M.S. Rau Paintings

Jeanne Selmersheim-Desgranges 1877-1958 French Fleurs dans une fenêtre (Flowers in a window) Signed "J. Selmersheim-Desgranges" (lower right) Oil on canvas This stunning floral s...

Louis Valtat 1869-1952 French Vase Anémones et Citrons, Draperie (Vase with Anemones and Lemons, Drapery) Signed "L. Valtat" (lower left) Oil on canvas Extraordinarily vibrant, t...

Jean Metzinger 1883-1956 French Port du Croisic Signed "J. Metzinger" (lower right) Oil on canvas This exceptional painting by the celebrated French artist Jean Metzinger is a ra...

Edouard Léon Cortès 1882-1969 I French Place de la Madeleine Signed “Edouard Cortès” (lower right) Oil on canvas Renowned as the “Parisian Poet of Painting,” Edouard Léon Cortès e...

Guy Carleton Wiggins 1883-1962 American Wall Street, Winter Signed "Guy Wiggins" (lower right) Titled, signed and dated “Wall Street Winter/Guy Wiggins/1930” (en verso) Oil on can...

Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer 1636-1699 French Still Life with Flowers on a Carved Stone Ledge Oil on canvas Impeccable detail and luminous color breathe life into this floral still lif...

Theodore Earl Butler 1861-1936 American Grainstacks in plaine des Ajoux, Giverny Oil on canvas Theodore Earl Butler was one of the leading American Impressionists, known for his ...

Sir Joshua Reynolds 1723-1792 British Sir Henry Bowles Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk and 5th Earl of Berkshire Oil on canvas Sir Joshua Reynolds is unequivocally considered the most important English portraitist of the 18th century who was instrumental in adapting the Grand Manner style in the portrait genre. In fact, when the Royal Academy was founded in 1768, Reynolds was elected its first President, setting the precedent of quality for which all other portraitists would strive. Reynolds's portrait of Henry Bowles Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk, showcases his genius in the genre and mastery over the medium. Reynolds’s portrait of the Earl expertly invokes classical values with strong lighting, rich colors and expert attention to detail to help underscore the prominence and revered echelon of the sitter. Howard was an esteemed British politician and Knight of the Garter. He served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department from 1771 to 1779, and he played a key role in utilizing mercenaries during the American Revolution and safeguarding Sweden's independence. The portrait employs Reynolds's signature style to render Howard rightfully as a gentleman of distinction. Captured seated in a stately library, the Earl appears learned and austere as he places one hand upon a stack of important documents and looks wistfully into the distance. Reynolds makes these compositional choices decisively, as the seated position gives Howard a weighty appearance of importance and the semi-profile turn captures his countenance at an attractive angle that highlights his strong, masculine features. The work draws on the classical conventions of Greek and Roman art and the Italian Renaissance masters, anchoring the nobleman in a history of refinement. Everything from his strong yet welcoming expression to his pale face enlivened by a rush of blood to the cheeks presents the picture of a strong, vital and powerful leader. As the first president of the Royal Academy in London, Reynolds’s commissions raised the status of an artist in Britain during the Romantic period and also established the portrait as an esteemed high art genre that garnered equal import to the history paintings that reigned supreme in decades prior. Today, Reynolds’s works grace the walls of the most important museums in the world, including the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Gallery in London, among others. Circa 1770 Canvas: 50 1/2" high x 40 1/4" wide Framed: 61" high x 52 1/2" wide x 3 1/2" deep Provenance: Sir Henry Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk and 5th Earl of Berkshire, 1739-1779 His mother, Lady Mary Howard, née Finch, Lady Andover, d. 1803 Acquired by descent to her daughter, Frances, and her husband Richard Bagot (later Howard) Acquired by descent to their daughter, Mary (1784-1877), and her husband Col. Fulke Greville Upton (later Howard), d. 1846 Acquired by descent to Lieutenant Colonel H.R.G. Howard Sale, Christie's, London, March 24, 1961, no. 29 Julius Weitzner, London and New York Sale, Paris, Musée Galliéra, December 7, 1965, no. 165 Newhouse Galleries, New York, NY Mr. and Mrs. F. Howard Walsh, Fort Worth, Texas, 1966 Walsh Family Art Trust Private collection, Oregon M.S. Rau, New Orleans Exhibited: British Institution, London, 1844, no. 130, loaned by the Hon. Fulke Greville Howard. South Kensington, "Second special exhibition of National Portraits," 1867, no. 478, lent by the Hon. Mrs. Greville. Agnew's, London, 1903, no. 17. Literature: Algernon Graves and W. V. Cronin, A History of the Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A., vol. 3 (London, 1899), p. 945. David Mannings...

Workshop of Bartholomaeus Spranger 16th Century Flemish Leda and the Swan Oil on panel Retelling one of the most legendary Greco-Roman mythological tales, this exceptional oil on...

The son of the legendary Napoléon Bonaparte, Napoléon François Charles Joseph, takes a spirited stance in this remarkable oil painting attributed to the Austrian portraitist Johann Peter Krafft. Believed to have been exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris, this work stands as a testament to both Austrian artistry and the legacy of one of the most powerful men in history. After Napoléon's exile to the island of Elba in 1814, his son was seen by many of his supporters as the last hope of France. The child was named the ruler of half of Europe, holding the titles of Napoléon II...

Pierre Bonnard 1867-1947 French La neige au Grand-Lemps (The Snow at Grand-Lemps) Signed "Bonnard" (lower right) Oil on canvas Pierre Bonnard is widely celebrated as one of the g...

Jean-Baptiste Robie (1821-1910) Belgian Bouquet of Flowers in the Countryside Signed "J. Robie" (lower left) Oil on panel This extraordinary floral still life embodies the height...

Richard E. Miller 1875-1943 American Bathers Oil on canvas on board Emanating the radiant beauty that defines American Impressionism, Bathers captures Richard Edward Miller at his expressive best. Painted during a period shaped by his time among the celebrated Giverny Colony, the work blends atmospheric color, lyrical brushwork and an instinctive sensitivity to light. Its romantic tone and refined handling highlight Miller’s role as one of the most compelling American painters to absorb and evolve the lessons of French Impressionism. In this striking composition, Miller bathes his figures in a warm, glowing light that reveals their elegance and ease. Soft contours and textured strokes create a painterly surface that feels immediate and alive. The shimmering palette of the distant water recalls the brilliance of Monet’s Giverny...

Montague Dawson 1890–1973 British The Atlantic Packet Albion of the Black Ball Line Signed "Montague Dawson" (lower left) Oil on canvas Montague Dawson’s The Atlantic Packet Albi...

Pablo Picasso 1881-1973 Spanish Buste d'homme barbu (Bust of a Bearded Man) Signed "Picasso" (upper right) and dated "8.4.65" (en verso) Oil on canvas Pablo Picasso and his work transcend art history: they have achieved global celebrity within both academic circles and popular culture. More than any other artist, his ever-evolving, evocative style has come to define modern art of the 20th century, and to this day he continues to gain recognition. The most compelling of his works offer a glimpse into the psyche of the master himself, and the present work can be counted among these. Combining saturated color with a jarring simplicity, Buste d'homme barbu represents an important series of bearded men portraits that the artist composed during the last few years of his life. These works are among the most highly personal and intimate of his career, and they serve as remarkable examples of his mature style with their highly modern expressivity. Many of Picasso's works from his last years capture the visage of his wife Jacqueline, who was his chief model during this period. In April, however, at his home studio in Mougins, France, Picasso changed direction and produced a series of individual portraits of men. His male subjects derive from various sources. Often they were self-referential portraits; often they referenced his father, Spanish painter José Ruiz...

Patrick Hughes b. 1939 British Warholed Signed “Warholed / Patrick Hughes” (en verso) Oil on panel Almost defying definition and description, the artwork of London artist Patrick...

Frank Sinatra 1915-1998 American Abstract with Squares Signed "Sinatra 86" (lower right) Acrylic on canvas Famed as one of the greatest American pop singers of the 20th century, ...

Jean-Gabriel Domergue 1889-1962 French Aux Courses (At the Races) Signed "Jean Gabriel Domergue" (lower right) Oil on canvas This exceptional oil by French artist Jean-Gabriel Do...

Fernando Botero 1932-2023 Colombian Juan Rodriguez Conejo Signed "Botero 88" (upper right) Oil on canvas Exemplifying Fernando Botero's distinctive visual language and mastery of...

Otto Eerelman 1839-1926 Dutch A Watchful Mother Oil on canvas Signed “O. Eerelman” (lower left) Celebrated across Europe for his lifelike animal portraits, Otto Eerelman achieved...

Patrick Hughes b. 1939 British Writ on Water Oil on panel Signed, titled, and dated “Writ on Water / Patrick Hughes / 2025” (en verso) In Writ on Water, Patrick Hughes transforms...

Antonio Torres Fuster 1847-1945 Spanish On the Terrace Signed "Antonio Torres" (lower left) Oil on canvas Antonio Torres Fuster deftly channels the artistry and spirit of the Pre...

Edouard Léon Cortès 1882-1969 French Place de la Bastille Signed “Edouard Cortès” (lower left) Oil on canvas A glowing warmth radiates from this bustling street scene by the reno...

René Magritte 1898-1967 Belgian Le carnaval du sage (The Sage’s Carnival) Signed “Magritte” (lower right); titled and dated "Le carnaval du sage 1947" (en verso) Oil on canvas The enigmatic paintings of René Magritte have become some of the most familiar and celebrated of the Surrealist movement. Among the most influential of the Surrealist painters of the 20th century, Magritte is an artist of international renown, as beloved for his popular appeal as he is for the psychological intensity of his works. The present oil on canvas, entitled Le carnaval du sage, was executed in 1947 at the height of his career, and it is a tour-de-force example of the haunting, mysterious scenes that comprise his oeuvre. Painted in the years following the Second World War, Le carnaval du sage showcases several recurring themes from Magritte’s oeuvre. Chiefly, a juxtaposition between the visible and the hidden is keenly felt. Throughout his career, Magritte explores the psychological obsession with revealing what is hidden, particularly with regard to the human face. In his Le fils de l’homme, he obscures the face of a man in a bowler hat with an apple, while his Les amants (Metropolitan Museum of Art) conceals the faces of two lovers with white sheets. In Le carnaval du sage, Magritte juxtaposes the blatant nudity of his central figure by masking her face, simultaneously revealing and concealing her from the viewer. The work also incorporates two of Magritte’s most common tropes – the glass of water and the baguette. Lending the scene a strange sense of domesticity, they appear infinitely familiar and distinctly out of place, and thus heighten the uncanny effect of Magritte’s composition. In the background hovers a ghost obscured by a sheet, a figure which was of particular fascination to Magritte beginning in 1946. He once wrote to his fellow Surrealist Paul Nougé: "I saw in a dream an answer to the problem of the ghost: the traditional ghost draped...

Salvador Dalí 1904-1989 Spanish Four of Wands Signed "Dalí" (lower center) Gouache on photographic background From Salvador Dalí's celebrated tarot series, Four of Wands represen...

Louis Ritman 1889-1963 American Nude No. 2 Signed "L. Ritman" (lower right) Oil on canvas This vibrant nude by famed American artist Louis Ritman epitomizes the artist's talent ...

Mary Cassatt 1844–1926 American Smiling Sara in a Big Hat Holding Her Dog Signed "Mary Cassatt" (lower right) Pastel on paper “I love to paint children. They are so natural and t...

Mary Cassatt 1844–1926 American Girl with a Banjo Signed (lower right) Pastel on board This important pastel entitled Girl with a Banjo by Mary Cassatt is a true masterwork from ...

Salvador Dalí 1904-1989 Spanish Four of Swords Signed “Dalí” (lower center) Gouache on photographic background Representing a unique blend of spiritualism and Surrealism, this go...

Louis Valtat 1869-1952 French Portrait of Pierre Renoir Signed "L. Valtat" (lower right) Oil on canvas This vibrant painting by Louis Valtat depicts the famed Renoir's eldest son...

Giovanni Boldini 1842-1931 Italian Portrait of Emilienne Le Roy Oil on canvas A dazzling display of Giovanni Boldini’s signature style, Portrait of Emilienne Le Roy captures the ...

Richard E. Miller 1875-1943 American Young Woman in Interior Signed "Miller" (lower right) Oil on canvas Richard E. Miller's Young Woman in Interior exemplifies the artist's exce...

Paul Klee 1879-1940 Swiss-German Kronen-Narr (Crown Fool) Signed "Klee" (lower right) Gouache and ink on newsprint on cardboard One of the most important artists of the 20th cent...

Salvador Dalí 1904-1989 Spanish King of Swords Signed “Dalí” (lower center) Gouache on photographic background This unique gouache by Surrealist master Salvador Dalí combines the...

Salvador Dalí 1904-1989 Spanish Two of Swords Signed “Dalí” (upper right) Gouache on photographic background Representing a unique blend of spiritualism and Surrealism, this goua...

Salvador Dalí 1904-1989 Spanish Nine of Swords Signed “Dalí” (lower center) Gouache on photographic background Representing a unique blend of spiritualism and Surrealism, this go...

Jean-Gabriel Domergue 1889-1962 French Elegant Lady with Feather Boa Signed "Jean Gabriel Domergue" (lower left) Oil on canvas A radiant masterwork by French artist Jean-Gabriel ...

Salvador Dalí 1904-1989 Spanish Seven of Pentacles Signed “Dalí” (lower center) Gouache on photographic background Representing a unique blend of spiritualism and Surrealism, thi...

Salvador Dalí 1904-1989 Spanish Nine of Cups Signed "Dalí’" (top center) Gouache on photographic background This original gouache is a part of Salvador Dalí’s sought-after deck o...

Eugen von Blaas Italian I 1843-1932 The Water Carrier Signed and dated "E. von Blaas 1891" (lower right) Oil on canvas Eugen von Blaas’ unparalleled skill for genre painting is on...

Norman Rockwell 1894-1978 American Tender Years: Moth Holes Signed "Norman Rockwell" (lower right) Oil on canvas From Norman Rockwell's acclaimed Four Seasons calendar series for...

Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) 1892-1990 Russian-French Les sisters Signed “Erté” (lower right) Inscribed "No. 18.360 / Moi, J’aime le Music-Hall / Le ventriloque" (en verso) Gouache on...

Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) 1892-1990 Russian-French Les sisters Signed “Erté” (lower right) Gouache on paper Designed for a performance of Moi, J’aime le Music-Hall, Erté’s Les sis...

Alexander Koester 1864-1932 German Ducks in a Pond Signed "A. Koester" (lower right) Oil on canvas Alexander Koester is one of the great animal painters of art history, and this ...

Andreas Alexevich Jawlensky 1902-1984 Russian-Swiss Verträumter Tag (Dreamy Day) Signed "A. Jawlensky" (lower left) and dated "1956" (lower right) Oil on board This vibrant lands...

Wolf Kahn 1927-2020 American A Spot of Grass Signed "W Kahn" (lower right) Oil on canvas A masterwork of modern American landscape painting, A Spot of Grass exemplifies Wolf Kahn...

Ludovic Alleaume 1859-1941 French Leda and the Swan Oil on canvas Signed (lower left) This spectacular circular composition by Ludovic Alleaume presents one of mythology's most e...

Frank Sinatra 1915-1998 American Blue Abstract Signed "Sinatra 90" (lower right) Acrylic on canvas Widely considered the greatest American pop singer of the 20th century, Frank S...

Marc Chagall 1887-1985 Russian Couple sur le lit (Couple on bed) Signed 'Marc Chagall' (lower right) Oil and India ink on canvas Marc Chagall's exquisite work, Couple sur le lit,...

Yvonne Canu 1921-2008 French Preparations for the Regattas (Préparations aux Régates) Signed "Canu" (lower right) Titled "Préparations aux Régates" (en verso) Oil on canvas A lum...

Léon Olivié-Bon 1863-1901 French The Potter Oil on canvas Signed and dated "Olivie-Bon 1888" (lower right) This monumental masterpiece by French artist Léon Olivié-Bon is one of ...

Attributed to Mason Chamberlin 1729-1787 British Portrait of Benjamin Franklin No visible signature Oil on canvas This exceptional portrait of Benjamin Franklin represents one of ...

Sir Winston Churchill 1874-1965 British Still Life with Aubergines and Red Peppers on a Silver Tray Signed "WSC" (lower right) Oil on canvas Widely considered the greatest Briton...

Marinus van Reymerswaele c.1490 – c.1546 Dutch The Tax Collectors 16th century Oil on wood panel Marinus van Reymerswaele stands among the greatest and most beloved artists of 16th-century Antwerp. Entitled The Tax Collectors, this oil on board original exudes the technical skill and life-like vibrancy for which the artist is renowned. In a quiet interior scene, two men sit at a green table covered in coins, jewels, and empty moneybags. While the man in the red turban...

Alexander Koester 1864-1932 German Sixteen Ducks in the Evening (Sechzehn Enten in Abendstimmung) Signed "A KOESTER" (lower left) Oil on canvas Epitomizing the mastery of Germany...

Otto Eerelman 1839-1926 Dutch Newfoundland with a Kitten Oil on canvas Signed “O. Eerelman” (lower right) This monumental painting is by the celebrated Dutch artist Otto Eerelman...

the most important American Impressionists of his age. While many of his contemporaries focused on the landscape, Frieseke gained his inspiration from the figural, and in particular the theme of femininity. His works capture female figures engaging in traditionally feminine roles — strolling in the garden or posed in a domestic interior. At the Mirror...

This charming German miniature painting, created of oil on copper, depicts a young woman wearing a large and lavish hat. With dark, braided hair and blue eyes, the sitter's cheerful ...

Austrian School 18th Century Tri-Directional Portrait Commemorating the Russo-Turkish War Oil on wooden strips This extraordinary tri-directional portrait exemplifies the rare innovation known as a triscenorama, capturing a pivotal diplomatic moment through ingenious artistic technique. Employing triangularly cut wooden strips, this remarkable work simultaneously depicts three imperial figures central to the Russo-Turkish War of 1735-1739: Empress Anna Ivanovna Romanova of Russia when viewed directly, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI from the left and Ottoman Sultan Mahmud I from the right, commemorating the Treaty of Nissa that concluded this significant European conflict. The portrait utilizes an exceptionally rare optical technique that predates modern movable imaging technology. When observed from different angles, the painted triangular wooden strips create a transformative effect, revealing entirely different imperial portraits as the viewer shifts position. The precision required to execute such a work demonstrates remarkable technical mastery, as the artist had to conceptualize three distinct portraits as well as the meticulous arrangement of the panels. This sophisticated manipulation of perspective creates an interactive viewing experience considered revolutionary for its time. Almost certainly created by an Austrian artist, this diplomatic artwork likely served as a commemorative piece marking the Treaty of Nissa, signed in September 1739. The treaty concluded Russia's ambitious campaign to secure access to the Black Sea while countering Ottoman raids in Ukraine and the Caucasus regions. Given its exceptional quality and historical significance, this portrait was possibly commissioned by Emperor Charles VI himself, potentially serving as a diplomatic gift to either Empress Anna or Sultan Mahmud I during the treaty negotiations. Under Empress Anna's leadership, Russia sought to counter devastating raids from Ottoman allies, particularly the Crimean Tatars...

André Brasilier b. 1929 French La ronde des cavaliers Signed "André Brasilier" (lower right) Oil on canvas "I always try to give the quintessence of a subject, to say a great dea...