Catalog: Sold Items (420)

Original Besler Botanical engraving with period hand coloring c.1613 text on verso. Basilius Besler¹s magnificent engravings are the first large-folio natural history botanicals. His work, Hortus Eystettensis (Garden of Eichstätt), is man¹s earliest documentation of a specific garden and is the oldest of all of the great botanicals. Over 1,000 varieties of flowers are depicted in 367 exquisitely engraved and colored plates. Plate mark image 18.5"L x 15.25"W. overall sheet size 21"L x 16"W. Unframed. Condition: Good antique condition some age yellowing small hole upper left commensurate of age.

Antique sterling silver overlay art nouveau perfume bottle. A beautiful example measuring approx. 4 inches tall in excellent condition some minor scratches to sliver clear glass nice heavy overlay. A fine addition to any collection.

A beautiful Will Sparks original oil on canvas signed lower left provenance Karges Gallery Carmel Ca. The scene depicting adobes along a river in the evening. Measuring 16 x 24 in good condition some age craquelure.

Biography

Painter, etcher, and muralist, Will Sparks became one of California's premier artists, known for his mission and nocturnal adobe scenes. He was highly prolific, completing about three-thousand oil paintings. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and showed art talent as a youngster, selling his first painting when he was age twelve. He became a doctor, but his love of art prevailed. He attended the St. Louis School of Fine Arts and then went to New York and then Paris to the Academies Julian and Colarossi where he studied with Gerome, Harpignies, and Bouguereau. In Paris he earned money as an assistant to biologist Louis Pasteur for whom he made anatomical drawings. He was also much influenced by the Barbizon painters and Cezanne. He returned to St. Louis and in 1886 exhibited in the St. Louis Expo where he met Mark Twain whose stories of California inspired him to head West. He stayed briefly in Cincinnati and Denver and then California, where he did newspaper illustrations in Stockton and Fresno. In 1891, he settled in San Francisco, establishing a studio at 163 Sutter Street. He combined illustration work and writing for the San Francisco Evening Call with easel painting including all of the California missions. He was a member of the Bohemian Club, a free-spirited, fun loving group that lived "hand-to-mouth" for their art. He also painted in Arizona, and a painting Tucson was done in 1894. In 1904, he joined the faculty of the University of California, doing anatomy drawings for medical classes, and in 1907, he was a founder of the Del Monte Art Gallery. He died in San Francisco on March 30, 1937. His paintings are in the collections of the Huntington Library in San Marino and the Crocker Museum in Sacramento. Source: Edan Hughes,

A fine original Oil painting on canvas board signed lower right by Professor Starcce. Sailing boats in harbor in original frame.

Chinese crackle glazed robins egg blue vase 19th century. A beautiful tall slender form with long neck in excellent condition a minor chip on the bottom under the foot. Measuring approx. 14 inches tall a fine example.

Original antique oil painting on art board signed lower right measuring 12 x 16 . Beautiful colors and impressionist mood.

Artist Biography,

Landscape painter. Born on Aug. 26, 1865 in Stockton, CA when it was still a small frontier town. Mersfelder began drawing at an early age and in his teens moved to San Francisco where he studied for three years at the School of Design under Virgil Williams. While studying at that school, he often visited the nearby studio of William Keith who offered criticism. Mersfelder then moved to NYC where he had a studio for a few years. During his stay there, he exhibited at the first exhibition of the Society of American Artists. He also enjoyed the hospitality and criticism of George Inness and A. H. Wyant. He later exhibited in Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, and Baltimore. He won a bronze medal at the Louisiana Purchase Expo (St Louis) of 1904 and was awarded the Klio Assn prize at the annual exhibition held at the AIC where 18 of his canvases were accepted by the jury. He had a studio in Portland, OR in 1889 before returning to San Francisco in 1891. He was active in the local art scene when not out on painting forays in northern California. The year 1915 was spent in San Diego. Mersfelder lived his final years in Berkeley, CA and died there on Oct. 23, 1937. Although he made no known European trips, his works bear evidence of strong influence by the French Barbizons. Many of his landscapes of the rugged, old oaks of California compare favorably with those painted by William Keith during his late period. Exh: Calif. State Fair, 1882; Mark Hopkins Inst., 1897; Gumps (SF), 1900. In: St Francis Hotel (mural, Mt Tamalpais); Oakland Museum; CHS. CSL; BC; Ber; AAA 1907; DR.

A beautiful portrait of a beautiful young lady in an interior. Oil on Canvas signed lower right in excellent condition measuring 31 x 39 inches overall framed size 38 x 46 inches. Van Belle is a highly regarded Belgian - French painter this painting is illustrated in the book Figurative Paintings Paris and the Modernist Spirt by. Martin Wolpert pubilshed by Schiffer.

A beautiful buzzer bell ringer button for calling servant or hotel desk call button. Fine example in very good condition original wire very pretty stone. Measuring approx. 2 1/4 inches long.

A rare Barbizon landscape oil painting by 19th century American woman artist lived in New Orleans died in 1891. Oil on canvas measuring Approx. 20 x 30 inches framed in fine antique gilt frame.

A Japanese Sumidagawa or Banko pottery figural tea pot with multiple faces or mask images. A charming piece with bamboo handle impressed mark on bottom. Measuring approx. 7 inches tall from bottom to top of handle in excellent condition.

Sumida pottery is a heavy, brightly glazed pottery and often has human and animal figures attached as reliefs. This pottery has its name from the Sumida river in an area near Tokyo. The origins of Sumida pottery are in the mist. It is probably a creation of a family of potters from the nineteenth century. Sumida pottery was probably produced mainly for export to the West.

A fine vintage bronze bust of a boy with green marble base signed G. Martin and with foundry mark genuine bronze. In excellent condition some minor chips to marble base measuring 8 inches or 20 centimeters tall without base. A quality art work would make a fine addition to any collection.

An exquisite gilt bronze Buddha Thailand circa 1840 in very fine condition measuring approx. 14 inches tall. A fine and beautiful image.

A beautiful landscape of a clearing storm over the French country side. A fine impressionist painting contrasting the storm clouds with the sunlight on the landscape. Oil on board signed lower right measuring approx 13 x 19 inches framed in a quality gallery frame 17 x 23 inches overall. A fine painting by a listed and highly regarded French and Belgian painter.

Biography

Painter of landscapes and marines. inspired by the landscapes of Brabant Wallon. Deceased about 1945. Exhibited at the Triennial "Exposition of Antwerp "in 1901 ("Mill in Dordrecht"). Lived in Saint-Gilles at that time. Listed in BOTTOM II and "Two Centuries of Signatures of Artists of Belgium". ...

A fine Cliff Fragua original sculpture "Spirt Woman" hand carved from a marble stone measuring approx. 15 inches tall.

Native American sculptor Cliff Fragua, of Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico, IACA Artist of the Year for 2005, has learned the secret of stone through his cultural and ancestral teachings. "My connection with the stone involves spirituality and reverence for the spirit that dwells within. It has been on this earth much longer than man and for this reason the stone becomes the teacher, it is simply what my ancestors believe. I am the mediator between the stone and the tools: the stone and the viewer." "I visualize what the stone wants to become and I strive to help it emerge." Cliff Fragua's sculptures are featured in such public locations as the Albuquerque Sunport International Airport, the National Statuary Hall in Washington DC and in permanent collections throughout the country.

A Japanese Banko monkey form art pottery tea pot with a beautiful glazed design robe. An absolutely charming work of this unique Japanese art pottery factory. Measuring approx. 6 inches tall in excellent condition.

A fine Chinese carved Ivory dragon pendant of the finese quality carving mounted on a silver frame with loop for chain. In good vintage condition some minor age cracking. Measuring approx 3.5 x 3 inches or 10 x 8 cm. A fine design of the finest quality would enhance any collection.

A fine vintage Navajo Indian Teec Nos Pos rug, woven by Bessie Little Pouch. Featuring a centering double diamond hooked medallion design with geometric accents on all sides, feather pairs in the center, within finely serrated surrounds and a split wing border. Woven in tan, beige, black, red, orange, white and gray. Measuring approx. 6 ft. 4 in. x 3ft. 10 inches in very fine condition.

The Teec Nos Pos style of Navajo weaving is a bold, exciting and elaborate design. Many believe this style developed from pictures of Persian rugs while others see no connection and believe that traders introduced this design to the Navajo People from designs on flour sacks. The name, which means "Cottonwoods in a Circle," comes from a settlement in the northeast corner of the Navajo Nation. Always surrounded by a wide border and filled with an exuberant variety of motifs, Teec Nos Pos style rugs are usually large, and therefore very expensive. An elaborate center is enhanced with stylized feathers and arrows. Steps and angular hooks extend from the points of diamonds and triangles, while zigags are abundant. The many, brightly colored yarns are used to create a visually stunning design in the Teec Nos Pos style.

A beautiful Chinese Cloisonne Tea pot of very large size featuring gilt bronze handle and top with exquisite foo dog images in cloisonne design. In excellent condition measuring approx. 13 tall and 16 inches at its widest point.