A vintage California oil on canvas painting of high mountains and the desert at sunset, probably painted circa 1935 through the early 1940's, 20" by 24" (23" by 27" in likely the original frame), signed at lower right by Los Angeles area artist ESSIE KAILEY (1897-1986). Kailey is not apparently a known artist, and was likely a talented amateur...

This is a lithograph, titled "Heure Matinale", 19 3/4" by 25 3/4", unframed, signed in pencil at lower right by the artist and dated there "61", with "epreuve d'artiste" notation, by the noted CoBra artist GUILLAUME CORNELIS VAN BEVERLOO, best known by the pseudonym "CORNEILLE" (the French word for "crow"). The regular edition of this print appears to have been of 120 examples, on BFK Rives paper (and this has those watermarks)...

**PAIR** of pastel and pencil drawings on paper affixed to board at edges, each 9 3/4" by 13 1/2" inside the mat, currently in simple contemporary inexpensive frames, one signed in pencil at lower right "GROLL". These appear to be possibly scenes of Mexico or even Spain (the artist studied in Europe) by listed American artist ALBERT LOREY GROLL (1866-1952)...

Pastel on paper laid on board, 15 1/2" by 19 1/2" (19" by 23 1/2" as simply framed---no glass), signed at lower right by noted American pastel artist ANDREW GUNDERSON (1888-1964). This is a rather typical example by the artist, who is grouped today with such pastellists as William Chandler and Glatthaar...

A PAIR of oil on canvas works, each 14" by 10", unframed, featuring hanging wild birds against a simulated wood-grain background, painted in the then-popular realistic trompe l'oeil manner of painters like William Harnett in America, or Michelangelo Meucci (1840-1909) in Italy. The paintings likely date to about the 1880's. They are signed but despite my best efforts, I have been unable to make out the worn and faint signature. An image of that area is provided...

Unsigned watercolor landscape painting, late 19th century American origin, the subject a chilly shoreline including snow-covered shacks, two figures, and a small overturned boat in winter storage, measuring 11" by 21" inside the mat (16" by 25" as framed). This is a primitive work, the figures a bit small and out of scale, and therefore a charming work, rather typical of late nineteenth century American watercolor by self-taught artists. CONDITION: Foxing in the sky, as shown, otherwise good...

This is a print on metal process, the sheet measuring 34" by 28", and the subject being "The Burning Bush". The work was created to celebrate the 1996 opening of the Skirball Cultural Center and Museum in West Los Angeles. The Skirball is known for its focus on American and European Jewish culture. This work is numbered 629/900 on the reverse in marker and is signed at lower right in marker by the artist...

Oil on canvas, circa late nineteenth century, 21 1/2" by 26 3/4" and about one inch wide framing, unsigned, featuring feathery trees, distant snowy mountains, a lake with small sail craft, and a gentleman pulling in nets on another small boat. This painting is in need of restoration, but, I believe it well worth saving for posterity. There are some holes, the largest about 3/4" by 1/2", at lower left, a similar one at upper left, and some much smaller punctures at far right...

Watercolor on paper country road scene with figure and possibly a horse, 4" by 8 3/4" inside the mat, signed at lower right "Lauro" and inscribed "A mi querido cunado (brother-in-law) Daniel" and dated 1881. I have searched for a listed artist that could correspond to this name but have not come up with a compatible listing. Purchased this at a flea market in Buenos Aires, Argentina...

Watercolor on paper of a rugged seacoast with rocks and surf (presumably California, but could be a number of other places including England), 10" by 13" inside the flimsy makeshift mat (18" by 22 1/2" as framed), signed at lower right "GAY", and bearing a bonus---a pretty study on the reverse side. I do not believe this to be by any of the noted artists who share that last name of "Gay". Nevertheless it is a nicely drawn work, in excellent condition. Allow for reflections...

Watercolor on heavy paper, 6 1/4" by 9", (9" by 11" as framed), unsigned, the subject a marble Parthenon-like classical ruined temple at right, several picturesquely dressed figures in the right foreground, and a cypress tree at left framing the scene. I would guess the age as circa mid 19th century. Unfortunately there is no signature nor other hint as to authorship...

Oil on canvas still life of a small statuette of a horse and a copper vessel on a small table, 13" by 15" (14" by 16 1/2" as framed), signed at lower right "Virginia Weaver". I do not see a listing for the artist but evidently she was quite talented, as the perspective and flattening of the picture plane shows familiarity with modernist trends of the early 20th century...

Watercolor on paper laid down long ago on a thin old board, the subject being fruit, including green and purple grapes as well as a melon, measuring 10 3/4" by 18 1/4" inside the mat (19" by 26 1/2" as framed), apparently unsigned, dating likely to the late nineteenth century. This is a fine example of American still life art of the period. I would imagine the unknown artist would be listed, due to the quality of the work...

Oil on canvasboard, 16" by 20" and 1 1/4" dark stained oak frame, signed at lower left with initial "D", and executed en grisaille (grays, whites, black). This is a work by an accomplished artist, showing what appears to be a solemn funeral gathering, with a minister reading from the bible as a black gravedigger looks on at right. The style of dress of the mourners suggests the 19th century as the period depicted. I thought this might be a work by the major illustrator Harvey Dunn, and ran th...

Oil on canvas landscape oil, unmounted/unstretched, contained loosely in a decorative and complementary modern white metal frame, measuring 5" by 7" (7 1/2" by 10" as framed), signed at lower left "A. Schilling". I would date this to the late 19th century or early years of the 20th. Schilling (1859-1937) exhibited in Chicago at the Art Institute, St. Louis at the world's fair, at the Pennsylvania Academy, and elsewhere. Though listed in a number of reference works, there does not seem to be a...

Oil on masonite, 18" by 24", (23" by 29" as framed), the subject a copper kettle on a small wooden stand on a table, with a cup and saucer, small blue milk pitcher and poinsettia in a decorative blue vase filling out the scene. The painting is signed at lower right "L. Johnson". I do not seem to be able to connect this to any listed artist so am offering it as a decorative work. It was found in San Diego, and the poinsettia suggests a California origin. Frame is vintage and no doubt origina...

Watercolor on paper, 16 1/2" by 11 1/4" inside the mat, 23 3/4" by 17 1/2" as framed, signed boldly at lower right by the California listed artist ALFRED OWLES (1894-1978). Owles was born in England and is today perhaps best known for his accurate watercolors of aircraft and early aviation, including depictions of World War I dogfights, with which he was personally familiar, having flown in the early craft as a photographer. He worked for many years in a San Francisco studio, and later in life...

In the style of noted and popular late 19th century/early 20th century pastel artist WILLIAM CHANDLER, this is a nicely executed work featuring purple grapes, a sectioned orange, a peach in the back, and some seeds and grape leaves. Measuring 10 3/4" by 14" (15 1/2" by 18 1/2" as framed), signed "MAYER" at lower right, I have been unable to match this up with a listed artist, but the work, dating to as late as 1930 or so, is very decorative and folky and in excellent condition, as is the frame.

Gouache and watercolor on paper ink signed landscape showing the famous old California Mojave Desert ghost down of Calico, 15 1/4" by 19 1/4" (24" by 28" in simple blond wood frame without glass), by California artist ANNA WILSON. This is an impressionistic work showing the small and insignificant hand of man in a grand wild desert landscape. There is a listing for an Anna Wilson in California but I do not believe that this is by the same artist. Condition is excellent despite the fact that t...

Oil on canvas, 50" by 31", unframed, signed on the spine of the book at lower center in true trompe l'oeil style and dated there 1901. This is a beautifully painted work by an historical painter of late 19th century California, ALBERT JENKS (1830-1901). It is already quite impressive as it is, but, with a gold frame around it, I can envision this gracing the wall of a law office or museum. Jenks was born in upstate New York, and kept moving west throughout his life; to Illinois by 1836, where...

This is a puzzling piece; a print in colors, appears to be a lithograph, not an offset, measuring 13 1/4" by 9 1/8" inside the present mat (21 1/4" by 25 1/4" as framed). It is signed "Picasso" in the plate at lower right in the image and dated below that 21-6-20. I don't believe this is from the period, nor do I believe it is listed in a catalogue raisonne; rather, it appears to be some kind of later reproduction perhaps after a drawing or painting. Further research no doubt could resolve th...

Here is a decorative Americana item, if you enjoy the work of one of America's most beloved and famous painters, EDWARD HOPPER, but you can't afford to buy the real thing (priced well into the millions), and yet you want something more than an offset print in a plastic frame. A Hopper painting similar to this is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and it measures 29 1/2" by 43 1/2". This oil on canvas is signed at lower right "Allesee" and is quite a bit smaller, m...

This is a powerful little painting of The Netherlands, 6 1/8" by 8 3/4", painted on a wood panel, and a narrow simple frame, signed at lower left in the paint by well listed German artist ADOLF STADEMANN (1824-1895). Its diminutive size notwithstanding, the wonderful quality of this oil---in particular the masterful handling of the winter light---is immediately apparent. The artist, who specialized in this "Eisvergnugen" (roughly translated from the German as "ice play" or "enjoyment on the ice...

Oil on canvas, 20" by 16" and simple wood frame 1 3/4" wide, signed at lower left in capital letters by the artist, ARTHUR CARL WEIGLE, and dated there "30". This is a charming scene of an earlier California, the iconic subject being the 18th century Mission Santa Barbara. Note the figure curled up on the steps, the leaning palm, and the beautifully painted eucalyptus leaves. The overall light palette reminds one of C. W. Nicholson's works or possibly Dana Bartlett. Surprisingly, I do not se...

Drawing on paper executed in soft pencil, 7" by 8 1/4", essentially unframed (in a protective frame only), the subject an arid desert landscape butte under a crescent moon, the drawing signed at lower left "ARCH SINCLAIR". There is a listing for an Archie Sinclair (1895-), a student of Henry Keller. Sinclair is listed in many reference works. He is said to be associated with Oregon, so, this might be a scene from the dry eastern part of that state. Evidently he worked in the east as well. T...

This is a scarce, even rare work in watercolor, pencil and, I believe, gouache, 17 5/8" by 11 1/4" (24 1/2" by 18 3/4" as framed) signed at lower right and dated there 1937 by painter and sculptor Angelina Beloff (1884-1969). The scene is inscribed "Jalapa"---corresponding to the colonial highlands city in southeastern Mexico on the main road between Mexico City and the coastal city of Vera Cruz. Beloff was a talented Russian-born artist, her oils selling today at Sotheby's Latin American Art ...

This is a rather typical work of the noted Bermudian artist ALFRED BIRDSEY (1912-1996), the full sheet affixed to a board measuring 18" by 23 1/2". Birdsey was a familiar figure in Bermuda for decades, a prolific artist, the works of whom traveled home with tourists to the island. This would account for the wide distribution of his distinctive work. Today his daughter continues the family tradition, with similar looking paintings being sold to visitors. Birdsey worked in gouache or, occasionally...

This is a nineteenth century European painting facsimile, consisting of hand coloring over a photo-mechanical print, the finished product quite convincing and possessing considerable decorative value. The work measures 10" by 7 3/4" (16" by 13" framed). The name of the artist who created the original painting from which this was derived appears in red at lower right, the name "Marqueta" or similar. These facsimiles of oil paintings can fool even some gallery and auction house personnel if the...

Nineteenth century English hunting scene after the noted English artist who specialized in equestrian, racing, coaching and hunting scenes HENRY ALKEN (1785-1851). Alken's oil paintings sell for large sums at auction, and his prints are popular with interior decorators seeking that traditional look through sporting art. According to the fine print at bottom center this engraving was printed in the the year 1838 in London. Alken, himself a huntsman, is the best known of a family of prominent E...

PAIR of oil on gray art board panels, each 14" by 4 3/4", 20" by 10 1/2" as framed, unsigned, the subject of each a picturesque old castle perched on a prominent mountain outcrop, in each view, a bridge with tiny figures crossing a torrent in the foreground. These could be a "before and after" scene of the same view, as one bridge is of stone and obviously more substantial than the other, which is of wood. The artist did not sign the works, but on the reverse of each is penciled in 19th centur...

Truly old nineteenth century oil painting, 29" by 24 3/4" (32" by 27 3/4" framed), apparently unsigned, the subject probably Mary Magdalene, an extensive landscape visible at distant right. The painting's precise age is difficult to pinpoint, but mid 19th century would be close to the mark. No doubt it is a copy after an original Italian master work of the 16th century. The canvas as seen on the front is more coarse in appearance than the fine weave canvas seen on the reverse, leading me to t...

A circa 18th century engraving of stone arch bridge over a river, more than likely in Italy, 10 3/8" by 15 7/8" inside the ornately drawn mat and 16 1/2" by 22 1/2" in a contemporary distressed style complementary silvery-colored frame. The work is not visibly signed. A google reverse image search did not turn up a matching image. The overall decorative effect of a black and white print in dark charcoal mat in silvery-goldish antique finish frame is very satisfactory---would work well in your...

An extensive landscape with picturesque castle ruins at left on a leafy Arcadian glen overlooking a lake and distant mountains, unsigned, 16" by 24" (25" by 32 1/2" in wide gold frame), presenting at first a Hudson River School appearance, but perhaps more likely by an English or Scottish artist, or by a period American artist imitating an English style and scenery. Jasper Francis Cropsey painted similarly (but I am not suggesting that this is his work). The piece is beautifully painted but fr...

Unsigned fine old nineteenth century ink and watercolor drawing of a great tree presiding over a pleasant forested landscape, two tiny figures at right and a small wooden structure at left providing the only evidence of human presence. The watercolor, 14 1/2" by 10 1/2" inside the mat, 24 1/2" by 21" framed, is probably English or continental European, and circa 1860's or thereabouts. The tiny figures are a woman gathering sticks for cooking, and her child. Condition is generally amazingly fr...

Nineteenth century print of a scene including palace and figures strolling, titled in white gouache (by hand) "Florence" at lower center, the color throughout hand applied by a talented artist. This very nearly resembles a drawing rather than a print. Measurements 6 1/4" by 9 1/2" (14" by 18 3/4" in wood frame). The print was trimmed tight to the margin, then laid on a neutral gray/green background, and a white border was then hand applied. All in all a very nice print of traditional subject...

Watercolor on paper painting of a lady sitting in a meadow in a rural landscape with a stream, plane trees, and grazing cows, 11 1/2" by 16 1/2" (" by " framed), with a penciled name "Marie Louise Garfield" on the (very recent) mat only. A nicely worked painting, by an obviously skilled artist, though I do not see a listing by this name, which again appears only on the mat, and not in the work itself. The name may well not have anything to do with the artist, who might have to remain anonymous...