting views of the surrounding countryside. His work began to attract attention from collectors and dealers and it was not long before he began exhibiting at the Salon des Artists Français, Salon d'Autumn and Salon des Tulleries. By 1935 Dyf had returned to Paris and during World War II he joined the Resistance and was based in Correze. By 1950 he had set up a studio in Cannes and a few years later met a young girl by the name of Claudine. Claudine was 19 at the time, some 36 years younger than Marcel, and in 1965 after posing for him for many years the two married. The spend many years together, traveling the world in search of subject matter and each summer they would spend time in their home in Brittany. By this time Dyf had become known for his impressionistic landscapes, still lives and portraits and his paintings had been exhibited throughout the world, with shows in England, America, Canada, Germany and Algeria. Today he is considered one of the last of the true post Impressionist artists. This picture is signed. Dyf died on September 16, 1985. Here is another biography which includes his relationship with the London Gallery Frost \u0026amp; Reed. Marcel Dyf (1899–1985), born Marcel Dreyfus in Paris, was a celebrated French painter known for his luminous, Post-Impressionist style, primarily using oils on canvas. He is particularly famous for his vibrant French landscapes, floral still life, and portraits of his wife, Claudine. Biography Initially trained as an engineer, Dyf abandoned this career path in his early twenties to pursue painting as a self-taught artist, inspired by Impressionists like Renoir. He established a studio in Arles in 1922 and quickly gained recognition, receiving commissions for frescoes and stained-glass designs. During World War II, his artistic career was interrupted when he joined the French Resistance. After the war, he resumed painting with renewed vigour, dividing his time between Paris and the south of France. In 1954, he met his muse and future wife, Claudine, who was 36 years his junior and featured frequently in his work. They married in 1956 and travelled extensively throughout France in search of inspiring subject matter, settling in a 16th-century hunting lodge near Versailles. Dyf is considered one of the last true Impressionist artists, celebrated for his rich palette and fluid, spontaneous brushwork that conveyed a powerful sense of light and atmosphere. Relationship with Frost \u0026amp; Reed of London Frost \u0026amp; Reed, a prominent London art gallery, played a significant role in bringing Marcel Dyf's work to an international audience, particularly in the UK and the United States. Sole Representation: Frost \u0026amp; Reed became the primary gallery representing Dyf in London. Exhibitions: The gallery held numerous exhibitions of his work, starting in 1956 and continuing after his death, including shows in 1955, 1987, and 1990. Publications and Sales: They actively bought and sold his paintings, often attaching their gallery labels to the reverse of the canvases, which is now a key part of the provenance for many of his works. They also published limited edition prints of his paintings. Market Influence: The gallery's promotion and sales contributed significantly to establishing the strong and enduring market for Dyf's paintings among collectors worldwide.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Marcel Dyf","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57430709600601,"sku":null,"price":2750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_3dceea88-eeed-4c2b-a243-bc92586ef328.png?v=1776088806"},{"product_id":"thames-towpath-richmond-embankment","title":"Thames towpath Richmond Embankment","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrancis Dodd R.A. 1874-1949, was a landscape and portrait painter and printmaker. He trained at the Glasgow School of Art, he travelled around Europe including France , Italy and Spain, and was appointed a war artist in WW1. He had a considerable reputation for his drawing and watercolour skills of which this picture of the Thames towpath is one.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Francis Dodd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57430803611993,"sku":null,"price":1250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_703791dd-7fcd-41a6-830c-9fc016a3941e.png?v=1776091023"},{"product_id":"unknown-location","title":"Unknown Location","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHercules Brabazon Brabazon 1821-1906, was an English watercolour painter. He was born Hercules Brabazon Sharpe his father was Hercules Sharpe and his father in-law was Sir Anthony Brabazon and upon his death he declared the young painter had to adopt the name Brabazon to be able to inherit his estate, hence the name Brabazon Brabazon. The young artist was destined to become a lawyer as his father was, but he insisted on travelling to Rome to study art and music at the Academia di Santa Cecilia and the Academia di San Luca, upon his inheriting the estate in Ireland he became independent financially and he travelled widely and extensively, throughout the Mediterranean. There is a 1912 biography of the artist which promotes the most accurate version of his life. This picture was painted around the later part of the 19th Century, the building looks very much like the Port of London Authority Building in Trinity Square London, however this is definitely not the building depicted here, the PLA building was not completed until 1922 and Brabazon died in 1906, therefore the location of the picture remains a mystery and the general consensus of opinion is the location is in one of the North African states. If we manage to identify the building we will amend the biography. This picture is signed lower right with initials HBB. Another interesting point regarding this work is that it can be viewed on TV on the programme HENI Talks under the title of Hercules Brabazon Brabazon.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hercules Brabazon Brabazon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57430875668825,"sku":null,"price":3750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_efbbd7ff-d3dc-4558-9307-8c50cbcae86f.png?v=1776092698"},{"product_id":"conversation-at-the-gate","title":"Conversation at the Gate","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGeorge Morland 1763-1804, was an English painter who was influenced by the painter Francis Wheatley , landscapes. After 1790 he had developed his own style of painting adopting rustic scenes such as the work displayed. He lived a fairly rackety lifestyle due to his heavy drinking, he was very popular with his easy going manner which left him to be preyed upon by unscrupulous dealers and consequently had very little to show for his efforts. There is a number of biographies of him and a brief one which is quite captivating of his life on Wikipedia. An original work and typical subject for his time and in very good condition.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"George Morland","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57444846633305,"sku":null,"price":2750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/KA146-G_MORLAND_1__master.jpg?v=1776100194"},{"product_id":"summer-shade-1935","title":"Summer Shade, 1935","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMuriel Elise Cooke, ( Crooke ) 1901 - 1975, was an English artist who painted in watercolour and oil, she was also an engraver Cooke studied in Paris, France and in her twenties exhibited at the Royall Academy, the Royal Scottish Academy, the Royal Society of Art, the Royal Hibernian Association, the Royal West of England Academy and also in Paris at the Salon des Artistes. She was an animalier and landscape painter as seen in this depiction of a farmyard at the height of summer, her application of light and shade shows a competence of the gradation of light which to some artists is a mystery and remains undeveloped in some cases throughout their career, but not in the case of Muriel Cooke. There is a mastery light and shade which makes the whole picture a pleasure and reinstates Cooke's ability above that of some of her contemporaries. A somewhat underrated artist during her career but this picture displays a command of her talent.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Muriel Cooke","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57444855873881,"sku":null,"price":700.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/KA_147_Muriel_Cooke_Farm_yard_DSC5052_master.jpg?v=1776101444"},{"product_id":"st-michaels-church-workington","title":"St. Michaels Church, Workington","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSaint Michaels Church, Workington, Cumbria, England. This picture is the design for a window which was dedicated to a long serving and much loved choirmaster by the name of George Suart who upon his death in 1896 the congregation generously donated funds for the design and production of this window. Saint Michaels Church, which the earliest part of dates from 1150 AD, is almost certainly built on the earlier site of a 7th Century Monastery. There is a competent history of the church and it's earlier buildings on the same site including interesting confirmations of evidence of a nearby Viking settlement and the Monks from Lindisfarne present on the site from the 11th Century, all available on Wikipedia and local research informants. A large section of the church was destroyed by fire in 1887 and this window was designed and installed thereafter. However another fire in 1994 resulted in the window being lost in the further incident, the design had been lost and now resurrected which will enable the parishioners to reconstruct the window as it was first designed. A happy ending for the church warden and congregation. A good number of people have been engaged in following up the biography of this watercolor, including the great great granddaughter of the choirmaster, and professional researchers engaged by us, Unfortunately the drawing which is very accomplished still has not had the artist identified as yet, however should we discover as such the buyer will most certainly be informed. This picture is in the manner of R.A.Bell it is unsigned and consequently the artist is unknown.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Circle Of: Robert Anning Bell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57538899280217,"sku":null,"price":2975.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/KA_316_Stained_Glass_Window_design_Low_Res_1740826508324_master.jpg?v=1776852536"},{"product_id":"view-of-a-dutch-harbour-possibly","title":"View of a Dutch Harbour, possibly imaginary","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe picture is in ink and watercolour and displays the view of a Harbour with a distant town in the background which at this point is still unknown despite many hours research of our staff searching. This picture has been the property of a well known and important London gallery, we acquired the picture on the assumption of discovering the painter, which we now believe to be Richard Dadd 1817-1886, due to the picture being subject to having been painted with obsessive detail, and the date, which due to the images highlighted within the additional depictions there is a date of 1838, it is worth noting that Dadd would have only been around the age of or 21-22 when this picture was painted and although Dadd was admitted to the Royal Academy Art Schools at the age of 20 he was considered to be among the leading Victorian artists of the day. In 1842 he was chosen to travel through Europe on his way to the middle East including, Greece, Turkey , Syria , Jerusalem , Jorden and Egypt. Dadd had a vivid imagination and he could well have imagined this picture without actually visiting the scene, it is after all a strange position to hold of the view , consequently this maybe the reason for our failure to discover the scene. The painter, according to the level of the eye would have to have been sitting in a crows nest on a ship, which is highly unlikely due stillness required for the detail, or the whole composition is imaginary, which we now think highly probable. Dad was of unsound mind and admitted to a psychiatric Hospital where he remained for the rest of his life, however he was encouraged to continue to paint and this is where he produced some of his best pictures, there are exhibits of his works in the Tate Gallery , the British Museum, Yale and the Louvre among many others. I have included a further extensive biography of Dadd which you may find of interest. Richard Dadd (1817–1886) was a singular figure in Victorian art whose career was tragically and definitively bisected by mental illness. Originally a rising star of the London art scene, Dadd is today recognized for his technical precision and a visionary style that flourished during more than four decades of institutional confinement. Born in Chatham, Kent, Dadd was a precociously talented student at the Royal Academy Schools, where he became a founding member of \"The Clique,\" a group of artists who challenged academic conventions. He gained early acclaim for his delicate \"fairy paintings,\" a popular Victorian genre he imbued with unusual psychological depth. In 1842, Dadd accompanied Sir Thomas Phillips on a ten-month \"Grand Tour\" of Europe and the Middle East to document the journey. The grueling trip, particularly the exposure to the sun and intense environments of Egypt and Syria, is often cited as the catalyst for his mental collapse. During this time, he began to experience religious delusions, believing himself to be under the influence of the Egyptian god Osiris. Upon his return to England in 1843, Dadd’s condition deteriorated into what modern scholars identify as a form of schizophrenia. In August of that year, acting on a perceived divine command, he murdered his father in Cobham Park, Kent. After fleeing to France and attempting further violence, he was apprehended and subsequently committed to the \"criminal lunatic\" department of Bethlem Royal Hospital (Bedlam) in 1844. He was later transferred to the newly opened Broadmoor Hospital in 1864, where he remained until his death in 1886. Despite his incarceration, Dadd was encouraged by enlightened physicians to continue painting. His asylum works are characterized by: His technique involved an \"obsessive\" and \"painstaking\" application of paint, often utilizing a stippling method derived from miniature painting. Barred from the natural world, Dadd relied on his extraordinary visual memory of his Middle Eastern travels to create complex landscapes and genre scenes. His most celebrated masterpieces, The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke (Tate Britain) and Contradiction: Oberon and Titania, were both produced during his confinement. He produced a notable series titled Sketches to Illustrate the Passions, which explored human emotions through a cryptic, often disturbing lens. Long forgotten after his death, Dadd’s work was rediscovered in the 1960s and 70s, leading to a major retrospective at the Tate in 1974. Today, he is studied not merely as a clinical curiosity, but as a sophisticated artist who successfully translated an inner \"terra incognita\" into some of the most compelling imagery of the 19th century.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vaughan Fine Art","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57541267718489,"sku":null,"price":4850.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_531abce1-8ae4-4854-824d-91cb2edeabd6.png?v=1787600949"},{"product_id":"a-view-on-the-highgate-road-and-the-birmingham-tally-ho-coach","title":"A View on the Highgate Road \u0026 The Birmingham Tally Ho Coach","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJames Pollard 1892-1867, was an English painter, watercolourist and engraver whose artistic talents were the depiction of coaching, hunting, fishing and horse racing scenes. He is famously remembered for his pictures of coaching scenes on the Highgate and North Islington Roads and the documentation of such which represented a past history of travel in a bygone age where the public saw the demise of the coach and the onset of railway travel. James was trained by his father who was a painter, engraver and print publisher, initially he worked in the family business as a draughtsman and engraver. James lived within the Highgate Road, Islington, North London, area and knew the coaching routes moved within the immediate area travelling to Birmingham and the North of England, the coaches would stop for refreshments which would create to a young man an addictive interesting atmosphere of a busy staging post. In 1821 the Kings print seller commissioned James Pollard to paint an Inn Signboard which included a coach and horses and passengers, the signboard was placed in a Bond Street window and a large number of commissions followed which established Pollards reputation. James Pollard also worked with Frederick Herring Senior on various horse racing pictures. This lot is 2 pictures a compliment of coaching scenes showing the activity of travel in the early 19th Century, they are hand coloured prints known as aquatints, they are 'A View of the Highgate Road' and 'The Birmingham Tally Ho'. They are held in old and tired original Hogarth frames and have been left in place for authenticity, and have been on my own home wall for the last 45 years.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"After: James Polllard","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57598431232345,"sku":null,"price":950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/2_3123e53b-d3d4-42da-9c7d-5714ff5f41f3.png?v=1776882213"},{"product_id":"elwaerd-iv","title":"Elwaerd IV","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKate Wyatt 1956, is a living artist based in The United Kingdom. She is predominantly a wildlife artist who has sold something in the region of 100,000 prints. This painting in watercolor and mixed media is a large example of her work and there are few examples of this size which come onto the open market. Within the composition she has used plant material to add to the activity surrounding what appears to be a startled hare going about his daily search for food. The detail in the production in this picture and the expression of the hare is outstanding.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kate Wyatt","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57598996709721,"sku":null,"price":1850.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_92075c59-215f-4b71-af9a-15643c07d79b.png?v=1787584669"},{"product_id":"eltham-london-1","title":"Eltham, London","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrancis Dodd R.A. 1874-1949, was an English landscape and portrait painter, draftsman and etcher. He attended the Glasgow School of Art and travelled through Europe, France, Italy and Spain, after which he returned to England, he settled in Manchester and later moved to Blackheath in South East London where he spent the rest of his life. This picture was painted within reach of his home before the second World War. Dodd was an official War artist and he became a full member of the Royal Academy in 1935.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Francis Dodd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57795140714841,"sku":null,"price":1250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_3054374f-5dbe-4df0-9294-a94b58b307cd.png?v=1776087888"},{"product_id":"sunset-1","title":"Sunset","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBenjamin Williams Leader 1831-1923, was an English landscape painter, he exhibited at the Royal Academy from the age of 23 and continued every year until 1922. He was a very popular painter and his works in constant demand by wealthy buyers, this picture is undated but it may well be one of his earlier paintings but certainly 19th Century.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Benjamin Williams Leader","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57796467491161,"sku":null,"price":850.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/KA140-_Benjamin_Williams_Leader_2__master.jpg?v=1776098839"},{"product_id":"urban-village-landscape-with-trees-and-figures","title":"Urban Village Landscape with Trees and Figures","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis picture is sold as ' circle of ' Xul Solar. This captivating, whimsical work presents a densely clustered hillside town executed in the artist’s signature avant-garde, neo-primitive style. The upper two-thirds of the composition features a labyrinthine village of tightly overlapping, geometric houses. The structures are rendered in an earthly yet varied palette of muted browns, ochres, greens, and soft pinks, punctuated by tiny windows, pitched roofs, and chimney stacks. The buildings are outlined with delicate, expressive ink lines that lend the structures an organic, almost breathing quality. In the foreground, a expansive grassy meadow or public square slopes toward the viewer. Scattered across the field are stylized, simplified human figures wearing dark coats and brimmed hats, walking in small groups or pairs. The fluid, transparent watercolor washes and gestural pencil markings capture a sense of quiet community life, while a few minimalist birds soar in the sky above. This picture is signed and dated 1929. I have included a biography of the artist Xul Solar. Alejandro Xul Solar (born Oscar Agustín Alejandro Schulz Solari) was an Argentine painter, sculptor, writer, and inventor. He was one of the most enigmatic figures of the 20th-century Latin American avant-garde. His close friend, the legendary author Jorge Luis Borges, famously called him \"a man capable of spaces\" and \"one of the most singular events of our era\". Xul Solar did not just paint worlds; he spent his entire life inventing them. He combined a unique vocabulary of spiritualism, linguistics, and mathematical architecture into a highly idiosyncratic visual style. Born on December 14, 1887, in San Fernando, Buenos Aires Province. His father was a Baltic German immigrant from Latvia, and his mother was Italian. He initially studied music and spent two years studying architecture at the University of Buenos Aires. He dropped out to pursue broader intellectual interests. In 1912, he boarded a freight ship to work his way to Europe, where he stayed for twelve years traveling through England, France, Germany, and Italy. In 1916, he officially adopted the pseudonym Xul Solar. \"Solar\" honored his mother’s surname, while \"Xul\" reversed the Latin word lux (light)—meaning \"Light of the Sun\". While traveling Europe during World War I, he was heavily influenced by German Expressionism, Paul Klee, and the Italian Futurists. He also grew deeply connected to esoteric thought, mysticism, and astrology. Xul Solar returned to Buenos Aires in 1924. He quickly integrated into the radical Martín Fierro group (also known as the Florida group), an intellectual movement looking to throw out conservative academicism. His paintings from the 1920s to the 1940s became iconic. Rather than working on massive canvases, Solar preferred painting detailed, jewel-like watercolors and tempera on small cardboards. His artwork from this period frequently depicts pre-Columbian step pyramids mixed with floating geometric cities, mechanical flying vessels, and celestial staircases (Vuel Villa, 1936). Flag-waving structures, numeric codes, astrological glyphs, and religious references spanning Kabbalah, Buddhism, and Egyptian mythology. Xul Solar rejected the label of just being a painter; he viewed himself as a multi-disciplinary cosmic thinker. He invented Neo-Criollo, a poetic fusion of Spanish and Portuguese designed to unite Latin America. He also built Pan-Lingua, a universal language based entirely on mathematics, astrology, and musical tones. He fundamentally modified traditional chess into a three-dimensional game played on a modified board. Moves did not just serve a strategic role; they also corresponded to vowels, consonants, and astrological elements, allowing players to compose poetry while playing. He re-engineered traditional acoustic pianos, altering the keys and adding rows of color-coded keys to bridge the gap between sound and visual palette. In his twilight years, Xul Solar moved away from bright, crowded utopias. His work shifted to a series of monochrome drawings and calligraphic landscapes called Grafías (scriptures). He moved to a peaceful house in the riverside town of Tigre, Argentina, where he spent his time calculating astrological charts and translating texts. In 1962, a year before his death, he enjoyed a major triumphant retrospective exhibition at the Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris. He passed away on April 9, 1963, at the age of 75. Today, his home studio in Buenos Aires serves as the Fundación Pan Klub (Museo Xul Solar), which preserves his artwork, personal library, custom chessboards, and modified pianos. His work continues to be celebrated globally as a unique, fantastical bridge between European modernism and Latin American magical realism.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Xul Solar","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58869051031897,"sku":"KA 273","price":4750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_ba04d417-e79b-4f10-bc53-8bd9040490b8.png?v=1787251237"},{"product_id":"a-family-scene-in-pompeii-1","title":"A Family Scene in Pompeii","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRosa Maud \/ MIranda Banks ( 1883 - 1943 ? ), was an English watercolourist and draughtswoman. Rosa Banks was a amateur artist, a British painter who was active during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. She was actively painting during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, she painted recreationally and as a private hobby rather than exhibiting her work commercially or professionally, she was clearly an extremely competent artist and her work is certainly comparable to the professional artists of her day, and I expect the only hindrance to her commercial progress was because of her personal and financial status which was held in high regard. Her biography is not preserved in the mainstream art history references or dictionaries of painters. She was the daughter of John Banks ( ? - 1904 ) a highly successful and prominent banker in his day and the family resided over the Bank of England in Threadneedle Street London. Consequently home life for Rosa Banks was directly influenced by the career of her prominent and wealthy family, she was in effect a lady of leisure where study and the luxury of art creation was her vocation. her socioeconomic and educational circumstances allowed her to be raised by a formidable household of servants, she excelled academically and young women from upper middle class families were tutored in painting an essential accomplishment at the time, and they were encouraged to copy rather than invent compositions they were honed to copy the masters as in this painting which is a direct and extremely accomplished copy of Pierre Olivier Joseph Coomans ( 1816-1889 ). The original painting is in oil paint. The setting is a meticulously reconstructed Roman atrium featuring vibrant Pompeian walls adorned with mythical figures and a classical water feature. The room is decorated with vases, lamps and an animal skin rug all of which denote an air of luxury that might well be familiar with the painter and may well be the reason for this beautifully executed copy. Rosa Banks was well travelled and in her later years it shows according to the 1911 census, that she was living with her mother in Reigate Surrey, not far from where I discovered this painting, and I conclude that the picture has remained with the original family until now. It was customary for amateur painters to gift their works to friends and family, and this picture being of exceptional quality was the very reason it has been held onto for so many years and within the immediate location of the family dwelling. This watercolor has been professionally cleaned and framed by our well respected conservator and framer. The picture is unsigned by Rosa Banks but it is ascribed to the reverse side and all the accompanying paintings and literature is in her name, this was bought as a collection of her works, all are watercolors which will be conserved and listed on this website at some point in the future.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rosa Maud Banks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58869085471065,"sku":"KA 443","price":4250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/1_943f238a-b5ec-4fe6-ad90-fd6b615f1b15.png?v=1787239452"},{"product_id":"dutch-officer-with-companion-at-a-wayside-tavern","title":"Dutch Officer with Companion at a Wayside Tavern","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis small high quality watercolor has caused something of a mystery for sometime, we have decided to catalogue the picture as in the manner of Gerrit Dou, or Adriaen Van Ostade as we believe it is a Dutch tavern scene where the rider and his companion are in the position of taking their refreshment before the continuation of their journey the picture has been subjected to infra red, UV, visual and light box imaging, all of which identify the areas that contain information relating to the painter, which has evaded us, the picture is unsigned , it might be relevant to this being a preparatory study to an oil on panel and the reason for being unsigned. The picture is very similar to a work by Adriaen Van Ostade, however the size of the is considerably smaller here than the painting itself, but the theme is the same. The picture is unsigned but there is evidence of initials and script of the artist. The picture is believed to date from the late 18th Century to the early 19th Century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGerrit Dou (7 April 1613 – buried 9 February 1675) was a highly influential Dutch Golden Age painter and the foundational figure of the fijnschilder (fine painter) style. Renowned for his small-scale, meticulously detailed domestic interiors and striking candlelit genre scenes, Dou was so highly esteemed during his lifetime that his paintings frequently commanded prices far exceeding those of his legendary master, Rembrandt van Rijn.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn in Leiden to a stained-glass maker and manufacturer, Dou began his artistic trajectory under his father's guidance. He initially trained in drawing with Bartholomeus Dolendo and studied glass-painting under Pieter Couwenhorn. However, his career path shifted drastically in February 1628 when his father sent the 14-year-old Dou to study under a 21-year-old Rembrandt.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Rembrandt’s first official pupil, Dou spent three years in his workshop. He deeply absorbed his master's dramatic handling of colour and chiaroscuro (light and shadow). When Rembrandt relocated to Amsterdam in 1631, Dou chose to stay in Leiden, establishing himself as an independent master painter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRather than mimicking Rembrandt’s increasingly loose, expressive brushwork, Dou went in the opposite direction. He pioneered the Leiden school of fijnschilders, crafting miniature, jewel-like paintings with an almost enamelled, hyper-smooth surface finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDou was notoriously fastidious about his work environment. He had an absolute horror of dust—often waiting for airborne particles to settle before opening his paints—and custom-crafted his own micro-brushes. To achieve his legendary precision, he often painted using a magnifying glass.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe became celebrated for specific visual motifs:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTrompe-l’œil \"Niche\" Paintings: Scenes framed by arched stone windows or heavy, drawn curtains that made the subjects appear as if they were stepping into the viewer's physical space.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChiaroscuro Night-Scenes: Intimate settings, like The Evening School, illuminated exclusively by flickering candles or lanterns.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSymbolic Genre Art: Meticulous domestic tasks, medical consultations, or depictions of hermits filled with subtle allegories on mortality, frugality, and contemporary Dutch proverbs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1648, Dou co-founded the Leiden Guild of St. Luke alongside Jan Steen, anchoring the city as a major artistic hub. He was also an acclaimed teacher, mentoring monumental artists like Frans van Mieris the Elder and Gabriël Metsu.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDou's commercial success was extraordinary. Wealthy international patrons—including Cosimo III de' Medici and Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria—vied for his work, with individual pieces occasionally selling for the price of a house. In 1665, he became the first artist recorded to have a solo exhibition during his own lifetime.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Dou died in 1675, he left behind a massive estate valued at approximately 20,000 guilders. While his obsession with hyper-neatness and precision fell out of favour in the mid-19th century with the dawn of Impressionism, a modern art revival since the 1970s has firmly restored his legacy as a master craftsman of the Dutch Baroque era.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAdriaen van Ostade (baptized 10 December 1610, Haarlem – buried 2 May 1685, Haarlem) was a preeminent Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draughtsman who stands as one of the most prolific and influential chroniclers of seventeenth-century rural and lower-class life. Operating out of the artistic hub of Haarlem, Van Ostade shaped the trajectory of northern genre painting, transitioning the raw, satirical depictions of peasant life into nuanced, atmospheric explorations of domestic and community structures.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn to Jan Hendricx van Eyndhoven, a linen weaver, and Janneke Hendriksdr, Adriaen was the third of eight children. While primary archival records regarding his formal apprenticeship are lost, the foundational eighteenth-century painter-biographer Arnold Houbraken asserts that Van Ostade studied under the renowned portraitist Frans Hals around 1626–1627. According to Houbraken, he shared this training alongside the Flemish master of low-life genre painting, Adriaen Brouwer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVan Ostade’s artistic output is conventionally divided into distinct stylistic phases that mirror the broader socio-economic and cultural shifts of the Dutch Republic:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEarly Phase (1630s): His earliest signed works, such as the 1633 \"Peasants Playing Cards\", demonstrate a profound stylistic debt to Adriaen Brouwer. These compositions are populated by unidealised, dynamic figures engaged in rowdy debauchery, brawling, and carousing inside dark, chaotic taverns or dilapidated barns. His brushwork during this era was energetic, fluid, and applied to a restricted, monochromatic palette of earthy browns, greys, and muted greens.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMiddle Phase (1640s): Around 1640, Van Ostade integrated the dramatic chiaroscuro of Rembrandt van Rijn into his work. He began employing more sophisticated light-and-shade dynamics to structure interior spaces, giving his crowded peasant quarters a heightened sense of architectural depth, three-dimensional volume, and dramatic focus.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMature Phase (Post-1650): Following the mid-century mark, Van Ostade’s work underwent a noticeable transformation. Reflecting the growing prosperity of the Dutch Republic, his rustic subjects adopted refined manners, and their surrounding domestic or tavern interiors became tidier, calmer, and more structurally ordered. Concurrently, his palette brightened significantly, incorporating richer, varied colours and lighter tonal keys that enhanced the idyllic, poetic quality of ordinary rural activities.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eVan Ostade was fully integrated into the civic and administrative fabric of Haarlem. He entered the Haarlem Guild of Saint Luke by 1632 and actively directed its governance later in life, serving as warden (hoofdman) in 1647 and 1661, and as dean (deken) from 1662 to 1663. In 1636, he also served in the Oude Schuts civic guard company.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis personal life brought considerable financial stability. Following his first marriage to Macheltje Pietersdr (who died in 1642), he married Anna Ingels in 1657—a wealthy Catholic woman from Amsterdam—at which point he appears to have converted to Catholicism. Substantial inheritances from his second wife and her father, coupled with a highly lucrative artistic output, elevated Van Ostade to a wealthy burgher status. By 1670, he resided in a prestigious home on Haarlem's Ridderstraat. During the Year of Disaster (Rampjaar) in 1672, the French invasion prompted a brief flight to Amsterdam, though he soon returned to Haarlem.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVan Ostade’s staggering artistic legacy includes more than 800 attributed oil paintings (mostly executed on small-scale wood panels), approximately 50 intricate etchings, and numerous watercolours and pen drawings. Beyond his solo output, he frequently collaborated with other prominent landscape and architectural painters—such as Pieter Saenredam and Jacob van Ruisdael—by painting staffage (human figures) into their scenes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a master of a large and active workshop, his pedagogical influence extended across generations. His most notable pupils included his short-lived younger brother Isaack van Ostade, Cornelis Bega, Cornelis Dusart, Michiel van Musscher, and the legendary master of chaotic domestic genre painting, Jan Steen. Adriaen van Ostade died in April 1685, just six days after witnessing his daughter's wedding, leaving behind a legacy that transformed the raw imagery of seventeenth-century rural society into highly sought-after, masterfully illuminated high art.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gerrit Dou (manner of)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":60248983765337,"sku":null,"price":2450.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/2_bf2529c4-ed85-4f6e-9b36-1c617218ceba.png?v=1793207172"},{"product_id":"a-fine-late-16th-or-early-17th-century-old-master-drawing","title":"A fine late 16th or early 17th Century Old Master drawing","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a highly dynamic late Mannerist or early Baroque preparatory study of a Biblical subject which we have thought to be a narrative of the Eucharist. It is drafted in a monochrome brown watercolour wash and depicts a theological discourse where a group of Disciples are closely clustered to the left and the figure of Christ standing to the right , gesturing toward a gateway ,perhaps a gate entrance to a city or a church. The whole is painted on hand-made rag paper which shows the distinctive irregular horizontal and vertical chain lines, this is indicative of Italian or Northern European papermaking of the mid 16th century to the early 17th century. The paper shows robust structural stability and shows a natural distribution of linen\/rag pulp slurry , with signs of storage in a historic studio folio and minor authentic surface oxidation commensurate with age.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe reverse side displays a under-drawing in black chalk or graphite with associated script that depicts the names of two supposed artists and a connoisseur's opinion of the potential artist who is here suggested as a former pupil of Giulio Romano in turn a disciple of Raphael.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDomenico Riccio, universally known by his distinctive moniker Brusasorci (c. 1515\/1516 – 30 March 1567), was a pioneering Italian Renaissance painter and fresco artist from the Veronese school. Celebrated as an avant-garde innovator of the Mannerist style in Verona, his dramatic narrative cycles, vibrant use of colour, and sweeping structural decorations bridged the high-art principles of Central Italy with the atmosphere of the Venetian School. This picture is unsigned, however it bears the mark of  serious and certainly wealthy collector, the ink stamp which we have shown within the images, sits within a lozenge shaped cartouche on the leg of the disciple which looks to walk from the Christ, this looks to be Judas, this is an assumption.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDomenico Riccio was born in Verona, then part of the Republic of Venice, around 1515 or 1516. He was the son of Agostino Riccio, an early Veronese painter from whom no surviving works are known.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe bizarre family alias \"Brusasorci\" translates literally from the Veronese dialect to \"rat burner\". According to historical accounts, Domenico’s father earned this peculiar nickname after becoming notorious in his neighbourhood for his aggressive, fiery methods of clearing out an infestation of rats from his home. The name stuck, and Domenico—and later his children—adopted it proudly as an artistic trademark.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRiccio initially apprenticed in his father’s workshop before expanding his horizons under the tutelage of prominent local masters, including Giovanni Francesco Caroto and Niccolò Giolfino.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHowever, his signature style was heavily transformed by wider Italian currents. He became fascinated by the sharply foreshortened figures and theatrical perspectives of Giulio Romano, the premier pupil of Raphael who had radically altered the nearby artistic landscape of Mantua. Riccio combined this sculptural dynamism with the fluid grace of Parmigianino—evident in his delicate, elegant renderings of female figures—and the rich tonal warmth of Venetian giants like Titian and Giorgione.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBrusasorci established himself as Verona's leading mid-16th-century painter, highly sought after for large-scale religious altarpieces and sweeping civilian fresco cycles. His career highlights spanned across Northern Italy:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEarly Successes (1540s): After 1543, he painted a dramatic Battle of an Angel and a Demon in the choir vault of S Stefano in Verona, heavily echoing Romano's geometry.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Trento Commissions (1551): Riccio travelled to Trento to decorate the façades of prominent houses and execute major fresco cycles inside the Municipio Vecchio (Palazzo Thun).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Mantua \u0026amp; Palladian Era (1552 onward): He was summoned to paint for the cathedral in Mantua in 1552. Later, he collaborated alongside a young Paolo Veronese on spectacular frescoes decorating the historic Palladian palace, Iseppo Porto.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMasterpieces of Verona: His most celebrated domestic triumphs include the ceremonial Cavalcade of Charles V and Clement VII inside the Palazzo Ridolfi-Lisca, works inside the Palazzo Vescovile, and his highly lauded, dramatic ceiling painting of Phaeton in the Palazzo Chiericati.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeyond visual art, Brusasorci was widely known as an \"ottimo musico\" (a superb musician). His passion for music and humanism led him to become a foundational member of the prestigious Accademia Filarmonica of Verona upon its establishment in 1543.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDomenico Brusasorci died in his native Verona on 30 March 1567. He passed his craft down to three of his children, founding a highly successful artistic dynasty:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFelice Riccio (1542–1605): His eldest son, who inherited the Brusasorci moniker and became a prominent Late-Renaissance master and teacher to early Baroque artists.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGiovanni Battista Riccio (b. 1544): A practicing historical painter.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCecilia Brusasorzi (1549–1593): One of the rare recognized female painters of the era.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eToday, Domenico Riccio's works are preserved across major European collections, including the National Galleries of Scotland, the Uffizi Gallery, and the Castelvecchio Museum in Verona.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domenico Riccio Brusasorci","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":60249064309081,"sku":null,"price":7950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/9957\/1801\/files\/KA_212_Mockups.png?v=1793205736"}],"url":"https:\/\/vaughanfineart.im\/collections\/watercolour.oembed","provider":"Vaughan Fine Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}