James Pollard (British 1792-1867)

The London to Oxford Coaches at Mile Marker 24

Oil-on-canvas, signed lower right

Painting: 17” x 32”
Frame: 23 ½” x 38 1/4”

Pollard was an engraver and sporting artist noted for his coaching, fox hunting and equine scenes. As the son of Robert Pollard, a painter, engraver and publisher, James was encouraged to become a painter of horses. He was also tutored by his father’s friend, the engraver Thomas Bewick. Growing up in Islington, Pollard lived on a main coaching route which undoubtedly influenced his choice of coaching scenes as his primary subject matter. In 1821 he exhibited a large work at the Royal Academy “North Country Mails at the Peacock, Islington” and by 1825 he was successful enough to leave his father, marry and set up his own studio. He prospered with numerous commissions. With the demise of the mail coaches in the 1840‘s, Pollard expanded his subject matter to include racing, hunting, shooting and angling scenes. Pollard is also known to have collaborated with John Frederick Herring Senior on several racing pictures in which he painted the backgrounds and crowd scenes and Herring painted the horses.

Pollard exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1821-1839, the British Institution in 1824 and 1844, and at the Suffolk Street Galleries. Many of his works were reproduced in prints which were engraved by himself, his father and others.

Pollard’s work is noted for its historical accuracy, attention to detail and in evoking the spirit of the coaching age.

Sources:
Mitchell, Sally. The Dictionary of Equestrian Artists
Wingfield, Mary Anne. A Dictionary of Sporting Artists, 1650-1990
Wood, Christopher. Dictionary of British Art. Vol. IV, Victorian Painters

FinePair of Italian Grand Tour Bronze Candlesticks with nicely detailed foliate decoration and with good patina and fine castings. Having a removable ormolu drip pan above a bronze candle cup and supported by a turned and foliate decorated column with a tripartite scrolling ormolu base and mounted on a tripartite bronze plinth. These would have been brought home as a souvenir by someone who had made the Grand Tour. Italy, circa 1870. Height: 11.25"

Cartouche-shaped black marble plaque inset with oval micromosaic panels depicting Roman archaeological scenes (clockwise from upper left): the Coliseum, the Temple of Hercules, the Roman Forum and the Pantheon. Those four panels surround the Doves of Pliny, an image often used in micromosaics, which comes from a Roman floor mosaic at Hadrian’s villa in Tivoli and is believed to be a copy of a lost ancient Greek mosaic at Pergamon described by Pliny the elder.

Such items were collected by visitors to Italy on the Grand Tour as they were easily portable. Micromosaics began to be made in Italy during the Renaissance and reached the height of their popularity in the mid nineteenth century. This example was made from the smallest pieces of glass (tesserae), a technique developed in the 18th century in the Vatican Mosaic Workshop.

The edge of the plaque is incised and and would have originally been wrapped with a braided gilt-metal rope, tied at the top for hanging.

Circa 1850-1875

5 ¼” x 4”

Source: The Victoria and Albert Museum, the Gilbert Collection

(Minor chips to the edges.)

19th Century British School

"Warmiing Up" Jockey Galloping a Horse with a Plaited Mane

Oil on Canvas , signed"WV"

Painting: 16" x 24"
Frame: 20.75" x 28.5"

Max Weyl (German/American, 1837-1914)

"Evening on the Marsh"

Oil on Academy Board, signed and dated "(18)88", dated "Dec. 27,1888" on the reverse and titled by Benson B. Moore also on the reverse.

Provenance: The Washington area painter Benson B. Moore. Moore studied with Weyl at the Corcoran in Washington D.C.

Painting: 11 x 16 in.
Frame: 16 x 21 in.

**Please Note: This item is not currently on view in our gallery. Please call at least 48 hours in advance if you wish to see it.

** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC or North Carolina, click on the “Regional Artists” button on our Homepage.

Max Weyl was born Dec. 1, 1837, in Germany and immigrated with his family to Williamsport, PA in 1853. At this time and after his arrival in Washington, DC in 1861, Weyl earned his living as an itinerant watch repairman. At the relatively young age of 24, he had saved enough money to open his own jewelry shop at Third Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

He was self-taught as an artist but was encouraged in the field by Washington artist Charles Lanman, who recognized his potential artistic talent. In 1870, Weyl sold his first painting to Samuel H. Kauffman, publisher of the Star . Kauffman became a regular patron of Weyl.

By 1878, he had achieved sufficient success to list himself as an artist in the city directory and had devoted himself full-time to his art. A year abroad in 1879-80, visiting and studying in Paris, Vienna, Munich and Venice attached him to the Barbizon style and gave him his nickname of the "American Daubigny". His first exhibition and sale of landscapes was in 1879. Eventually, his landscapes of the Potomac River and Rock Creek Park won him much recognition and acclaim.

During the years of 1882-92, he shared a studio with Richard Norris Brooke in Vernon Row at 10th and Pennsylvania, moving to the "Barbizon Studio" building, on 17th and Pennsylvania, from 1892-1903.

Weyl had annual exhibitions and sales at V.G. Fischer Galleries. There was a retrospective at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1907. Weyl died July 6, 1914, in Washington, DC. Today his work can be seen in such varied locations of the Corcoran Gallery, the Cosmos Club in Washington, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Virginia Military Academy.

Sources:
Consentino, Andrew and Glassie, Henry. "The Capital Image, Painters in Washington, 1800-1915"
Falk, Peter, ed. "Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975"
McMahan, Virgil. "The Artists of Washington, D.C. 1796-1996"

** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia or Washington DC, type “local” into the search box.

Lucien Whiting Powell (American 1846-1930)

Bayou Oil-on-canvas, signed lower left

Provenance: Senator John B. Henderson (1826-1913)

Painting: 23” x 37”
Frame: 27” x 41”

Born 1846 in Upperville, Lucien Whiting Powell served with the Virginia cavalry during the Civil War. After attending the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Powell moved on to the London School of Art by 1875 where he was strongly influenced by the atmospheric painting style and romantic subject matter of J.M.W. Turner.

Powell eventually settled in Washington D.C. where he had a series of different studios, the most noted one at Henderson’s “Castle” on 16th Street owned by his formidable patron, Mrs. John B. Henderson. Perhaps with a certain proprietary attitude towards the artist, Mrs. Henderson owned some 200 of his watercolors and works on canvas and funded his tour of the Middle East in 1910.

An avid traveler, Powell also toured the American West in 1901. His best known works are landscapes of the Grand Canyon as well as land- and seascapes of Venice. In Street Scene in Florence, Italy, a casual gathering of women proffer goods under cloth and wooden awnings in an open square. Powell’s warm, earthy palate and loose, painterly rendering reflect his admiration of Turner.

Though he ventured far afield, Powell achieved considerable recognition in the District; his works were collected by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson. He also exhibited regularly at the Corcoran and was a member of the Society of Washington Artists. Powell’s work is currently represented in the collections of American University, Georgetown University, the U.S. State Department and the Historical Society of Washington, D.C

Sources:

Falk, Peter, ed. Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975
McMahan, Virgil. The Artists of Washington, D.C. 1796-1996** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia or Washington DC, type “local” into the search box.

** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC or North Carolina, click on the “Regional Artists” button on our Homepage.

View of the Capitol at Washington in 1892

Studio Antiques has found the original engraved copper printing plate of the “Capitol at Washington” done by Max Franke in 1892. We are offering a limited edition re-strike engraving of this print, handpulled from the original plate by master printmaker Roger Bailey. It will be limited to a numbered edition of only 350 and will not be republished. Each print comes with a “Certificate of Authenticity”

Lost for over a century, the unidentified copper printing plate was found at a small Washington D.C. area auction. It was dark, tarnished and dirty but we were able make out the figure of Freedom on the dome of the Capitol Building. We bought it, not knowing if it could ever again be used to print an image. We met with Professor Roger Bailey who taught printmaking at Sara Lawrence College. He suggested trying to pull a print and over the next several months he was able to meticulously restore the plate to good condition without over-restoring it to the point that it looked new. The resulting print is a stunning genuine intaglio image of our nations Capitol in 1892.

These fine quality re-strikes are not to be confused with the normal type of “fine art” prints that are widely available from many galleries or poster stores, which are generally photo lithographs of varying quality and printed on a modern paper, often not of archival quality. The subtle look and feel of a genuine intaglio art print, on fine paper along with its plate mark just cannot be reproduced with modern methods. Each impression is crafted individually and entirely by hand, in the same manner as the copperplate printer of centuries ago.The traditional hand pulled method of printing and archival quality of the paper ensures these will far outlast normal “fine art” prints.

Plate Size: 12” x 17.75”
Sheet size:15” x 21”
Unframed

Oval portrait miniature of a young woman; watercolor, signed indistinctly. She is wearing a lace and floral trimmed bonnet, braids coiled over her ears, pearls and a ruched off the shoulder rose dress, all typical of the 1840’s.

Frame: 5.5” x 4.75”

Exceptional Grand Tour Micro-mosaic plaque with an extremely fine oval micro-mosaic image of the Pantheon in Rome: on a cartouche shaped black marble ground, with an oval malachite surround. Italian circa 1860.

4" x 3"

Alethea Hill Platt (American, 1861-1932)

Devonshire Cottage by Moonlight

Oil-on-canvas, signed lower left

Painting: 25” x 30”
Frame: 29” x 33 ¾”

Platt was active in New York State and Connecticut. She is known for her landscapes, portraits and interiors. She studied at the Art Students’ League (NYC) and Delecluse Academy, Paris. Platt also studied with Ben Foster and Henry B. Snell. She exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art (1900-1901), Boston Art Club, Society of Independent Artists (1917) and many others. Additionally she was a member of the New York Woman’s Art Club, Pen & Brush Club, National Arts Club and the New York Water Color Club.

Platt travelled to Europe, painting scenes both in Devon and Normandy, often depicting charming interiors showing the life of the peasants.

Gian Simonetti (Italian, 19th Century)

Fishermen in the Venetian Lagoon at Daybreak

Oil-on-canvas, signed lower left

Painting: 16” x 20”
Frame: 22” x 26”

There is little biographical information on Simonetti, and it has been suggested that it is a pseudonym for Gian Gianni who was one of the last of the view painters of Italy. Gianni worked mostly in watercolor and produced views of Naples and Venice for people who were making the Grand Tour. The advent of photography soon took the place of these painters.

Antique Carved And Gilt Wood Oval Mirror with foliate carved decoration. (Gilding darkened)

Mirror: 23" X 19.5"
Frame: 32" x 28.5"

**Please Note: This item is not currently on view in our gallery. Please call at least 48 hours in advance if you wish to see it.

Antique Italian Openwork Carved and Gilt Mirror; rectangular with scrolling leafage openwork decoration. Late 19th Century

Plate: 21.5 x 17.25"
Frame: 29" x 33"

**Please Note: This item is not currently on view in our gallery. Please call at least 48 hours in advance if you wish to see it.

Hendricks A. Hallett (American 1847-1921 )

Sailing Vessels at Sunrise

Oil-on-panel, signed lower right

Painting: 20” x 16”
Frame: 25” x 21”

Born in Massachusetts, Hallett studied in Antwerp and Paris. He is best known for his paintings of ships, notable marine events, and seascapes, many along Boston Harbor. He also painted in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and on Mount Desert Island in Maine.  Hallett worked outdoors, sketching with pencil, making color notes, and translated his sketches into oils in his studio.  He and his wife Florence, also an artist, spent eighteen months studying art in Europe. The Halletts shared a studio at Fenway Studios from1907-1918. Hallett exhibited regularly at the Boston Art Club between 1877 and 1918. He was a member of the Boston Society of Watercolor Painters, as well as the Boston Art Club, and exhibited at the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, the Eastman Chase Gallery (Boston), Poland Spring Art Exhibitions, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

Henry Maidment (British, fl. 1889-1914)

Farm by a Pond

Oil on canvas, signed lower right

Painting: 24" x 30"
Frame: 30" x 42"

Maidment was a painter in oil of rural scenes and landscapes. He also used the pseudonyms of "R. Fenson" and “A. Wynn”. Dated examples of his work have been seen spanning from 1898 until 1914. The high quality of the painting and decorative subject matter have fueled an ever growing demand for Maidment’s work.

Source:
Wood, Jeremy. "Hidden Talents, A Dictionary of Neglected Artists working 1880-1950"

Henry Maidment signing as R. Fenson (British, fl. 1889-1914)

Stepping Stones

Oil on canvas, signed

Painting size: 9” x 12”
Frame size: 13.5” x 16.5”

Maidment was a painter in oil of rural scenes and landscapes. He is variously catalogued as Robin or Robert Fenson but usually just signed “R. Fenson” in red, often with a date. This was a pseudonym for Henry Maidment who also was known to have signed “A. Wynn”. Dated examples of his work have been seen spanning from 1898 until 1914. The quality of his paintings and the decorative subject matter have fueled an ever growing demand for Maidment’s work.

Source:
Wood, Jeremy. "Hidden Talents, A Dictionary of Neglected Artists working 1880-1950"

Large Antique Anglo-Indian Brass Document Box having a stepped lid surmounted by a carrying handle and heavily incised with scrolling vine and floral decoration. Late 19th/early 20th Century $675. 16" x 11" x 4" tall

Antique Masonic Gold Presentation Cane, inscribed “Presented to. Worshipful Bro. John Lee, member of Lg. No. 382, Dec. 22, 1876” with a Rosewood Shaft

Length 34"