Watercolors, Needlework, & Silhouettes
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Antique Silkwork Embroidery Picture Shepherdess and Sheep England c.1840
$330.00Antique Silkwork Embroidery Picture Shepherdess and Sheep England c.1840
This antique English silkwork embroidery picture shows a shepherdess seated in a pastoral landscape with sheep gathered at her feet. The subject is gentle and appealing, but the strength of the piece lies in the worked surface itself. Colored silk threads give the shepherdess’s dress, the sheep, and the foreground a soft, textured presence, while the face and parts of the landscape appear to be finely painted or drawn for greater precision. The result is a charming pictorial silkwork that combines embroidered texture with delicate figural detail.
The oval gilt frame adds warmth and period character, setting off the soft greens, creams, and muted pinkish purple tones within the scene. The composition belongs to the early Victorian continuation of late Georgian pastoral taste, when images of shepherdesses, cottages, sheep, and wooded landscapes carried a romantic sense of rural life. It is a decorative and intimate work, made with patience, skill, and a clear eye for gentle storytelling.
Dimensions: 12.75″ height x 11″ wide x 1″ deep
Condition: Very Good.The silk is somewhat faded.
Price: $330
Decoration: Pastoral scene with shepherdess, sheep, cottage, trees, and landscape
Material: Silk threads on a fine silk ground, with probable painted or drawn details
Style: Early Victorian pastoral, influenced by late Georgian romantic landscape taste
Origin: England
Date: Circa 1840
Notable Details:
Technique: Hand-embroidered silkwork picture with shaded silk threads, probably with painted facial and landscape details on a fine silk ground.
Worked in colored silk threads with delicate shaded stitching, especially in the shepherdess’s dress, the sheep, and the landscape.
The face and selected background details appear to be painted or drawn, a common technique in pictorial needlework of the period.
Oval gilt frame with molded and decorative detail.
Charming pastoral subject with strong search appeal: silkwork, embroidery, shepherdess, sheep, and English needlework. -
Hand Crafted Cork Work Picture Diorama with English Castle made Mid 19th Century
$430.00This mid 19th century cork work shows a romantic scene of an ancient castle in a charming diorama. The castle is perched atop a promontory overlooking a river, complete with forested terrain and a tiny sailboat for scale. The artist’s intricate cutting and piercing of the cork showcase their exceptional craftsmanship.
The cream-colored mat beautifully complements the soft colors of the cork.
The frame and mat are 20th century.
This cork work is a testament to the enduring appeal of English castles, dating back to the Norman invasion of 1066.Dimensions: The oval corkwork measures 8.5″ x 6.5″
The frame measures 16″ wide x 14.75″ height x 1″ deepCondition: Excellent.
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Pair English Watercolors Women Figures Landscape Original Frames
$290.00This pair of mid-19th century English watercolors presents two women in quiet rural settings, each composition built around a single figure placed within a softly washed landscape. One figure stands holding a basket, the other walks past a cottage carrying her catch, both rendered with a light, controlled hand that keeps the focus on gesture and presence.
The compositions are simple and direct, using open space and restrained color to draw attention to the figures. This approach reflects the informal watercolor tradition of the period, where small-scale works were created for domestic settings rather than formal display. The scenes are easily read and comfortably scaled, making them well suited to intimate interiors.
The clothing and hairstyles place the scenes in the 1840s, reinforcing their period authenticity without dominating the compositions. Together, the two works function naturally as a pair, offering a balanced and understated wall presentation.
Both paintings remain in their original period wood frames, which provide warmth and context and allow the pair to be placed immediately.
Dimensions: 12.5 height x 9.5″ wide x 1.25″ deep
Condition: Light fading and even toning consistent with age, overall well preserved
Price: [Insert]
Decoration: Hand-painted watercolor figures in landscape settings
Material: Paper, watercolor
Style: Mid-19th century English genre watercolor
Origin: England
Date: Circa 1840 -
Pair Hand Crafted Corkwork Picture Dioramas with Scenes of English Castles Circa 1840
$700.00This pair of mid-19th century English corkworks showcases the intricate cutting and piercing of the cork demonstrating the artist’s excellent craftsmanship.
Each diorama features a romantic scene of a castle perched atop a rocky promontory overlooking a river.
The cream-colored mats and the golden frames complement the soft colors of the cork.
One of the works boasts a lovely oval-shaped cork frame, adding to its allure.
This pair is a testament to the majesty of castles, with their origins dating back to Anglo-Saxon burhs in 9th-century Wessex.
Overall, these corkworks are an impressive display of hand crafted decorative art.Dimensions: 14.25″ wide x 12.75″ height x 1.5″ deep
Condition: Excellent. The painted frame is repainted
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The Finding of Moses Antique Biblical Silkwork Needlework
$620.00This early Victorian needlework depicts the biblical story of The Finding of Moses discovered among the reeds of the Nile.
Worked in silk and chenille, the scene shows the infant Moses being lifted from his basket while Miriam watches nearby.
The figures wear early 19th-century dress, which gives the biblical subject the gentle, domestic character so often found in English devotional needlework of this period.
The coloring is soft and appealing, and the combination of silkwork, chenille, and black eglomisé creates a particularly rich surface. Framed under glass in its original eglomisé surround and giltwood frame, it is a beautiful and unusual example of Victorian biblical needlework.
This subject, often called Moses in the Bulrushes or The Infant Moses, was a popular one in early 19th-century English embroidery. It combined religious narrative with sentiment, decorative color, and the opportunity to show skill in figures, costume, and landscape. Here, the tenderness of the scene and the survival of the original eglomisé frame add greatly to its appeal.
Dimensions: 21.25″ high x 18″ wide x 1.5″ deep
Condition: Very good; the silkwork is in very good to excellent condition. The original black eglomisé is intact. The giltwood frame has minor touching to the gilding.
Price: $620
Decoration: Biblical scene of Moses drawn from the Nile, worked in silkwork and chenille, with black eglomisé surround
Material: Silkwork, chenille, glass, eglomisé, giltwood frame
Style: Victorian
Origin: England
Date: Circa 1840
Notable Details:
Biblical subject of Moses in the Bulrushes
Worked in silk and chenille
Early Victorian figures in period dress
Original black eglomisé surround
Giltwood frame with old glass -
Framed Hand-Colored Costume Engravings Of 16th Century French Nobility Ca. 1835
$1,100.00This pair of framed French historical engravings presents four richly hand-colored engraved figures from the courtly world of 16th-century French nobility and judicial society. The figures have extraordinary presence, with large isolated compositions, portrait-like faces and gestures, extremely precise costume details, and exceptionally rich surviving color. The engravings come from the “Costumes Historiques” series of the mid-19th century, based on earlier archival sources such as the Gaignières portfolios of the late 17th century, which ground the imagery in documented historical dress.
These are original 19th-century hand-colored engravings, not modern reproductions. They were issued as part of Massard and Mifliez’s Costumes français depuis Clovis jusqu’à nos jours, an ambitious survey of French historical dress based on earlier paintings, sculpture, monuments, manuscripts, and material preserved in the celebrated Gaignières collection.
The four subjects include Françoise Robertet, dame de Rostaing; Marie Le Jars de Gournay; a Premier Président au Parlement de Paris; and a Conseiller au Parlement de Paris. The figures draw on documented historical and portrait sources rather than generalized costume types, which helps account for their immediate, portrait-like character.
Two original printed explanatory leaves from the publication are preserved on the reverse of one frame. The text for Françoise Robertet states that her figure reproduces an original portrait formerly in the gallery of the Marquis de Lavardin and cites the Gaignières portfolios as its source. The text accompanying the Premier Président likewise identifies the Gaignières portfolios as the source for the figure and describes his scarlet judicial robes, ermine, and black cap ornamented with gold.
The quality of execution is particularly fine. Transparent watercolor was carefully applied over exceptionally precise engraved line work, leaving the modeling of the faces, hair, lace, jewelry, textiles, and folds of the clothing clearly visible. Selected details are highlighted in gold, including the ornament on the judicial cap and small decorative elements. Salmon red, deep black, cream, turquoise, and gold create a remarkably rich palette while preserving the clarity of the engraving beneath.
The matching frames are an important part of the presentation. Black outer moldings frame richly stippled decorative borders in gold, cream, reddish brown, and black, finished with narrow gilt inner slips. Deep black mats intensify the engravings’ color and give the four figures a strong, unified presentation.
Dimensions: Each frame 15.25 inches wide × 13.25 inches high
Condition: Very good, with only the slightest wear consistent with age
Decoration: Richly hand-colored historical portrait and costume engravings
Technique: Engraving with watercolor and selective gold heightening
Material: Paper and wood frames
Origin: France
Date: Circa 1835 -
Antique Swiss City View Watercolor Pen and Ink Drawing Town Scene
$380.00This hand-colored watercolor and pen and ink drawing shows a fortified riverside city with medieval walls, organized around a tall Gothic church spire rising above the rooftops and towers.
The composition moves from the calm foreground river with small boats and shoreline activity toward the enclosed city beyond its defensive wall and gate.
The architectural details are the strength of the piece.
Rooflines vary in pitch and pattern, including a distinctive zigzag roof and a checkerboard tower, adding rhythm and visual interest to the skyline.
The red flag with a white cross identifies the setting as Swiss, giving the scene a clear geographic anchor.
Executed with precise linework and soft watercolor washes, the work balances structure and color.
The warm toning of the paper enhances depth and unifies the composition, while small figures in the foreground add scale and a sense of everyday movement without distracting from the architecture.
The 19th-century drawing is presented in a 20th-century decorative frame with a tortoiseshell-style finish and gilt liner, which complements the warmth of the paper.
Dimensions: 17.5″ wide x 13.5″ height x 1″ deep
Condition: Very Good overall, light age toning, with a fine, approximately 1″ tear at the upper center
Decoration: Hand-colored city view with river and figures
Material: Watercolor and pen and ink on paper
Style: European topographical drawing
Origin: Switzerland
Date: 19th century -
A Venetian Work of Art: Mid-19th C. Hand-Painted Artwork with Murano Glass Beads
$2,200.00A Venetian Work of Art: Mid-19th Century Hand-Painted Artwork with Murano Glass BeadsThis is an exceptionally unusual Venetian commemorative work combining painting, maritime history, glassmaking, civic identity, and the Lion of St. Mark.Intricate Detailing: The painting is meticulously hand-painted on a wood board and overlaid with tiny Venetian glass beads, crafted in Murano, which is renowned for its exquisite glasswork.These beads add a mesmerizing texture and a unique play of light to the artwork (see images).Iconic Venetian Imagery: The artwork depicts a sailing ship outfitted with both traditional sails and new steam technology, symbolizing a pivotal moment in maritime history. Set in the Port of Venice, a gondola glides gracefully in the foreground, with a glimpse of St. Mark’s Square anchoring the scene on the left (see image #4).Inscription: The inscription at the bottom center reads “La Società Operaia Veneziana Offre” (The Venetian Workers’ Society Offers), accompanied by the Lion of St. Mark—Venice’s iconic symbol.Historical Significance: The Venetian Workers’ Society was one of Northern Italy’s prominent “friendly societies” in the 19th century.These organizations provided mutual aid, education, and cultural enrichment to their members, predating modern trade unions.Elegant Frame: The artwork is housed in a parcel-gilt inner frame with a maple outer frame, enhancing its timeless appeal.Dimensions: Frame: 33″ wide x 27″ high x 1″ deep.Condition: Excellent. The painting and frame have been well-preserved, maintaining their original beauty. -
German Prints Birds Series Ornithological Engravings Martinet-Buffon C-1790 (1)
$300.00These are small, gem-like, Individual bird scenes.
They are beautifully drawn, detailed prints of hand-colored copperplate engravings from one of the most important ornithological works of the 18th century.
These hand-colored engravings were printed in Germany on original 18th-century rag paper taken from the Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux by Georges Louis Leclerc, le Comte de Buffon (1708-1788), with engravings by Francois Nicholas Martinet (1731-1804), published in Paris 1770-1786.Dimensions: 6 inches x 3.5 inches (8 inches x 10 inches including the matte)
Condition: Excellent.
Price: $300 for the set of four
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German Prints Birds Series Ornithological Engravings Martinet-Buffon C-1790 (2)
$300.00These are small, gem-like, Individual bird scenes.
They are beautifully drawn, detailed prints of hand-colored copperplate engravings from one of the most important ornithological works of the 18th century.
These hand-colored engravings were printed in Germany on original 18th-century rag paper taken from the Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux by Georges Louis Leclerc, le Comte de Buffon (1708-1788), with engravings by Francois Nicholas Martinet (1731-1804), published in Paris 1770-1786.Dimensions: 6 inches x 3.5 inches (8 inches x 10 inches including the matte)
Condition: Excellent.
Price: $660 for the set of four
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1829 Signed English Watercolor Portrait with Scandalous Inscription
$530.00 -
Bird Engravings on Paper Audubon Style by Francois-Nicolas Martinet Group #3 Priced Individually
$165.00
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