Bikash Bhattacharjee Art

The Guildhall, Worcester English School, mid 20th century indistinctly signed verso oil on canvas canvas: 20 x 24 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: very good and sound condition The Worcester Guildhall was originally built as a meeting place for Worcester merchants around 1227. As with many other guildhalls, it became the centre for civic administration, a role it maintained after the merchant guild had disappeared. The present Worcester Guildhall is a superb Queen Anne building, begun in 1722 by Thomas White, a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren. White was badly paid for his efforts, and he died in poverty in 1738, bestowing the money he was owed on the Worcester Royal Infirmary. The city finally paid its debt in 1753. The exterior of the Guildhall is brick, dressed with stone. White himself is said to have carved the figure of Queen Anne over the entry, as well as those of Charles I and II, a reminder of the city's long history of royal support. The interior is superb, boasting exceptional period decoration. The Tourist Information Centre is now located in the Guildhall. HISTORY In 1227 Henry III granted the citizens of Worcester a royal charter granting them the right to establish a guild of merchants. The guild was responsible for controlling trade in the city, but their meeting place gradually became the main centre of administration for city government and acted as a courthouse. So, in effect, the Guildhall was the town hall, and though the city guilds have long since vanished, the Guildhall name lives on. The medieval guild merchants would not recognise the building that faces onto High Street now. Their guildhall was a large timber-framed building, occupying the same site, with a piazza for shops fronting the street, courts of justice at each end, and a prison to the north of the building. Part of the prison was a cell called 'the peephole', which gained a notorious reputation. There was a gaoler's house, and attached to it an alehouse from which the gaoler sold ale at extremely high prices to any prisoner who could afford the cost. In 1717 the city administration decided on a new Guildhall, and they knew just who to call; upon to build it. Thomas White was not an architect in the way we think of it today, but a stonemason. In 1705 he had carved a statue of Queen Anne to stand in front of the medieval Guildhall and was made a Freeman of the City. The total cost of the fashionable new red-brick building was £3727. The Corporation only put forward £800, and the rest had to be raised by public subscription. The centre section of the new Guildhall was finished by 1724 and has remained almost unchanged since then. The central facade is a wonderful example of early Georgian style, with three bays flanked by Corinthian pillars. Over the entrance is a huge carving incorporating the Hanoverian royal arms. White's earlier statue of Queen Anne was placed in a niche over the door, and on either side were statues of Charles I, depicted holding a church, and Charles II, with an orb and royal sceptre. On the rooftop are figures of Labour, Peace, Justice, Plenty, and Chastisement. North and south wings were added within a few years of the central block. The south wing was used as a judge's lodging when the assizes were taking place, but throughout the rest of the year it housed a coffee shop. The most striking external feature of the Guildhall is a set of iron gates...

This evocative oil painting, titled Studio Muse, depicts a seated nude in a quiet moment of contemplation. The model is shown in profile, resting on a simple wooden stool against a n...

"Not True, Good Accounts Make Good Friends" Satirical French Illustration Comical illustration by Gaston Hoffmann (French, 1883-1977) titled "Ce n'est pas vrai, les bons comptes fon...

Industrial Mid-20th Century WPA Modern Men Working American Scene Social Realism George Pearse Ennis (American, 1884-1936) "Forging a Gun Tube #1...

The Card Game in the Casino French Modernist, circa 1970's oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 21.5 x 25.5 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sound co...

The Bar Interior French School, circa 1960's indistinctly signed oil on board, framed framed: 18 x 22 inches board: 12 x 16 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: v...

Rosie Emerson, born in 1981, is a contemporary artist working almost exclusively on representing the female form. Emerson’s figures draw reference from archetypes old and new, from Artemis to the modern day super model, each solitary figure, an allegory of her own fantasy. Interested in surface, the interplay between photography and painting. Emerson’s works are playful constructs; Photography is used, not as a device for capturing reality but for creating romanticised optical illusions. Inspired by her love of theatre, performance, shrines and rituals, she uses lighting, costume, set and prop making, alongside printmaking and painting to create other worldly one off pieces. Her photography is inspired by both the drama of the baroque, and ethereal qualities of Pre Raphaelite works. Other important influences include late medieval and renaissance paintings, Japanese prints, and magical realist literature. Emerson’s screen...

Artist/ School: French School, indistinctly signed lower left, dated 1999 Title: The Bar Interior, lovely conversation piece. Medium: oil painting on board, unframed Size: boar...

Artist/ School: Jill Jackson, British contemporary, signed initials lower right corner Title: Interior scene with a writing desk or bureau, illuminated b...

This mural study is part of our exhibition America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1930s San Pedro Post Office: History of Writing Mural South, Preliminary Mural Maquette right panel...

This piece of car art was painted to celebrate the iconic Porsche 917-2 that dominated at Le Mans for many years by emerging artist Martin Allen. The ori...

Abstract Modernist oil painting by Zoute dated 1951. Oil on Masonite. I believe the subject in the painting is the artist's wife Thelma Salter. Zoute used himself and his wife almost exclusively as models. Painted in 1951. Unframed. Presented by Joseph Dasta Antiques. Zoute (Born-Leon Salter, 1903-1976) was self-taught and well exhibited during his lifetime. He painted from 1940-1954 (he stopped painting at this later date due to his wife's illness and death and never painted again) A self-taught artist, he was part of the great modern wave. He exhibited with many of the most notable artists of the day such as Picasso, Braque, Klee and others at the invitation only State University of Iowa International Show 1946-1947. He had numerous one man shows at NYC galleries, Mortimer Levitt / Joseph Heller...