19th Century European School

The Palace Guard, Oil on Panel Signed Painting

Circle of Cornelius Johnson Circa 1620’s Portrait of a Officer Oil on canvas Image size: 28 x 24 inches Period style hand made frame Provenance Private European Estate This striking portrait dates to around 1620, as you can see from the images of the sash the detail is very high. The sash is decorated with gold thread and would have cost a small fortune at the time. Sashes were originally developed for a military function (making officers more visible for their men during combat), but soon became a primarily male fashion...

Dominicus van der Smissen Early 18th Century Portrait of Conrad Friedrich Hurlebusch Oil on canvas Image size: 20½ x 16¼ inches Period gilt frame This is a portrait of Conrad Friedrich Hurlebusch, composer, Kapellmeister and organist, whom Van der Smissen most probably portrayed during his stay in Hamburg, Brunswick or Amsterdam. The identification is based on the reproduction of the portrait which was engraved by Pieter Anthony Wakkerdak (1740- 1774). Van der Smissen has reduced the face of the sitters to an egg-shaped oval in three-quarter view, applying diminution to one half of the figure’s torso, which is farther away from the viewer. This partial side view, with the head turned to look at the viewer over the shoulder, creates spatial depth and brings the figure to life by avoiding the stiffness of a frontal depiction. Because the artist chose to highlight the figure from above, a distinct shadow is cast under the tip of the nose, in the shape of a triangle. This is an often recurring and almost ‘signature’-like feature in Van der Smissen’s oeuvre. Hurlebusch's garments are of a very high quality and serve to reflect the sitter’s wealth, status and elegance. During this period, gentlemen often shaved their heads in order to facilitate the wearing of a wig, which wouldbe worn with a suit. Here Hurlebusch has been depicted in a luxurious turban-like cap lined with lynx fur, a highly fashionable and expensive material at the time. Over his shirt, he wears a velvet fur-lined gown adorned with decorative clasps fashioned from silver braid. The elegant informality of his appearance can be seen in his unbuttoned shirt and the unfastened black ribbon hanging from his button hole, which has been artfully arranged into a fluttering drape by the portraitist. The Sitter Hurlebusch was born in Brunswick, Germany. He received the first instructions in his field from his father Heinrich Lorenz Hurlebusch, who was also a musician. As an organ virtuoso, he toured Europe, visiting Vienna, Munich and Italy. From 1723 to 1725 he was Kapellmeister in Stockholm; later he became Kapellmeister in Bayreuth and Brunswick, and lived in Hamburg from 1727 to 1742, where he had contact with fellow composers Johann Mattheson and Georg Philipp Telemann. He made his living composing, performing and teaching. In 1735 and 1736, he is believed to have visited Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig, who promoted Hurlebusch’s compositions as the local seller...

Circle of Cornelis Dusart Dutch 1660 - 1704 Portrait of a Man Oil on panel Image size: 7¾ x 5¼ inches Giltwood frame Cornelis Dusart Cornelis ...

Adolphus M. Madot Circa 1833 - 1861 Oil on canvas Image size: 36 x 24 inches (91.4 x 61 cm) Arched Pre-Raphaelite style frame The subject of the present picture is the dialogue between the court jester Touchstone and the shepherd Corin in the Forest of Arden ( As You Like It, Act III, scene 2). The work of William Shakespeare 'As You Like It' was a popular literary source in Pre-Raphaelite circles, inspiring such artists as John Everett Millais, Walter Howell Deverell and Arthur Hughes. The present picture is comparable in style to the work of Edward W. Rainford and Henry Stacy Marks...

This interesting British Victorian military portrait is by artist C Marten. Painted in 1897 it is a three quarter length portrait of a soldier by a brick wall and window with bars. T...

Ernest Crofts British, (1847-1911) On Guard Oil on panel, signed & dated (18)79 Image size: 9.25 inches x 6.75 inches Size including frame: 19.5 inches x 17 inches A wonderful historical painting of a roundhead soldier standing outside a fortress by Ernest Crofts. The soldier is depicted wearing a back and breast plate over a red and yellow sleeved jacket tied with a sash around his waist. On his head, he wears a felt hat with red and white feathers and holds a sword in his hand. He is shown standing at the moated entrance of a fortified stone building with a portcullis. Beyond the raised portcullis, a group of soldiers can be seen in the shadows. The soldier’s uniform is typical of Cromwell’s famous ‘Ironside’ cavalry and indicates he is an officer, who, in Cromwell’s time would have earned his place based on merit rather than social status. The English Civil...

French school of the 19th century Ernest MESSONIER (Circle of) Portrait of a soldier in armor 27.5 x 17.5 cm (31 x 21 cm with the frame) Beautiful pitch pine wood frame Good condition

Antique French early 20th century oil on canvas painting of a French infantry march during the Franco-Prussian War, signed "Edouard Detaille" (1848-1912).