Francesco Bergamini

Peasant with Zampogna

Ca. 1860

A portait of the first Allied airship to perform a bombing raid from the sky by a celebrated artist whose work hung on the Titanic. Watercolor and ink on heavy wove watercolor paper, 10 5/8 x 15 inches (270 x 380 mm). Signed in black watercolor in the lower right image area. In very good condition with minor surface soiling on the verso. Titled "Verdun" in pencil on the verso in the artist's hand. Adhered on the verso to matboard at the extreme margins with non archival tape. Presented handsomely in a simple, period maple frame. Titled, dated, inscribed and initialed by the artist on a label on the frame back. Born in Cambridge in 1898 and educated at Southsea School of Art, Norman Wilkinson is known for his graphic art, specifically his British Railway poster images, and also for something quite incredible; Wilkinson revolutionized the art of naval camouflage. Having been assigned to submarine patrols in Dardanelles, Gallipoli, and Gibraltar during WWI as a member of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, Wilkinson was deeply troubled by the unprecedented success the German submarine fleet had torpedoing British ships. He hoped to find a solution to this gaping vulnerability, and in a lightning bolt moment, he had an epiphany that would change everything. Wilkinson says in his autobiography, A Brush With Life (Seeley, 1969), that he realized a ship could be painted to hide its shape against the sea and sky. In his own words, Wilkinson states that the hull of a ship could be camouflaged "not for low visibility, but in such a way as to break up her form and thus confuse a submarine officer as to the course on which she was heading." After some preliminary testing, the theory Wilkinson called "dazzle camouflage" was accepted by British Admiralty and Wilkinson was placed in charge of the naval camouflage unit. The unit, which was headquartered in the basement of the Royal Academy of Arts, consisted of Wilkinson and about two dozen "camoufleurs;" they were artists, students, model makers and consultants, including a zoologist. The dazzle schemes were tested on models and then distributed to artists who were stationed at the docks, where the ships would be painted. At the end of the war Wilkinson was formally declared the inventor of dazzle camouflage and awarded for his contribution. Wilkinson went on to enjoy a long and celebrated career as a painter of maritime scenes, naval vessels, and warships. He served as the president of the Royal Institute of Painter in Water Colours (RI) from 1936 until 1963 (having been elected a member in 1906); he was elected Honourable Marine Painter to the Royal Yacht Squadron in 1919, and he was a member of the Royal Society of British Artists, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, the Royal Society of Marine Artists, and the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour. In 1918 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and a Commander of the Order (CBE) in 1948. In January 1920 he was appointed knight (chevalier) of the Belgian Order of the Crown. Among the many notable points of interest regarding Wilkinson's career is that his painting Plymouth Harbour, which was commissioned by Cunard White Star Lines for the first class smoking room of the RMS Titanic, was lost at sea when it perished with the ship. Wilkinson had also created a comparable painting entitled The Approach to the New World, which hung in the same location on the Titanic's sister ship, the RMS Olympic...

An early Devonshire landscape, ex-collection West Collection of British Watercolors & the Fine Art Society, London. Circa 1800 Ink and brown wash on paper, 7 1/8 x 10 1/4 inches (...

A bright and beautiful Orientalist landscape by a master of the genre. Watercolor and graphite on cream laid paper, laid down to archival board, 14 3/4 x 6 3/4 inches (374 x 170 m...

This drawing by Frank Girard is created with pigments, Chinese ink, watercolors, acrylic, and colored pencils on 300g/m2 neutral white paper. It is not framed. Through drawings, the...

English School, 18th century Pen and black ink with gray wash on cream laid paper, 9 1/4 x 5 inches (238 x132 mm). 1/4 inch repaired loss, top center, to the left of the figure’s h...

EVE SHELDON-WILLIAMS (1916-2001) Fashion Illustration White wash on black paper Framed 30.5 by 15.5 cm., 12 by 6 in. (frame size 50 by 34.5 cm., 19 ¾ by 13 ½ in.) Provenance: The artist’s family. Eve Sheldon-Williams was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, the younger daughter of artist Inglis and Ina Sheldon-Williams. She was governess educated until the age of ten, before settling with her parents on the Italian Riviera from 1926 to 1930. After finished her education in England she studied painting, illustration and design at the Central School of Arts and Crafts 1937-1941, under William Roberts, John Skeaping, Bernard Meninsky and John Farleigh...

Maud Stumm: 1866-1935. Fabulous pair of rare antique watercolors by the listed American artist Maud Stumm. She studied at the Art Students League in NYC. Her watercolors were shown at the most prestigious settings of the time such as the Art Institute of Chicago, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts...

Martin Eder untitled work on paper executed in ballpoint pen with traces of watercolor. Ohne Titel Arbeit auf Papier, ausgeführt in Kugelschreiber mit Spuren von Aquarell. 2007

JOHN DRONSFIELD (1900-1951) Costume Design Signed l.l.: Dronsfield Watercolour and pencil Unframed 42 by 34 cm., 16 ½ by 13 ½ in. (mount size 61.5 by 53 cm., 24 ¼ by 21 in.) John...

Gipsies with Horses & Covered Wagons in the Wild Moorland Landscape of England. An Original Watercolour Painting by 19th Century British Artist, James Walter Gozzard...