James Ward Art

John Nost Sartorius (London 1759-1828) Gimcrack with jockey up, wearing the colours of Richard Grosvenor, 1st Earl Grosvenor Inscribed and signed 'Gi...

Coastal view at sunset with fishermen and boats Atelier of Charles François Grenier De Lacroix, called de Marseille (Marseille 1700 - Berlin 1782) Oil on canvas 50 x 62 cm. - in fra...

Cecil Charles Windsor Aldin, was a British artist and illustrator best known for his paintings and sketches of animals, sports, and rural life. Aldin executed village scenes and rura...

Mezzotint by David Lucas (1802 - 1881) after the painting by John Constable. Shirley catalog 3 state 6.iv. Christopher Lennox-Boyd state vi/vi. London: Republished Feb.y 15, 1853, by Thomas Boys (of the late Firm of Moon, Boyd & Greaves,) Printseller to the Royal Family, 467, Oxford Street - Paris. E.Gambart & C. 9 Rue d'Orleans au Marais,-Depose. Originally Published July 1.1834. Image 22 1/4 x 19 1/2, plate 26 3/4 x 20 3/8, sheet 30 3/4 x 24 3/8. A rich impression printed on sturdy wove paper with full margins, mounted on archival paper. A few unobtrusive scrapes and folds, one horizontally across the center of the image, and a faint water stain in the top right-hand image and margin. Signed in the plate. Housed in a double archival mat and a Hogarth 36.50 x 30.50 x 1.25-inch Hogarth frame with gilded corner ornaments. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cornfield depicts Fen lane as it leads from East Bergholt towards Dedham; a village in the borough of Colchester. A flock of sheep are followed by a dog as the path winds towards figures active in a cornfield. A boy, prone and with his face on the surface of a stream, slakes his thirst. The church in the distance is thought to have been an invention on Constable's part. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1826, Constable's The Cornfield became one of the artist's most celebrated works. It was reproduced in mezzotint by David Lucas in 1834 and sold by J. McLean and Hodgson, Boys and Graves, and Rudolph Ackermann. This print, however, derives from a posthumous collection of Constable's works entitled 'English Landscape Scenery,' edited by H.G. Bohn and published by Thomas Boys in 1853. The series consisted of forty mezzotint engravings on steel plates; all of which were produced by Lucas. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cornfield is one of Constable’s best-known works. It was also the first of his pictures to enter a public collection. Shortly after his death in 1837, a committee was set up to subscribe towards the purchase of a painting for the nation, and The Cornfield was bought for the National Gallery for 300 guineas. The list of subscribers included the poet William Wordsworth, the scientist Michael Faraday...

The splendour of the tragic sea Francesco Guardi and maritime painting in Venetian art No Venetian painter was a stranger to the sea. After all, Venice was not only one of the most prominent ports of the Mediterranean, but indeed a city literally submerged in the ocean from time to time. Curiously however, the famous Venetian school of painting showed little interest in maritime motifs, favouring scenes from the iconic architecture of the city rather than seascapes. That is why this painting is a particularly interesting window into not only the painter Francesco Guardi himself – but to the significance of the element of water in art history, in absence as well as in the centre of attention. Whether it be calm, sunny days with stunning views of the palaces alongside the canals of Venice or – more rarely – stormy shipwrecking tragedies at sea, water as a unifying element is integral to the works of painter Francesco Guardi (1712–1793). During his lifetime, Venetian art saw many of its greatest triumphs with names like Tiepolo or Canaletto gaining international recognition and firmly establishing Venice as one of the most vibrant artistic communities of Europe. While the city itself already in the 18th century was something of an early tourist spot where aristocrats and high society visited on their grand tour or travels, the artists too contributed to the fame and their work spread the image of Venice as the city of romance and leisure to an international audience, many of whom could never visit in person. Still today, the iconic image of Venice with its whimsical array of palaces, churches and other historic buildings is much influenced by these artists, many of whom have stood the test of time like very well and remain some of the most beloved in all of art history. It was not primarily subtility, intellectual meanings or moral ideals that the Venetian art tried to capture; instead it was the sheer vibrancy of life and the fast-paced city with crumbling palaces and festive people that made this atmosphere so special. Of course, Venice could count painters in most genres among its residents, from portraiture to religious motifs, history painting and much else. Still, it is the Vedutas and views of the city that seems to have etched itself into our memory more than anything else, not least in the tradition of Canaletto who was perhaps the undisputed master of all Venetian painters. Born into his profession, Francesco lived and breathed painting all his life. His father, the painter Domenico Guardi (1678–1716) died when Francesco was just a small child, yet both he and his brothers Niccolò and Gian Antonio continued in their fathers’ footsteps. The Guardi family belonged to the nobility and originated from the mountainous area of Trentino, not far from the Alps. The brothers worked together on more challenging commissions and supported each other in the manner typical of family workshops or networks of artists. Their sister Maria Cecilia married no other than the artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo himself, linking the family to the most renowned Venetian name of the time. During almost a decade, Guardi worked in the studio of Michele Giovanni Marieschi, sometimes simply known as Michiel, a painted similar in both style and motif. Canaletto is, however, the artist Guardi is most often compared to since they shared a mutual fascination for depicting the architecture and cityscape of Venice. During the course of his career, Guardi tried his hand in many different genres. He was as swift in painting landscapes, Vedutas of Venice, sacred motifs, interiors and architectural compositions as he was in a number of other motifs. His style is typical of the Venetian school but also distinct and personal once we look a little closer. There is an absolute certainty in the composition, the choice of which sometimes feels like that of a carefully calculated photograph – yet it is also very painterly, in the best sense of the word: fluid, bold, sensitive and full of character. The brushwork is rapid, intense, seemingly careless and extraordinarily minute at the same time; fresh and planned in a very enjoyable mixture. His interiors often capture the breath-taking spacious glamour of the palaces and all their exquisite decor. He usually constructed the motif through remarkably simple, almost spontaneous yet intuitively precise strokes and shapes. The result was a festive, high-spirited atmospheric quality, far away from the sterile and exact likeness that other painters fell victim to when trying to copy Canaletto. The painting here has nothing of the city of Venice in it. On the contrary, we seem to be transported far away into the solitary ocean, with no architecture, nothing to hold on to – only the roaring sea and the dangerous cliffs upon which the ships are just moments away from being crushed upon. It is a maritime composition evoking both Flemish and Italian precursors, in the proud tradition of maritime painting that for centuries formed a crucial part of our visual culture. This genre of painting is today curiously overlooked, compared to how esteemed and meaningful it was when our relationship to the sea was far more natural than it is today. When both people and goods travelled by water, and many nations and cities – Venice among them – depended entirely on sea fare, the existential connection to the ocean was much more natural and integrated into the imagination. The schools and traditions of maritime art are as manifold as there are countries connected to the sea, and all reflect the need to process the dangers and wonders of the ocean. It could symbolize opportunity, the exciting prospects of a new countries and adventures, prospering trade, beautiful scenery as well as war and tragedy, loss of life, danger and doom. To say that water is ambivalent in nature is an understatement, and these many layers were something that artists explored in the most wondrous ways. Perhaps it takes a bit more time for the modern eye to identify the different nuances and qualities of historic maritime paintings, they may on first impression seem hard to differentiate from each other. But when allowing these motifs to unfold and tell stories of the sea in both fiction and reality – or somewhere in between – we are awarded with an understanding of how the oceans truly built our world. In Guardi’s interpretation, we see an almost theatrically arranged shipwrecking scene. No less than five ships are depicted right in the moment of utter disaster. Caught in a violent storm, the waves have driven them to a shore of sharp cliffs and if not swallowed by the waves, crushing against the cliffs seems to be the only outcome. The large wooden ships are impressively decorated with elaborate sculpture, and in fact relics already during Guardi’s lifetime. They are in fact typical of Dutch and Flemish 17th century ships, giving us a clue to where he got the inspiration from. Guardi must have seen examples of Flemish maritime art, that made him curious about these particular motifs. One is reminded of Flemish painters like Willem van de Velde and Ludolf Backhuysen, and this very painting has indeed been mistakenly attributed to Matthieu van Plattenberg...

1970s original oil on canvas by artist James C Fredericks, circa 1970s, the painting its in original condition very nice and clean beautiful colors ...

Étienne Jeaurat (Vermenton 1699 - Versailles 1789) Game of children intent on harvesting grain (Allegory of Summer) Mid-18th century Oil on canvas 97 x 129 cm - Framed cm. 112 x 14...

Jan Frans Soolmaker (Flanders 1635‑1685) Shepherd with Sheep, Cows and a Goat in a Landscape oil on relined canvas canvas size 56 x 53 cm frame i...

Alphonse Mucha (Czech, 1860 - 1939) Medieval Thoughts, circa 1890 Wash, ink, and watercolor on paper 11 x 9 inches Signed lower right Provenance: Phillips New York, 19th and 20th ce...

Scottish artist, David McEwen's oil painting of a Border Terrier dog and horse, "The Runaways" is a masterfully painted narration of Phillip, a dog, and...

An atmospheric oil painting depicting a seaside with sunlit high sand dunes in the forefront and in Stark contrast a dark stormy sky in the background with seagulls overhead. Small sailing ships can be seen in the distance. Climbing the dunes is a shepherdess and her small flock of sheep grazing on meagre offerings along the dunes. A young couple can also be seen sitting on the beach in the background. The painting is in its original carved and gilded frame. Signed James Webb and dated 18_7 on the bottom right hand corner of the canvas. Why the artist omitted the "decade" digit and put an underscore instead is a mystery. The painting is set in an intricately carved gilded frame which has been professionally restored. James R Webb...

French school of the nineteenth century, LW (?) Harbor scene, animation around a skiff Pencil on paper Signed LW (?) Bottom right 15 x 21 cm Framed : 27 x 34.5 cm This very fine ...