Catalog (164)

This image of the Buddha is in a naturalistic style most probably prompted by colonial influences. It has been carved in wood, lacquered and gilded and inset with glass fragments backed with coloured foil (known as hman-zi- shwei-cha) and overlaid thayo work, a process whereby thin, rolled strands of lacquer and ash putty are applied in patterns. The image is in the Mandalay style and shows the Buddha seated in vajrasana, with his right hand gesturing to the earth in the bhumisparsa mudra position. It is probably the most characteristic form of religious sculpture in Burma (Lowry, 1974). The posture, known as 'calling the earth to witness', represents the moment when the Buddha was seated in meditation under the Bodhi tree during the evening before his enlightenment. Mara asked him to name anyone who would give evidence that he had given alms, and the Buddha motioned to the earth with his right hand and said that the earth would bear witness to that - in a previous incarnation when he was known as Vessantara, he had given alms to such an extent that the earth had begun to quake. The image shows the Buddha seated on a low platform or socle and dressed in ample robes with naturalistic folds and pleating. Earlier images of the Buddha across Southeast Asia tended to show the monastic robes in a much more schematic way. The eyes have been inlaid with a white material, usually described as mother-of-pearl, with black pupils probably painted on with black lacquer. The cranial protuberance (unisha) is rounded and the head decorated with tight curls in low relief. Unusually, the curls are arrayed in a pattern on the back of the head, rather than being in a more typical, somewhat random manner. The image has been lacquered with black lacquer and then gilded. Overall, the image is very sculptural and decorative: the naturalistic flow of the robes, and the refinement of the face, are particularly pleasing.37"T x 32"W x 24"D. In good antique condition some minor losses and age cracking.

Original American oil painting portrait of a western horse by John Jones 2004. Oil on canvas signed lower left paint in grasaile gray tones measuring 16" x 20" presented in a quality gallery frame overall size 22" x 26". A very fine decorative painting. Artist Biography. John Jones born at Hobbs, New Mexico, in 1940. Hobbs was a fairly new oil boom town, moving into the modern world when World War II came along. My folks were raised in Oklahoma and Texas, and their folks were part of the homesteading and settling, and farming and ranching of the West. Some of my earliest memories are of making my toys out of clay. Then drawing all the time on what ever kind of paper I could get. I got hold of a roll of butcher paper when I was about 9, and remember drawing whole scenes right down the roll laid out on a cement floor. I remember making a lot of my own toys, whittling and carving them out of wood. I was sort of in different fantasy worlds, in that I made a lot of model airplanes and dressed in my western chaps and hat at the same time. And naturally I did adventure comic strips, especially when we were fighting the commies in Korea. The subject matter in my art was always varied, but the horse was always prominent. I 'dinked' with drawing and painting part time, as I discovered girls and cars, and sports and didn't know that a person could make a living doing artwork. After a stint in the Navy, I took a job with the Forest Service about 1970, and discovered Montana. I went in some Art Galleries in Kalispell, Montana, and saw that some guys were selling paintings. I said, "Heck, I can do that." So, I started doing paintings to sell, and started sculpting in wax. That started an adventure in Art, that continues today I learn from other Artists, books, TV shows, and anywhere that has something of interest. Mostly, I learn from trial and error. I think that masterpieces can be done in a closet, if that is the only space you have. But, I prefer to have a nice studio. I sometimes work on a series of paintings. Right now I am living in Lincoln, Nebraska, with my true Love, and have a nice studio. As I get a little older, I am having to narrow down my subject matter. I like the Old West Subjects best of all, but we aren't that far removed from the "Old West". So, I imagine that I will continue to do a mixture of old and new west, and anything with horses. I plan to do a series on the early longhorn cattle drives, and that may happen, if I can keep from straying too far. A few years ago, I went to Montana to do a series on the Longhorn, and wound up doing buffalo hunts and indians attacking stagecoaches. But, most everyone up there wanted me to do packer scenes, so I did a lot of packers and cowboys in slickers.

Original antique 19th century Japanese Woodblock Print by KUNISADA (AKA TOYOKUNI III, 1786-1864). Presented matted and framed. In good antique condition some surface soiling commensurate of age. Kunisada Utagawa was born in 1786 in Honjo, in the outskirts of Tokyo, the capital of Japan, then called Edo. His father died when he was about one year old. But he had left his son a hereditary ferry-boat license which provided a safe income. In contrast to so many other ukiyo-e artists like for instance Kuniyoshi Utagawa or his student Yoshitoshi Tsukioka, Kunisada never had to experience any financial hardships during his lifetime. The idea of a hereditary ferry-boat license seems strange to us today. You must know that the Japanese society of the Edo period (1603-1868) was extremely rigid. Your place in life was defined by your birth. If you were born as the son of a farmer, your destiny was to be a farmer for your whole life. Another example was the samurai warrior class. You could not become a samurai. You were born as a samurai.

A beautiful pair of original 19th century antique oil paintings in the manner of George Henry Harlow renowned British portrait painter, 1787-1819]. Both Oil on canvas framed in later vintage gold frames. Both paintings have been professionally restored relined cleaned and re varnished. DIMENSIONS 8.5ʺW × 1.5ʺD × 10.5ʺH

Dramatic vintage expressionist pastel portrait of a female nude signed by Gerrard Haggerty Presented matted and in a wood frame with light gilding on the bevel. Image size: 21.5 x 29", overall dimensions: 28 x 38". Gerard Haggerty’s work has been featured in the XXIIII AMERICAN DRAWING BIENNIAL, the XXIV AMERICAN DRAWING BIENNIAL, the Smithsonian Institution’s Contemporary American Drawings IV and Contemporary American Drawings V (Purchase Prize). He has won fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Ford Foundation. His one-person exhibitions have included Space Gallery in Los Angeles and Dome Gallery in New York City. His art is included in the collections of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Laguna Museum of Art, the Portland Art Museum, Michael Douglas, Jack Nicholson, and others. Gerard Haggerty taught at Brooklyn College, CUNY, UCSB, and the Chautauqua Institution.

An ancient Chinese Han Dynasty earthenware cocoon jar circa 206 BC-220 AD, with traces of original hand painted design motif. Cocoon jars a name derived for its the resemblance with the shape of a silk worm cocoon. They were originally used as wine storage vessels. This is a beautiful example in good ancient condition but for normal wear to surfaces. DIMENSIONS 12ʺW × 8ʺD × 10ʺH

An original antique monotype oil on paper of a path through a forest by Joseph Henry Sharp. Signed lower right presented in a vintage period frame. Measuring overall size 17.5" x 22.5". Biography, Born in Bridgeport, OH on Sept. 27, 1859, Joseph Henry Sharp was raised in Ironton and Cincinnati. He began art studies at the Cincinnati Art Academy at age 14. In 1882 he was a pupil of Charles Verlat in Antwerp; the following year he made his first trip to the West to sketch the Indian tribes of New Mexico, California, and the Columbia River. In 1886 he again was in Europe accompanied by Frank Duveneck. While in Munich, he was a pupil of Karl Marr and had further study with Jean Paul Laurens and Benjamin Constant in Paris. Sharp taught at the Cincinnati Art Academy from 1892 until 1902, and then resigned to devote full time to painting. Summers were spent in Montana at Crow Agency in a cabin and studio at the foot of the Custer Battlefield. As well as a home in Pasadena, he also had a studio in Taos, NM which was opposite Kit Carson's old home. During the 1930s he made several painting trips to Hawaii. Sharp died in Pasadena, CA on Aug. 29, 1953. Eleven of his paintings of famous Indians were purchased by the U.S. Government in 1900 and now hang in the Smithsonian Institution. A collection of 80 Indian portraits and pictures were purchased by Phoebe Hearst in 1902 for UC Berkeley. Memberships: Cincinnati Art Club; Prairie Printmakers Club of Los Angeles; Salmagundi Club; American Fine Art Association; Southwest Society of Artists; Taos Society of Artists; California Art Club. Exhibitions: Pan-American Expo (Buffalo), 1901 (silver medal); Cincinnati Art Club, 1901 (1st prize); Panama-California Expo (San Diego), 1915 (gold medal); Southwest Expo (Long Beach), 1928; California Artists, Pasadena Art Institute 1930 (1st prize). Museum Collections: Houston Museum; Orange Co. (CA) Museum; Butler Museum (Youngstown, OH); Southwest Museum (LA); Museum of NM (Santa Fe); Cincinnati Museum; Herron Art Inst. (Indianapolis).

Olmec Jade Mask Pendant Origin: Mexico, Circa: 1200 BC to 900 BC, Dimensions: 3 5/8 high x 2.5 wide, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Olmec, Medium: Jade.

Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973) Oath of the Women from Lysistrata Bloch 267-272. Original pencil signed etching from the deluxe edition of 100 signed etchings. Printed by Roger Lacourière (French, 1892–1966) Date: 1934 Medium: Etching Dimensions: plate: 8 11/16 x 5 3/4 in. (22.1 x 14.6 cm) sheet: 15 1/8 x 11 1/8 in. (38.4 x 28.3 cm) Condition is very good some minor staining and foxing very slight minor surface creasing.

Original Vintage Iroquois Indian False Face Soceity carved wood mask c.1930. Measuring 10 inches by 7 inches by 4 inches deep. Hand carved and paintied wood with traditional metal eye accents and horse hair. From a north eastern American collection. The False Face Society is probably the best known of the medicinal societies among the Iroquois, especially for its dramatic wooden masks. The design of the masks is somewhat variable, but most share certain features. The eyes are deep-set and accented by metal. The noses are bent and crooked. The other facial features are variable. The masks are painted red and black. Most often they have pouches of tobacco tied onto the hair above their foreheads. Basswood is usually used for the masks although other types of wood are sometimes used. Horse tail hair is used for the hair, which can be black, reddish brown, brown, grey or white. The masks are carved directly on the tree and only removed when completed.

Modern charcoal drawing of a cosmic abstract. Signed indistinctly lower right and dated 2003. Presented in a minimalist blonde wood frame. Image size: 22 x 30”, overall dimensions: 27 x 34”.

Beautiful antique original Italian watercolor landscape painting of a waterfall and castle ruins by Vincent Blatter signed lower left. Presented matted and framed. Vincent Blatter (1843 - 1913) was active/lived in Italy. Vincent Blatter is known for painting landscapes. Overall framed size 15 x 20" excellent condition.

A fine antique portrait of a Race horse in a stable with a dog. Signed lower center indistinctly measuring 16" x 20" oil on canvas.

A fine and rare antique Native American North West Coast Haida or Tlingit tribe carved large horn spoon or ladle. The handle depicts a totem pole design of an Eagle and Bear with mother of pearl inset eyes. Measuring approx. 13.5" inches long 6" deep and 4.5"wide. In very good antique condition minor imperfections with age.

An original vintage charcoal drawing of Christmas Carolers in winter snow by William Gropper. Charcoal on paper signed lower right presented matted and framed. Image size 13 x 17" overall framed size 19 x 25". Biography: William Gropper was a painter and political cartoonist who is best remembered for his striking social commentary. He was born in 1897 on the Lower East Side in New York City to a large, poor immigrant family. Due to the family's financial difficulties, Gropper was forced to leave school at a very young age and work in a garment sweatshop with his mother and siblings. Several years later, he enrolled in art classes at the socially progressive Ferrer School where he received instruction from noted Ashcan artists Robert Henri and George Bellows. Gropper later recalled the influence of these men saying, "Right then, I began to realize that you don't paint with color—you paint with conviction, freedom, love and heartaches, with what you have." Following his time at the Ferrer School, Gropper continued his education at the Chase School, later known as Parson's School of Design. After graduation, Gropper briefly illustrated for the New York Tribune, during which time he began contributing to socialist publications, such as The New Masses, Labor Defender and The Nation. In 1924, he began a long career as a regular cartoonist for the Freiheit, a left-wing Yiddish daily newspaper. As his career progressed in the 1930s, Gropper turned his attention more towards painting. In addition to the early influence of Henri and Bellows, he also looked to Cubism for inspiration and incorporated sharp angles and exaggerated figures in his paintings. In the 1930s and 1940s, Gropper completed several murals for New York businesses, and for post offices in Detroit and on Long Island. In 1937, Gropper was awarded a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship which he used to travel to the Great Plains and to the Southeast. In 1942, he painted Field Workers, based on sketches made while in the South. It was completed during the height of his career as a painter and the saturated coloring and exaggerated angles are characteristic of his mature painting style. Though Gropper worked in different mediums his subject was always people, and he is often referred to as "the workingman's protector." In an interview, Gropper explained his motivations for exposing the wrongs committed against workers, "That's my heritage. I'm from the old school, defending the underdog. Maybe because I've been an underdog or still am. I put myself in their position. I feel for the people . . . . I become involved."

Post impressionist oil painting of a partial nude in blue tones. Reminiscent of Picasso's Blue Period. Signed lower right and presented in original dark wood frame with white insert. Masonite panel measures 20 x 30 inches.

Louis-Auguste-Mathieu Legrand (b.1863-d.1951) Original mixed media of gouache, etching, collage, and ink drawing of a French can can dancer c. 1900 signed lower left. Louis Legrand was an important artist of the Belle Epoque in France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He trained at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Dijon and in 1884 moved to Paris. In good condition some minor touch ups to gouache paint. Image measuring 10.5"x11.5" overall framed size 17"x18.5"

A beautiful vintage bronze suclpture titled "The Bather" by Ernesto Tamariz signed and dated 1974. Bronze on black marble base. Artist Biography Born on January 11, 1904 in the Villa de Acatzingo, Puebla, Ernesto Tamariz Galicia was a Mexican sculptor who found in Greco-Latin art the elements to exalt his nationalist vision. His work belongs to the neoclassical artistic genre, standing out from a very young age for his great capacity for work and for his high quality of manufacture, having his own style. He was a very complete artist, who began his approach to plastic arts in his native state and later in Mexico City when he entered the San Carlos Academy at age 21, where he continued to study painting, and which earned him the first prize in The competition for the murals of the Palacio de Minería, however, it was in sculpture where he exploited all his potential and the development of his artistic skills. In 1926 he founded the Escuela de Artes Plásticas de Pachuca, Hidalgo, together with Fernando Gamboa (1906-1990) and in the 1930s he worked as the main assistant to his great friend Oliverio Martínez (1901-1938) in the stature of groups. sculptures dedicated to the Monument to the Revolution. Prolific and with an impeccable and forceful technique, he specialized in public monuments, of his production highlights the "Altar to the Fatherland", popularly known as the Monument to the Children Heroes in which he shares authorship with the Architect Enrique Aragón, a work for the which he competed and won in 1948 and which would be inaugurated in 1952. Said work would catapult him by making more than 40 monuments in Mexico and abroad. His work includes politicians such as José Martí, heroes of all kinds such as Leona Vicario, civil and religious authorities, and intellectuals such as the one dedicated to José Vasconcelos, who was his teacher and benefactor. In parallel to his monumental work, he made small-format sculptures as part of his personal work, an example of this is Galatea, made in 1945 in which the mastery of the trade and the repertoire of his style is evident, which ranges from classical to the baroque and the realistic. He died on September 30, 1988