Unknown

The Birth of Jesus Christ, S. Andrea Church, Pistoia - Vintage Photo Early 1900

Early 20th Century

Pistoia Cathedral is an original photograph taken in Pistoia Cathedral, Italy, realized by an Anonymous photographer. Titled on the lower, a detail of the silver frontal. Very Good...

Parma Cathedral -  Vintage Photo is a black and white photograph of the early 20th century by Alinari. Information is written on the lower in Italian. Good conditions, aged with fo...

Assumption of Mary, Monache Church, Barga, is an original photograph taken in Barga province of Lucca, Italy, realized by an Anonymous photographer....

The Cathedral of Lucca is an original photograph taken in Lucca cathedral, realized by an Anonymous photographer. Titled on the lower with the description in Italian" Altare di S. Re...

The Nativity, c.1900 German Chromolithograph “The Birth of Jesus” (Printed in Germany) This beautiful early 20th-century German chromolithograph of “The Birth of Jesus” is a richly detailed devotional scene showing the Nativity as it appeared in the finest German religious prints of the period. Produced around 1900–1920 by a major German devotional press, the work exemplifies the warmth, luminous colour, and emotional clarity that made these chromolithographs treasured in Catholic households across Europe and the Americas. The composition presents the Virgin Mary and Joseph watching over the Christ Child, who lies upon a bed of straw illuminated by a radiant divine beam. Shepherds kneel and bow in reverence, offering homage with humble gestures and simple gifts, while others approach from the right carrying lambs. The soft modelling of the figures, the golden haloes, the warm earth tones of the stable interior, and the vivid reds and greens of the shepherds’ garments all reflect the layered stone-colour technique of true chromolithography. Each hue is built from multiple ink plates, creating the velvety gradients and luminous highlights that distinguish authentic chromolithographs from later reproductions. Along the lower left margin, multilingual titles identify the subject for international distribution: “Die Geburt Jesu. The Birth of Jesus. La Nativité. La nascita di Gesù. El nacimiento de Jesús…” This multilingual caption is typical of German religious publishers who exported devotional art worldwide during the early 20th century. The imprint “Printed in Germany” further confirms its origin in one of the major German chromolithographic centres such as Munich, Dresden, or Cologne, all of which specialised in high-quality Catholic imagery during this period. This piece is unquestionably an original chromolithograph, not a modern reproduction. The print displays the characteristic stone-layered pigment structure, stippled textures, and warm matte surface associated with genuine chromolithographic production. The natural toning of the paper, the crisp plate text, and the nuanced colour transitions further confirm its authenticity. These Nativity scenes were often framed near family altars and are now increasingly sought after for both devotional use and interior display. Condition Report: Very good condition. Colours bright and unfaded. Minor edge toning and small handling traces consistent with age. No tears, losses, creases, or repairs. Caption and imprint line remain sharp and fully legible. Best displayed in a gilded or walnut frame to enhance the golden haloes and warm palette of the stable scene. A cream or ivory mat will complement the tender atmosphere and highlight the luminous tones. A slim black frame with a wide mat offers a modern gallery presentation while preserving the devotional character. Technique: Chromolithograph Maker: German Devotional Press, printed in Germany, c.1900 nativity birth of jesus die geburt jesu adoration of the shepherds holy family christ child virgin mary st joseph shepherds catholic art religious art devotional print chromolithograph german chromolithograph printed in germany antique lithograph early 20th century religious print christian iconography christmas art epiphany art holy family scene fine chromolitho religious ephemera antique christian art...

Antique print titled 'The Nativity'. Original antique print on chine collé, made after the painting by Lorenzo di Credi. Source unknown, to be determined. Published circa 1890.

Ferdinand Barbedienne (Saint-Martin-de-Fresnay 1810 – 1892 Paris) after Lorenzo Ghiberti (Florence, 1378 – 1455) Signed at the lower right of the principal relief: F. BARBEDIENNE Provenance: Private Collection, USA. Barbedienne’s “Gates of Paradise” reliefs are one of the triumphs of nineteenth-century bronze casting and patination. The nine panels that comprise our example are half-size reductions of the famous originals by Lorenzo Ghiberti, made for the Baptistery of Florence and now housed in the Museo del Opera del Duomo. Mounted in an impressive, mullioned frame surround, our work is an exceptional exemplar of the Renaissance Revival, the broadly influential style and movement that infused architecture, design, and artistic culture in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The central scene, The Story of Joseph, is perhaps the most celebrated of the entire series depicting as it does seven episodes from the Biblical narrative integrated into a single composition: Joseph cast by his brethren into the well, Joseph sold to the merchants, the merchants delivering Joseph to the pharaoh, Joseph interpreting the pharaoh’s dream, the pharaoh paying him honor, Jacob sending his sons to Egypt, and Joseph recognizes his brothers and returns home. The surrounding reliefs—two vertical figures in niches, two recumbent figures, and four portrait heads in roundels—are as well faithful reductions of Ghiberti’s original bronzes on other parts of the doors. The maker of these casts was the renowned 19th-century French fondeur Ferdinand Barbedienne. Gary Radke has recently written of this great enterprise: “The Parisian bronze caster Ferdinand Barbedienne began making half-sized copies of ancient and Renaissance sculpture in the 1830s. His firm benefitted enormously from the collaboration of Achille Collas, whom Meredith Shedd has shown was one of numerous pioneers in the mechanical reproduction of sculpture. Their competitors largely devoted themselves to reproducing relief sculpture, but Collas devised a process for creating fully three-dimensional copies. A tracing needle, powered by a treadle, moved over the surface of a full-sized plaster cast or bronze of the original and triggered a complementary action in a cutting stylus set over a soft plaster blank…He signed an exclusive contract with Barbedienne on November 29, 1838, and won medals for his inventions in 1839 and 1844. Barbedienne’s half-sized copies of the Gates of Paradise were famous not only for their fidelity to the original, but also for the way their gilding…suggested the glimmering surface that was hidden under centuries of dirt. Some critics even saw Collas’s and Barbedienne’s work as ‘philanthropic, an exemplary adaptation of industry to the requirements of art, the artist, the workers, and the public alike.’ At 25,000 francs, Collas’s and Barbedienne’s reduction of the Gates of Paradise was singularly more expensive than any other item for sale in their shop. All the reliefs, individual statuettes, and busts were cast separately and could be purchased either by the piece or as an ensemble. Fittingly, Barbedienne’s accomplishment earned him the Grand Prix at the 1878 Paris Exposition Universelle, along with numerous other medals.” Three complete examples of the Barbedienne-Ghiberti doors are known. One, first installed in a chapel in the Villa Demidoff of San Donato near Pratolino, was later acquired by William Vanderbilt...

Antique print titled 'The Circumcision'. Original antique print on chine collé, made after the painting by Signorelli. Source unknown, to be determined. Published circa 1890.