Romantic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Albert-Paul Guilmet (1853-1924) Portrait of a young woman Charcoal on paper, signed upper left 5 1/8 x 5 7/8 in. (13 x 15 cm) Framed: 6 1/4 x 7 1/8 in. (16 x 18 cm) This delicate c...

Gustaf Tenggren (1896–1970) Sweden Trollkarlens urnyckel (The Sorcerer’s Clockwork Key), 1918 signed and dated lower right “G. Tenggren 1918” watercolour on paper unframed 25 × 23 ...

Louis Hersent (1777-1869) Left: Mme Teulin, Nice 1813 Right: Mlle. Dubouchage, 1813 Graphite on wove paper, “English” tipped mounted to support Signed and dated by the artist verso u...

Charles Alphonse Paul Bellay. French ( b.1826 - d.1900 ). Salome. Watercolor On Paper. Signed Lower Right. Image size 16.7 inches x 12.2 inches ( 42.5cm x 31cm ). Frame size 21.3 in...

This intimate watercolour depicts the artist’s children, Nils Tirén and Stina Tirén, they reading the Christmas annual Kring granen och brasan. The image served as the original illus...

Boats in Moonlight (1904) is a watercolor on paper measuring 25.5 × 55 cm (10 × 21.7 in). It depicts a Swedish coastal scene under a luminous moonlit sky., Along the quiet shoreline,...

Walter Goodall (1830–1889) England A Village Celebration, 1862 signed and dated Walter Goodall 1862 lower right watercolour on paper visible image 42.5 × 75.5 cm (16.7 × 29.7 in) f...

Ella Waldenström (1863–1955) Sweden A Sewing Woman, 1900 watercolor on paper signed and dated E.W 23/2 1900 visible image 21 x 12 cm (8 ¼ x 4 ¾ in.) framed 29 x 20 cm (11 ½ x 7 ¾ ...

Flamenco Dancer. Romantic French pastel portrait on paper of a Spanish beauty by Louis Fortuney. The work is signed bottom left, and presented in a very fine carved gilt rococo wood ...

Richard Westall, R.A. (1765-1836) Venus signed and dated ‘R. Westall 1794’ (lower right) pencil and watercolour, with white heightening image 11 ⅞ x 15 ¼ in. (30.2 x 38.7 cm.) frame 22 ⅛ x 26 in. (56.3 x 66.1 cm.) Provenance: Private Collection, UK. Venus (1794) was produced during a highly creative and defining period of Richard Westall’s career and artistic development, when from 1790-95 the ambitious young artist was sharing a house at 57 Greek Street, Soho, with his friend Sir Thomas Lawrence, the future President of the Royal Academy. Whilst lodging together, Lawrence became an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1791, Westall the following year, and both were elected full-members in 1794 – the year Lawrence was appointed Painter-in-Ordinary to His Majesty King George III. Westall was to become Queen Victoria’s first Drawing Master, before her ascension to the throne. It was in this very year, 1794 - as the two young artists became Royal Academicians - that the present watercolour was executed, and it is exciting to speculate that Lawrence would have examined and given his thoughts on the work. Highly comparable to The Wallace Collection’s Nymph and cupids (c.1793, cat. P757), acquired by Francis Seymour-Conway (1777-1842), 3rd Marquess of Hertford, (who hung it in his bedroom), the mid-1790s saw Westall exhibiting and returning to similar subject-matter on a number of occasions. Two works with titles that could be applied to the present picture were exhibited at the Royal Academy, in 1794 (no. 341 Nymph and Cupids) and 1795 (no. 620, A Wood–nymph and Cupids). However, a print after the watercolour, engraved by F. Screen, entitles the piece Venus. Westall is regarded as a great virtuoso watercolourist, and Venus is evidence of the young artist’s mastery of the medium. Indeed, it is unusual to find a watercolour of comparable age so well preserved, and retaining such vibrancy - the superb condition providing an insight into his exceptional brushwork and use of colour. Venus languishes luxuriously on her woodland bed, the trunk of a tree resembling a curtain, while three winged putti play beside her, seeming to gesture to someone in the woods. Cupid draws back his bow and aims an arrow of love, perhaps about to pierce the heart of a hunting nobleman, or unsuspecting woodcutter. The striking contrast between the almost luminescent nymph, with the deep, rich, luxuriant forest, gives the glade an alluring sense of mystery – perhaps an allusion to the mysteries of the heart, a pre-occupation with Romanticism, central to the emerging thought of the time. Westall can be classified as one of the great Romantic artists, and even painted Lord Byron’s portrait...

We are delighted to present a stunning watercolor by the Swedish artist Albert Theodor Gellerstedt. This artwork, titled "Sickelsjö Trädgård" was created on June 8, 1883. The paintin...

Debbie Allwright is an English painter and book illustrated. Her skill and quality of drawing is first rate.

Graphite lead on paper Dimensions: 6 x 8 ¼ in. (15.4 x 21 cm) – framed 11 ¼ x 12 5/8 in. (28.5 x 33.2 cm) Studio sale stamp in the lower right corner (L. 838a) A certificate from th...

This elegant leather document holder, ornamented with a romantic inset watercolor, contains a formal presentation address written in a decorative 19th-century German script. The docu...

"Funchal, Madeira Franciscans Convent" Antique Drawing on Paper Watkinson Delicate and detailed drawing of Funchal, Madeira by Hartford, Connecticut artist Edward Watkins Wells (181...

19th Century French School, Studies of horses and small scenes, pencil on paper 14.5 x 21 cm Framed : 25.5 x 32.7 cm This study sheet, which brings together studies of horses and...

Jules-Eugène Lenepveu (1819-1898) Portrait of a man in profile signed on the lower right Pencil and heightenings of white gouache on paper 19.5 x 13 cm Framed : 29 x 22.7 cm Jules-Eugène Lenepveu is of course particularly well known for his large-scale paintings, such as the one on the ceiling of the Paris Opera, but his work here is much more delicate and intimate. We recognise the artist's mastery of talent, but the play of textures, with its highlights of white that enliven and illuminate the model's face, is also very subtle. There's a particularly charming sense of life and impression of light. Jules-Eugène Lenepveu was born in Angers on 12 December 1819, on the site of the street that now bears his name, into a family of small shopkeepers. The painter showed a deep attachment to his family throughout his life through his correspondence and the many portraits of his relatives. He entered the drawing school in Angers in 1833, where he was a pupil of Jean-Michel Mercier. There he rubbed shoulders with the sculptor Ferdinand Taluet. He arrived in Paris in 1837 and entered the Beaux-Arts, where he was officially admitted to François-Édouard Picot's studio in 1838. He exhibited his work "L'Idylle" at the Salon of 1843 and, that same year, left for his first visit to Italy. He was awarded the Second Prix de Rome in 1843 for "Cincinnatus recevant les députés du Sénat" (Cincinnatus receiving the deputies of the Senate), then the First Prize in 1847 for "La Mort de Vitellius" (The Death of Vitellius). A resident at the Villa Médicis from 1848, he was surrounded by painters Alexandre Cabanel, Léon Benouville, Gustave Boulanger, Félix Barrias...

Drawing on paper, XIX century. Provenance: Nino Costa’s successors. Liberio Merolli, Rome. Private Collection. This fascinating drawing was realized by Nino Costa, an Italian landsca...

Egron Sellif Lundgren (1815–1875) Sweden Resting Dromedar, 1861 watercolour heightened with white unframed 21 x 29.2 cm (8 ¼ x 11 ½ in.) framed 40 x 48 cm (15 ¾ x 18 ⅞ in.) Provenance: Sale, Stockholm, Bukowskis, 12 December 1894, lot 42; Signe and Ernst Trygger (1857–1943), Villa Trygger, Stockholm. Ernst Trygger was Swedish Prime Minister (1923–24), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1928–30) and University Chancellor (1926–37); A Swedish private collection. Literature: Förteckning på oljemålningar, aquareller och handteckningar m.m. av Egron Lundgren utställda i Akademien för de fria konsterna, 1876, no. 259. Karl Asplund, Egron Lundgren, Vol. II, 1940, p. 40, note 1, p. 166. Exhibited: The Royal Academy, Egron Lundgren, 10 April 1876, no. 259. Sveriges Allmänna Konstförening, Memorial Exhibition, February 1915, no. 70, Hvilande kameler (owner Ernst Trygger). The Royal Academy, Svenska Akvareller (Swedish Watercolor Exhibition), 1925, no. 224, Vilande kameler (owner Signe Trygger). Essay: This delicate watercolour, executed during Lundgren’s first journey to Egypt in the winter of 1861–62, depicts a resting dromedary in the shade at Giza. Painted in transparent washes with touches of white gouache, the work captures the intense desert light and atmosphere with a remarkable immediacy. The reclining animal dominates the composition, rendered in warm ochres and browns against a cool, shadowy background, while highlights on its saddle and coat give the scene a subtle radiance. The quiet stillness of the subject reflects Lundgren’s sensitivity to the everyday motifs of the Orient, which he observed and painted directly on site. Lundgren travelled to Egypt in the company of two British artists, Frank Dillon (1823-1909) and George Price Boyce...

Jean-Achille Benouville (1815-1891) Rome, View of the Forum, pencil on paper 28.5 x 37.5 cm framed 38.5 x 47.5 cm This drawing is characteristic of Romantic artists who, like Coro...

Many of you clicking on this are probably doing so because you know of Ellsworth Woodward, who with his brother William Woodward around the turn of the 20th century sparked an arts renaissance in the South, the arts and culture in general having been mostly moribund since the dispiriting defeat experienced in the Civil War. I won't bog you down with lots of detail here since all you have to do is Google his name to bring up a wealth of information about him. He is most famous for his leadership of the arts program at Newcomb College in New Orleans, and its famous Newcomb Pottery...

Paul Gavarni (1804-1866) Portrait of a young man leaning on a Chair Signed lower right Black pencil on paper 23.7 x 17.6 cm In good condition Framed : 40 x 34 cm This fine portr...

Many of you clicking on this are probably doing so because you know of Ellsworth Woodward, who with his brother William Woodward around the turn of the 20th century sparked an arts r...

Jules Noel (1810-1881) Landscape with a fisherman, Signed lower right Pencil on paper 27.8 x 44 cm Framed under glass : 43 x 59.5 cm We find in this drawing everything that makes...

Pierre-Georges Jeanniot (1848–1934) Portrait of Henri Rochefort ready for a duel, Pencil on paper Signed and titled lower left 28 x 21 cm In good condition : the left and right borders irregularly cut In a modern cardboard mount : 45.5 x 35 cm The subject of this drawing is, in a way, almost as interesting as the artist who portrayed him in this duel pose. As a reminder, Henri Rochefort, whose full name was Victor Henri de Rochefort-Luçay, was born in Paris on January 31, 1831, and died in Aix-les-Bains on July 1, 1913. He was a French journalist, playwright, and politician. A great polemicist in the pages of his newspapers (La Lanterne, La Marseillaise, L'Intransigeant), he defended radical, even extremist political views (anticlerical, nationalist, pro-Commune, Boulangist, socialist, and anti-Dreyfusard), which earned him the nickname “the man of twenty duels and thirty trials” and convictions, notably to the prison in Nouméa, from which he managed to escape in 1874, a unique feat.. Pierre-Georges Jeanniot (1848–1934) was a Swiss-French Impressionist painter, designer, watercolorist, and engraver who was born in Geneva, Switzerland, and died in France. His work often depicts the modern life in Paris. He started out pursuing a military career, as an infantry officer (1866–1881). He was a lieutenant with the Twenty-third Infantry from 1868 to 1870. He fought in the Franco-Prussian War, was wounded at Rezonville, and was awarded the Légion d'Honneur. He subsequently served with the Ninety-fourth Infantry and the Seventy-third Infantry. At the time he left the army he held the rank of major, with the Chasseurs à Pieds. He never ceased drawing. He was known for the first time in 1872 at the art exhibition Salon de Paris, where he presented a watercolor painting called Intérieur de forêt. The next year he presented the painting Le Vernan à Nass-sous-Sainte-Anne. From then on he was a regular contributor to the Salon de Paris, where he presented new works with views of Toulouse, Paris, Troyes, the edges of the Seine, and some portraits. In 1881, after the army offered him the rank of commandant, he resigned to devote himself exclusively to painting. He took up residence in Paris. His works from this period represent mainly scenes of military life that allowed him to forge a reputation. Jeanniot established himself permanently in 1882 and obtained his first award the following year (medal third class of the Salon de Paris) with his les Flanqueurs (1883, Musée du Luxembourg). In 1886, La ligne de feu, souvenirs de la bataille de Rezonville, remembering the Battle of Mars-La-Tour (Museum of Pau), assured his notoriety. From then on, he started to show a certain artistic independence. He then mostly portrayed Parisian women during the "Belle Epoque", women in bathing suits...

French school 19th century, An italian bandit, 1864, watercolor on paper On the reverse of the sheet (now under the back of the frame) an annotation, "Rome 1864" 25,5 x 21.5 cm (v...

CLAUD LOVAT FRASER (1890-1921) Fete Galante – Fan Design Signed and dated l.r.: C. LOVAT FRASER FECIT MAR 1918 Watercolour and pencil, shaped Framed 20 by 37.5 cm., 8 by 14 ¾ in. ...

Many of you clicking on this are probably doing so because you know of Ellsworth Woodward, who with his brother William Woodward around the turn of the 20th century sparked an arts renaissance in the South, the arts and culture in general having been mostly moribund since the dispiriting defeat experienced in the Civil War. I won't bog you down with lots of detail here since all you have to do is Google his name to bring up a wealth of information about him. He is most famous for his leadership of the arts program at Newcomb College in New Orleans, and its famous Newcomb Pottery...

Many of you clicking on this drawing are probably doing so because you know of Ellsworth Woodward, who with his brother William Woodward around the turn of the 20th century sparked an arts renaissance in the South, the arts and culture in general having been mostly moribund since the dispiriting defeat experienced in the Civil War. I won't bog you down with lots of detail here since all you have to do is Google his name to bring up a wealth of information about him. He is most famous for his leadership of the arts program at Newcomb College in New Orleans, and its famous Newcomb Pottery...

Jean Auguste Dominique INGRES (Montauban 1780 – 1867 Paris) Apelles holding his palette and brushes Stumped pencil and white heightening on light brown laid paper, laid down on thin card 11 3/4 x 7 1/8 in 30 x 18 cm Signed lower left: “à Mr Visconti / Ingres” This drawing relates to Ingres’s painting The Apotheosis of Homer, completed in 1827 for the decoration of the Musée Charles X in the Louvre (Paintings Department, inv. 5417)—a composition which the artist later revisited in a drawing he worked on for over twenty years (the number of assembled historical figures nearly doubled in the meantime, increasing from forty-two to eighty-two), and which he only completed in 1865: Homer Deified (Louvre Museum, Department of Drawings, inv. RF 5273). It specifically depicts the figure of Apelles, placed on the left in both works, holding Raphael’s hand and presenting the epic Greek poet with a palette and brushes. In the Louvre painting...

Disegno matita su carta, 45 x 68 cm; con cornice dorata 72 x 94 cm. La scena si svolge sulla costa, nel punto in cui il mare tempestoso lambisce la terraferma, che si presenta rocci...

Despite the tears and repairs, this remains an absolutely wonderful drawing, by a famous Southern artist. Many of you clicking on this are probably doing so because you know of Ellsworth Woodward, who with his brother William Woodward around the turn of the 20th century sparked an arts renaissance in the South, the arts and culture in general having been mostly moribund since the dispiriting defeat experienced in the Civil War. I won't bog you down with lots of detail here since all you have to do is Google his name to bring up a wealth of information about him. He is most famous for his leadership of the arts program at Newcomb College in New Orleans, and its famous Newcomb Pottery...

Drawing Graphite, pen and brown and black ink, gray and sepia watercolor, white lead elevations on ivory virgin paper. (440 x 610 mm) Title: Achilles' sorrow over the death of Patroc...

Il disegno, sanguigna su carta, raffigura un uomo nudo con una specie di turbante sulla testa, preso di lato, seduto, in un'espressione di intensa sofferenza, come se stesse chiedend...

Monk of the Roman Campagna, from the series "Costumes italiens," 19th century. Watercolor. Watercolor and pencil on paper 29 × 21.5 cm Study of a seated monk wearing a dark monastic...

Quiet Afternoon by the Stream from 1881 portrays a tranquil riverside moment in which two men clad in brown monastic robes engage in the simple pastime of fishing. One figure sits at...

Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827) Recruits on a March Ink and watercolor on paper, mounted on support Unsigned Condition: watercolor sheet laid down on paper, moderately faded Original A...

German artist, circa 1820 Oh, the Beautiful Soap Bubble / Ei die schöne Seifenblase Watercolor Titled on the backing Dimensions: 33.5 x 29 cm In good condition for its age (see photo...

Artist title: Evening on the Thames, near Bray, 1855 signed and dated TLRowbotham 1855 lower left watercolour on paper unframed 20.5 × 32 cm (8.1 × 12.6 in) framed 45 × 56 cm (17.75...

Precious Watercolor attributed to James WARD (1769-1859) - England, 1830-1840. The Fisherman' S Family. Measurements : View : 20"x14.6" (51x37 cm), With frame : 26.6"x21.5" (67.5x54....

A. Lesueur French 19ème siècle Les Mille Et Une Nuits – One Thousand & One Nights, 1892 Charcoal on paper heightened with white. Signed & dated 1892 lower right. Image size 23.6 inc...

Work on paper signed

"West Point from the East Bank of the Hudson" Antique Drawing on Paper Delicate and detailed drawing by Hartford, Connecticut artist Edward Watkins Wells (1819-1898) The viewer looks out past a gate at the Hudson River, with its characteristic mountain banks. A shepherd is driving a flock of sheep towards the gate and viewer. The scene appears to have been copied from a drawing book published in 1827, based on the inscription at the bottom edge. Presented in white archival mat Mat size: 12"H x 12"W Initialed "E.W.W." lower left. Titled lower center. Dated lower right. Paper size: 7.5"H x 9.25"W Notes of interest on Edward Watkinson Wells Our most significant acquisition this year came from a dealer in Philadelphia. It is a 450-page diary written over 10 years (1841-1851) by Hartford artist and dilettante Edward Watkinson Wells (1819-1898), one of the many nephews of our founder, David Watkinson (1778-1857). Edward was immersed in Hartford’s cultural life in the 1840s, exhibited his works at local fairs and gave lessons to the locals. He portrays an active involvement with with his large extended family, which often crossed and re-crossed the other prominent families of Hartford (i.e., Barnard, Channing, Dexter, Ely, Gallaudet, Gill, Goodrich, Hudson, Rockwell, Silsbee, Tappan, Terry, Tracy, Trumbull, Van Renselaer, and Wadsworth). Edward describes dancing and costume parties, soirees, teas, dinners, and receptions in private homes and public venues. He meets Charles Dickens and his wife when they come through Hartford in 1842, and describes brushes with other luminaries, such as Col. Thomas L. McKenney (who lectures on American Indians), and the Unitarian clergyman Rev. Henry Giles, who gave a pro-Irish speech. Other entertainments included a balloon ascension, exhibitions of mesmerism and hypnotism, parades, and performances by well-known groups. He also chronicles the progression of the construction of the Wadsworth Atheneum, and touches on his father’s far-reaching interests in the business world–canals, railroads, factories, and real estate. The cost of this valuable document of mid-19thC Hartford was generously underwritten entirely by a member of the Watkinson Trustees. Trinity College and the Watkinson Virtual Library has content on Edward Watkinson Wells. Yale College also: Edward Watkinson Wells also kept a diary, of which three volumes are preserved (folder 32). He describes a trip by steamboat to Florida, ca. 1855-1860, and the social life and customs he observed there. The other two volumes detail his daily life in Hartford during 1856-1860, and record the deaths of his father and David Watkinson in 1857. Other items contained in the William Wells...

Paul Victor Mathey (1844-1929) Portraits of his son Jacques pencil on paper 13.3 x 19.5 cm and 13 x 19.8 cm Each bears the inscription « Jacques 5 ans par son père » (Jacques, age...

Eugène Devéria (1805-1865) Dona Clarice, 1828 Titled in pencil at the top: “Destouches, the Ambitious and the Indiscreet, Act 3, Scene 9” Signed and dated at the bottom, “Deveria 18...

Camille Chenou-Levesque (1818-1886) Portrait of a man leaning on his elbow black ink wash on paper 11.6 x 9 cm framed : 23 x 20 cm A draftswoman formed within the orbit of French R...

Roman Peasant Woman, Tivoli, 19th Century. Watercolor. Watercolor and pencil on paper. 29 x 21.5 cm Half-length study of a young woman in traditional dress from the Roman countrysid...

Auguste Legras (1817-1887) Portrait of a young man in profile, signed lower right Charcoal, red and white chalks on paper 45 x 31.5 cm Framed : 52 x 39 cm This particularly evocati...

Charles Emile Jacque (1813-1894) Dog in a doghouse Monogrammed "C. J. "lower right Pencil on paper 17 x 13 cm Mark of the Collection of Doctor Albert Finot "AF" (Lugt 3627) lower lef...

Many of you clicking on this pen-and-ink of a pretty Edwardian-era lady are probably doing so because you know of Ellsworth Woodward, who with his brother William Woodward around the...

French Romantic School, mid 19th Century Portraits of young men, studies black chalk on paper 24 x 28, 5 cm Framed in a mat The work is executed in black chalk on paper, the preferr...

Drawing of a Man from the Italian Risorgimento, Italian School, mid-19th century Dimensions: 59 × 44 cm Technique: Charcoal on antique handmade grey rag paper Italian school. A re...

French School circa 1850 Villefranche sur mer, the Harbour Watercolor on paper 16 x 24 cm In good condition Framed 29 x 38 cm This very fine wat...

A really charming, early 19th century portrait of a young maiden carrying a basket of flowers. The face is beautifully painted with a slight blush to her cheeks and striking touches ...

Auguste Mayer (1803-1890 A seascape with a boat signed with the initials on the lower left Pencil and heightenings of white gouache on paper 17.5 x 26 cm...

French Romantic School, mid 19th Century Portraits of young men, double-sided drawing brown ink, brown ink wash, black ink, black ink wash and pencil on paper 24 x 28, 5 cm Framed ...

A wonderful English watercolor painting depicting A Donkey, Lambs and a Robin in a stable the night before Christmas.. This piece was drawn ...

A wonderful English watercolor painting depicting A Donkey, Lambs and a Robin in a stable the night before Christmas.. This piece was drawn ...

A wonderful English watercolor painting depicting a terrier puppy with a kitten playing with a Christmas decoration under the Christmas tree This piece was drawn as an illustration f...

Philip Richard Morris. English ( b.1836 - d.1902 ). The Cloaked Shepherdess. Watercolor On Paper. Signed Lower Left. Image size 14 inches x 9.3 inches ( 35.5cm x 23.5cm ). Frame siz...