Catalog: Antiques: Decorative Art: Folk Art (96)

A folky miniature portrait painting of a young man. With his stylish hairdo, high collar, and patterned vest, and pin, the gentleman exemplifies a dandy of the time. The blue hues in the background provide a striking contrast to the relatively monochromatic tones of the sitter.

The miniature is 2 3/8" by 1 3/4" and is housed in its original 2 1/2" by 2" brass case, which also has a lock of hair in the rear aperture. Condition is excellent, with no cracks, bowing, or paint flaking.

A striking oil on canvas portrait of an attractive young woman painted by William Matthew Prior. The woman is sitting in front of a window draped with red fabric, trees seen through it in the background. She is holding a book and sits on a chair which has a red shawl over the back...

A charming folk art, watercolor on paper, portrait of a very pretty young woman. She is wearing a mourning band on each arm, and is sitting quietly on a chair, with the sheet music of "The Julia Polka" on her lap. Since the painting is titled, in pencil along the lower margin, "Julia ???", the most likely explanation is that this is Julia, mourning for the loved one who probably wrote the song for her...

This is an unusual, wonderful, and beautifully done folk art example of a tinsel or foil painting. The vast majority of tinsel paintings are of flowers. This rarity depicts a bluebird hovering over a basket filled with pears, a melon, and apples. A cluster of cherries, and bunches of grapes and foliage surround the basket. Colors are deep and very vibrant, and include blues, purple, brown, various shades of yellow and green, white, reds, and others...

This is a rare and striking folk art example of a tinsel or foil painting. The vast majority of tinsel paintings are of flowers, but this one, as does item a1175, focuses instead on fruit. This particular gem shows a rose colored glass compote with plums, cherries, strawberries, pear, etc. Colors are deep and very vibrant, and include blues, purple, orange, yellow, greens, etc...

This striking and well executed miniature watercolor painting, on natural organic material, depicts a blue-eyed handsome young gentleman. He is wearing a black coat and tie, white shirt with a stickpin, and is sporting a fashionable hairstyle for the times.

The sight size of the painting is 2 1/2" by 2". It is housed in its original cast brass locket which is 2 5/8" by 2 1/8", and, in the engine turned back, has a glazed aperture containing a woven plait of hair...

An extremely fine pair of American folk art mourning pictures. The paintings are watercolor and gouache (to highlight skin areas) on heavy stock or card. The oval format work shows a sad woman holding a hat with a dog at her feet. In the background are what appear to be a number of monuments. The round format shows two young girls with a dove in a cage and two others they have just set free. The doves symbolically represent the release of the spirit or soul...

A wonderful American folk art mourning portrait painting of a young child, done by Horace Bundy. Although unsigned by him, virtually all the characteristics that indicate such an attribution are present...

This is an absolutely charming American folk art painting depicting an idyllic country scene. The work, done in oil on academy board, shows a woman with a sleeping child in the foreground, while in the central distance can be seen a group of building, above which are a richly colored sky and clouds. On the right is a small waterfall with a shepherd surrounded by sheep. The trees and foliage throughout the painting are limned in a whimsical folky style...

A beautifully executed American watercolor on paper portrait painting of a woman. The sitter has auburn curls and is dressed in an Empire style dress with wide lace collar, a paisley bordered shawl, white turban, and matching pearl and gem brooch and earrings. All the details are very finely limned.

The painting is in excellent condition, with no creases, tears, fading, or restoration. Sight size is 8" by 6 1/4", and the gilt molded frame size is 10" by 8 1/4".

A superbly constructed copper weathervane of a three masted barque ship. The details and accuracy of this ship vane are amazing, with its multiple sails and rigging. This fine example was previously part of the collection at the Texaco world headquarters.

The ship, on a custom made stand, is 36" long and 32" tall, with a beautiful patina, is in excellent condition, with no flaws to speak of.

An Abraham Parsell painting on natural organic material of a young man with his hand resting on a book. All the characteristics that make Parsell so sought after are present, from the folky treatment of the face, the frizzy hair, and the accessory point of interest, in this case the book. The sitter is Dye Brewer, of Edenton, Chowan county, NC, and this painting descended in the family to a direct relative, a Mrs. Morris of Houston, TX...

An extremely nice tinsel, or foil, painting, showing a pearlescent urn overflowing with a wide variety of flowers, with a fallen rose bud at the base of the urn.

Housed in a period and probably original frame, measuring 17" by 13 1/4", the painting itself is 12" by 8 1/2". The condition of this gem is excellent.

Tinsel paintings of this type are almost a completely American form, becoming highly popular around 1870, and continuing into the mid 20th century...

An uncommon tinsel, or foil, painting on glass. Extremely vibrant, with deep colors, the painting shows a bluebird surrounded by a variety of fruit, with a compote of fruit behind it. It is rare to have a foil scene without a lot of open space between subjects.

The painting is in excellent condition, as is the later frame, which measures 16 1/4" by 13 1/4".

A fine tinsel, or foil, painting. The relatively uncommon subject matter is a basket of fruit, nicely reverse painted on glass with tinsel backing. What unfortunately doesn't show well in the photo, because of the lighting, is the bunch of grapes directly under the basket.

The painting is in very good condition, with what is probably its original gilded frame and wood backing. The overall size is 16" by 14".

An unusual foil, or tinsel, painting depicting two birds hovering over a large flowering plant. The painting is done basically in tones of taupe and green. The frame is period and is most likely original. The back is sealed with paper that appears to have been a student's calligraphy practice.

Condition is very good, with some very minor paint separation at some points on the edges. The grayish areas in the painting are shadows from when the photograph was taken. The sight size is 15 1/2" ...

A spectacular calligraphic work by E. Bambeck, signed and dated as part of the painting. Using pastels, watercolors, and pen and ink, he has limned a pair of very lifelike parakeets on white branches against a stark black background. The details and artistry that has gone into this work is truly of the highest order.

The condition is excellent, with no smudges, tears, toning or other problems. The bright white blobs in the center of some of the photos are reflections of lamps. Sight size is 23...

A charming tinsel (foil) painting depicting a variety of flowers in an urn placed on a stone slab. Dating from the last half of the 19th century, the painted frame, worth a bit of money on its own, is likely earlier, with a wood backboard The painting is in fine condition, with only some very small minor speckles in the black background. The frame could use a little spiffing up. Sight size is 9 1/2" by 13 1/2", and the framed size is 13 1/4" by 17 1/8".