Old Master painting encompasses all works created from the Middle Ages to the end of the 18th century. During the medieval period, sacred art dominated, executed in tempera on wood and intended for churches and chapels. These paintings were distinguished by their masterful craftsmanship and extraordinary attention to detail.
Circle of Jan Wijnants, Landscape with Hunters and Travelers by a Lake, oil on panel, Netherlands, 17th century.
This painting depicts a landscape featuring hunters and travelers on a path alongside a lake. Several tall trees dominate the center. A lake is visible to the left, bordered by a road receding towards the horizon. The foreground shows two hunters with a child and a dog, with additional travelers appearing further back. The strategic placement of human figures (staffage) across various planes imbues the landscape with depth. A hill and forest are silhouetted on the horizon. The artwork is presented in a 17th-18th century Baroque frame.
The composition, characterized by the interplay of a body of water, a road, human and animal figures (staffage), and centrally placed trees, distinctly echoes the style of Jan Wijnants.
Egbert van Heemskerck the Younger (1676–1744), Tavern Scene, oil on canvas, England, after ca. 1695
The painting depicts a genre scene set inside a tavern. A group of men in simple attire indulge in revelry, singing, and drinking. The central figure is a standing man, raising a goblet with one hand and holding a jug in the other. The other figures sit at a table, singing. The rest of the composition fades into the shadows of the dark room.
The painting is by Egbert van Heemskerck the Younger, an English painter specializing in festive and genre scenes. The work is signed with the monogram 'HK' (in ligature) in the lower left corner. The painting, registered in the database of the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD), has been exhibited at Phillips Auctioneers (Fine old master paintings, December 2, 1997, lot number: 229) and Sotheby’s (Old master paintings, May 10, 2011, lot number: 74).
Giacomo Francesco Cipper – “il Todeschini”, Young man eating from a wooden bowl, oil on canvas, Italy, 1st third of the 18th century
The portrait shows a young man hailing from the plebeian strata, framed in half pose, sitting against a neutral dark background. The boy is facing frontally, his cheerful expression emphasized by a wide smile revealing his teeth. In his right hand he holds a large wooden bowl, while in his left hand he holds a spoon with which he scoops up the food. The young man is dressed in a white shirt and a simple chestnut cubicle, as well as a tricorn, which is a distinctive triangular hat, decorated with a feather. In the lower left corner of the painting, a section of the table is visible, on which lies an unleavened loaf of bread.
The color palette is maintained in tones of warm browns, reds and ochres, with clear chiaroscuro contrasts that artfully model the face and hands and bring out the figure from the dark background.
John Baptist Lambrechts (1680 – after 1731), Genre scene in an inn, oil on board, ca. mid-18th century.
An intimate genre scene, attributed to Flemish painter John Baptist Lambrechts. The center of the depiction is formed by three figures: a woman in a red skirt and green kaftan with a distinctive white scarf around her neck, a man in a red cap and a woman standing behind, who participates in the conversation. Next to her stands a set table, covered with a colorful cloth, on which the white shawl - a hallmark of inn scenes by Lambrechts - could not be missing. A gesticulating man addresses a woman who, with a glass in her hand, looks calmly at the viewer. On her shoulders is a white shawl tied over her breasts: an element characteristic of Lambrechts' painting, present in almost all his depictions of women.
The painting betrays the characteristics of a good painter's workshop such as skillfully developed chiaroscuro, the way of depicting the details of fabrics and tableware attest to the artist's technical maturity. The composition is static, but full of subtle emotional tensions.
John Baptist Lambrechts (1680 – after 1731), Genre scene in an inn, oil on board, ca. mid-18th century.
An intimate oil painting on board attributed to Jan Baptist Lambrechts, a leading painter of genre scenes of 18th-century Flanders. The composition shows a couple in an inn: the woman turns to the man reproachfully, the man looks away, holding a jug and a glass. The scene alludes to everyday domestic tensions and the problem of alcohol abuse. The painting is distinguished by realistic social observation, the play of light and the artist's characteristic details like a plate with clamshells and a white scarf. The subject matter and style are perfectly in line with the trend of moralistic bourgeois painting popular in Flanders.
Portrait of Franciszka Krasinska, oil on canvas, Poland, ca. 1760
The portrait of Franciszka Krasinska, aged about 18, was painted in Poland around 1760 by an unspecified artist. The painting is a classic example of a representative aristocratic portrait of the Rococo era. The image shows the future Polish princess dressed in an elegant lilac gown with open shoulders and a wide skirt. The figure is shown in a 3/4 view; with one hand she holds the dark fur coat imposed over her shoulder, while the other hand is bent at the elbow and rests in front of the figure. The calm expression on her face, her delicate blush and her carefully arranged curls have been rendered with great precision.
Dutch School, Ships in a Storm, oil on canvas, Netherlands (?), 2nd half of the 18th century.
This painting depicts an atmospheric seascape with ships on a tumultuous sea. The composition centers on a large sailing vessel, shown bow-on, occupying the middle ground. Its sails are furled, and the ship is heavily listing under the force of the wind and waves, which crash against the hull, creating high sprays of foam. The dramatic struggle against the elements is intensified by a torn jib, the triangular sail at the front of the ship. In the background, to the left and right, two other vessels are visible, battling the storm. The sky is covered by heavy storm clouds, interspersed with streaks of lighter clouds. The light is diffused and subdued, enhancing the sense of unease. Birds soar low over the frothing surface of the sea. Dark, cool colors (shades of blue, gray, black) with hints of green dominate, contrasting with the foamy waves and a few bright clouds. Both in terms of composition and mood, the painting aligns with the tradition of Dutch Baroque marine painting. The artwork is presented in an old Dutch-style frame, shellac-coated, which accentuates its Baroque character.
Epitaph portrait of Jan Czapski (1699-1742), oil on copper, Poland, 1740s.
The circular-shaped painting was executed in oil technique on a forged, convex copper sheet, fire-gilded. The portrait shows a middle-aged man framed in bust, en trois quarts to the left. Oval, plump face with high forehead and second chin. On his head is a white powdered curly wig. The costume is a steel breastplate, from under which parts of the garment, including a white shirt collar, protrude. To the right of the portrait is the Leliwa coat of arms in an ornamental shield topped by a knight's helmet with peacock feathers, on which the emblem of the Leliwa coat of arms is repeated. Around the shield is a floral ornament. The portrait is modeled on a painting by the brush of Szymon Czechowicz, painted before 1742.
Epitaph images, unlike coffin images, were generally oval or circular in shape. They were part of pictorial epitaphs - memorials in honor of the deceased or deceased (e.g. family), usually placed not at the burial site, but in another place associated with the person, most often in a church - on a wall or pillar. They consisted of the epitaph proper, i.e. a slab with an inscription, and a picture or pictures, most often painted or carved, less often made in other artistic techniques. A pictorial epitaph usually shows a portrait of the deceased or deceased, sometimes accompanied by his patron saint or patrons.
Diameter: 30 cm
Dimensions with frame: 43x43 cm
Hendrik van Steenwijk II (ca. 1580 – 1649) – circle, Interior of a Gothic church, oil on board, Flemish school, 17th century.
The painting depicts the interior of a Gothic church, executed in the Flemish school of the 17th century, in the circle of Hendrick van Steenwijk i.e. one of the pioneers of perspective painting. The composition, built on an axis leading towards the main altar, shows a monumental interior with pillars, cross-ribbed vaults and side chapels. Figures of the faithful and clergy are visible in the space, introduced to emphasize the scale of the architecture and the mood of concentration.
The painting was made with oil technique on board, in typical Flemish school style. The frame is original, wooden, veneered, with preserved gilt edge.
The composition refers to the solutions used by Hendrick van Steenwijk the Elder and Younger, as well as Pieter Neefs and Bartholomeus van Bassen, developing the genre of architectural painting in Antwerp and Delft.