An antique red chalk European drawing on laid paper, sheet 8 1/4" by 6 3/4" (15 3/4" by 12" in 20th century frame), unsigned, the subject an aristocratic woman formally dressed, with upswept hair of the period. One wonders if this might be Marie Antoinette herself, or someone else who might have been caught up in the 1789 storming of the Bastille and the infamous Reign of Terror. There is a watermark in the old paper. Taped at top edge only...

A color propaganda poster from the 1960's or 1970's Mao-Tse-Tung era, 19" by 29 1/2" inside the current matting, 28" by 41" in present simple black framing behind Plexi. The paper is of a less-finished type that may be akin to newsprint. Print has slight creases in places but overall is in good clean condition. There are very minor edge tears and skins in a few places where this was crudely taped in the past and small moisture stain as shown...

An unframed circa late 1600's or early 1700's oil on wood panel painting of old ruins in a poetic Italianate landscape that includes a distant bridge over a river, more ruins, and several tiny foreground figures with their animals. The 9 3/4" by 12 5/8" oak panel shows great age; it is ever so slightly bowed. I do not see a signature although there may have been one at one time at lower left, where others have rubbed perhaps with saliva, to try to bring up a signature...

A very decorative, fan-shaped painting on canvas of winged putti, in Old Master style, 27" by 45" as framed, bearing a signature at lower left center, appearing as "Maffei A.". The work likely dates to about 1970, and is likely the work of a quality workshop producing decorative pieces for visitors to Italy. The style is convincingly 18th century, the workmanship impressive. The frame has gold leaf on the decorative portions...

A contemporary impressionist landscape of the hills of Texas in the spring when the famous bluebonnet bloom, signed at lower left by artist "Julienne". This is a work of a talented artist, the signature of whom might well be a take-off on the famous and important Texas bluebonnet artist Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922); conversely, the artist may just happen to be named "Julienne"...

An oil on canvas painting, 36 1/4" by 26", (44 1/2" by 34" framed), relined circa mid 20th century, no apparent signature present, nor attribution available. The weave of the canvas suggests a work pre-dating the 19th century. The painting is reminiscent of Italian Renaissance imagery and strongly suggestive of Italian origin.. I acquired the work at an estate sale held at the Los Angeles home of E! Entertainment, Comcast CEO, and most recently NBC Broadcasting Chairman, Ted Harbert...

A landscape painting with feathery trees silhouetted against a luminous sky, a female figure walking at right with brown cow on the path which borders a creek, signed illegibly at lower right and dated there 1852. Someone invested some money in preserving the work, as it has been relined in recent times. The original stretcher was retained. The work is now stable. It is not perfectly flat however, there being some roll to the canvas especially at bottom...

Oil on canvasboard landscape of Southern California including distant oil derricks, 12" by 16", unframed, not signed on front but on back signed and with artist address at the time in Sunland, CA, a Los Angeles suburb. The forest of oil wells could be in a place like Signal Hill, or Long Beach, near Huntington Beach, or, any number of other points in Southern California or the southern Central Valley west of Bakersfield...

Large colored etching, posthumous printing, after the circa 1914 original print of the famous Austrian landmark on the Danube west of Vienna, the 18th century-built Melk Abbey (sometimes called Melk Monastery), signed in pencil at lower center by the son of the artist, Robert (the actual signature is preceded by "nl" which indicates Nachlass, or Studio, of the artist). The image is by the well-known painter and printmaker LUIGI KASIMIR (1881-1962)...

A Dutch 17th century etching of a standing horse near a humble abode, 6 3/4" by 7 3/4" (14" by 15 1/2" in 20th century appropriate black frame), unsigned, and with no initials or other indication as to authorship. The work bears old pencil notations on the reverse side of the mat; there appear to be names of potential artists that were pondered by a previous observer in my position (including, it appears, question marks to himself)...

By noted Scottish artist FRANK COLCLOUGH, a PAIR of gouache drawings of landscapes in Scotland, one of a country lane, 7 1/2" by 11 1/4" (15 1/2" by 19" framed), the other of a harbor, 12" by 7 3/4" (20" by 15 1/2" framed). These are very obviously the product of a talented hand. Colclough was painting as early as 1981. Earlier works are in watercolor (or, presumably, gouache, as in the case of these works), while later efforts are more likely to be in oil or acrylic...

Oil on canvasboard painting of flowering yucca ("Spanish Bayonet") in a landscape, signed at lower right by Barbara White, a talented artist from Silver City, New Mexico, who was elected first president of the organization in 1968. There does not seem to be much other information readily available on the net, but one reference does indicate that she is deceased...

A pair of framed watercolors, each signed by the artist, GEORGIA LEE, circa mid 1960's, the subject being familiar scenes of San Francisco: one, a pink hillside Mediterranean-style mansion most likely in the city's tony Pacific Heights section, (possibly on Divisadero, or Broderick or Fillmore); the other a downtown view towards the Ferry Building and the Embarcadero Freeway, (which was built in 1959---thereby helping us to date the works). That image is now of historical interest as the freew...

Contemporary (late 20th century) oil on canvas painting of a lighthouse, and coastal rocks and sea birds, a tall ship at right, signed at lower left by American gallery artist CRAIG SMITH. The work measures 24" by 30" (31" by 37" framed). The scene resembles Portland, Maine's famous lighthouse, but a business card of the artist affixed to the reverse appears to say that this is a Nova Scotia, Canada scene. The tall ship flies the flag of Portugal and it has been suggested to me, that it is in...

Large oil on canvas painting of traditional sailing craft on the ocean, 24 1/2" by 34", 26 3/4" by 34 1/4" as framed), painted in an impressionist manner with palette knife, signed at lower right with the familiar "C Buenaventura" signature and "Manila 1964". The artist is CESAR BUENAVENTURA (1922-1983). Cesar was a son of well listed artist Teodoro Buenaventura Fernando Amorsolo the great Filipino artist was Cesar's godfather. The painting is in excellent vintage condition. In recent years pai...

This is an interesting very old monochromatic watercolor, circa late 18th century or very early 19th, measuring 4 1/2" by 8 3/4" (11" by 14" framed). The drawing has the feel of an old master drawing. The scene includes tiny figures, buildings, a willowy tree at right, and what appears as an isolated hill or butte-like feature in the distance. The work itself is not signed, but at lower right, written very faintly in pencil in the mat, is "Waterloo" and another word that is difficult to decip...

A framed PAIR of framed color prints, one (Place de la Concorde, central Paris) 8 3/4" by 12 1/2" (13 1/2" by 17" framed, no glass), the other (Notre Dame and bookstalls along the Seine) 8 1/2" by 12" (15" by 18" framed). Each is pencil numbered at lower left out of editions of 500, and signed at lower right in pencil, by the noted French 20th century impressionist painter CHARLES BLONDIN (1913-1991). Blondin was active in Paris in the post war years, painting and creating very popular editions...

An unusual item...a portion of a birthday or other festive cake on a plate, make of some kind of ceramic material, hand painted very realistically and capable of "fool the eye" (trompe l'oeil), painted in colors reminiscent of the colors used by famous contemporary artist Wayne Thiebaud. Measurements are approximately 8 1/2" across the plate, by 8" in height. The artist has hand signed her name on the bottom of the plate, in black marker. Colette Peters' name is highly recognized in the cake ...