Arader Galleries
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Press ReleaseIconic Images Of American Yacht Races
Frederic Schiller Cozzens (American, 1846-1928) was a prominent maritime artist known for his illustrations of sailing ships, yachts and marine scenes. In particular his famous American Yachts, Their Clubs and Races. Like nearly every other great marine artist, he was thoroughly acquainted with every aspect of ship construction and the art of sailing. He is best known for his paintings of great American yachts of the latter half of the 19th century, which were commissioned by many of New York's leading yachtsmen. He was for the most part a self-taught artist, working primarily in watercolor, pen, ink, and gouache, contributing illustrations and yacht portraits for many magazines, most notably Harper's Weekly. Cozzens started his career in the 1860's as a maritime artist always painting in watercolor. In 1880 the New York Yacht Club commissioned a set of six watercolors which still hang in the club today. By 1883, Cozzens was a well established marine illustrator, and decided to turn his watercolors into prints to expand the availability to the public. His training and technique in watercolor lent itself to the medium of lithography. The first publication was American Yachts, Their Clubs and Races, which contained 26 chromolithographs, on wove paper. These views are considered to be Cozzens' finest work, vividly conveying the atmosphere and thrill of the regattas they depict. Published by New York based Charles Scribner's & Son, the series of prints was accompanied by a separate text written by Lieutenant James Douglas Jerrold Kelley, which describes in detail each scene represented. This collection of lithographs includes portraits of more than one-hundred craft, including sloops, steamers, schooners and ice-boats. The scenes depict some of yachting's most memorable images of regattas.
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A Rare Example Of Joseph Kidd’s Collaborative Work With John James Audubon: An Oil Painting Of The Baltmore Oriole
The Baltimore Oriole is perhaps one of the most historically important images from John James Audubon's Birds of America. In 1 828, Audubon travelled to Paris in search of subscriptions and was introduced to Louis Philippe, the Duc d'Orleans by the great French flower painter, Pierre Joseph Redouté. The introduction is documented in a letter dated November 2, 1828, from Audubon to his wife Lucy. In his meeting with the Duc, he presented the watercolor of the “Baltimore Oriole” and this left such an impression that the Duc provided Audubon with a letter of recommendation to the Viscount Martignac, Minister of the Interior, in charge of the royal libraries, and lines of introduction to many of Europe's monarchs. Thus, it was partly upon the basis of this composition that the Birds of America became a success.However, Audubon's entrepreneurial skill was also apparent at his meeting with the Duc d'Orleans. Louis-Philippe was so enraptured with the watercolor of the Oriole that he asked to be allowed to keep it as part of his subscription. Audubon declined the sale and instead encouraged him to purchase his oil painting of the Black Grouse, thus introducing the future king to yet another project. Audubon was intent on creating a "Natural History Gallery of Paintings" which was intended to be an integral compliment to the Birds of America. This was to be made up of oil paintings of the Birds. While Audubon completed some of the paintings for this, the demands of finding subscribers for the Birds of America encouraged him to find a partner in his new venture. Thus, he employed the Scottish painter, Joseph Bartholomew Kidd to copy his watercolors. The main goal of the collaboration was to create a "gallery" of embellished compositions based upon Audubon's birds, thereby working both to promote the Birds of America, then in production, and to create a business venture which would hopefully prove quite lucrative in and of itself. By 1833, Kidd had copied and added sophisticated, dramatic landscapes to almost one-hundred of Audubon's watercolor compositions. Yet some tension was beginning to arise in the arrangement with…
Press ReleaseA LANDMARK IN THE CARTOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF VENICE
Lodovico Ughi's topographical map of Venice is a landmark in the cartographic history of Venice. It was printed from twenty copper plates on thirteen sheets, and is flanked by sixteen views of Venice. The Ughi map is the first and still largest topographical map produced of Venice based on accurate field surveys rather than on observation and copying of existing maps. Republished twice again during the century, it became the basis of all later topographical representations of the city, down to the fall of the Republic in 1797. Through its copies and subcopies, it dominated the field of Venetian map making well into the nineteenth century. Over the centuries, Venetian map makers in general copied one another and did not significantly alter the appearance of the city from year to year. Among the exceptions are Jacopo de Barbari's magnificent bird's eye view of Venice printed in 1500 and Ughi's map of 1729. Not only are they the two the largest printed maps of Venice, but they served for centuries as models for all subsequent plans made of the city. The bird's eye view depicted a city from a high oblique angle, enabling the cartographer to convey the vertical dimension of the buildings and architectural features of the city, while at the same time retaining a horizontal dimension, which relied on perspective rather than true scale. The intention was to impress the viewer. The advancements in science and technology in the eighteenth century improved the surveying and measuring techniques used by urban cartographers who produced works progressively more accurate and functional. By the 1730's bird's eye views no longer matched the standards of accuracy expected of urban surveyors who were now commonly depicting towns by means of a less decorative but more precise ground plan, the topographical map. At the time of the printing of the Ughi map, Venice had been an independent republic for almost 1000 years during much of which she had been mistress of the Mediterranean, the principal cross roads between East and West, and the richest and most prosperous commercial center in the civilized world. The Ughi…
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An Important Eastman Watercolour Depicting Indians Engaged In Hand-To-Hand Battle
One of the premier artists of the American West, Seth Eastman created some of the most memorable images of the frontier, its inhabitants and wildlife. This beautifully rendered watercolor, Inscription on a Buffalo Robe from New Mexico is an important ethnographic record depicting Indians engaged in hand-to-hand battle. Eastman captures the nuances of the original hide decoration with remarkable fidelity and sensitivity.In 1848-49 Eastman made a journey down the Mississippi through Texas, recording the scenes which caught his eye in incredibly delicate and atmospheric sketches and watercolors. A realistic artist, Eastman recorded accurately the peoples, landscapes, and animals he witnessed during his far-reaching travels, but he was much more than a mere draftsman. The dimensions of atmosphere and feeling, in combination with his ability to draw with sharply etched realistic detail, gives his work a supreme artistic quality.The foremost pictorial historian of the American Indian and of frontier life in the nineteenth century, Eastman was a career army officer and talented artist widely appreciated today for his ethnographic detail. Assigned to frontier duty, including a seven year stint at Fort Snelling in the 1840s, Eastman set out to preserve a visual record of Indian life which was then undergoing rapid change. Enabled by his long-term military residency among the Indians to become familiar not only with their colorful external trappings but with the whole complex fabric of Indian culture, Eastman painted all of the commonplace activities of everyday Indian life. Native warriors commonly recorded important events and accomplishments through conceptual figures and symbols painted on hide, wood or stone. This watercolor carries an echo of a way of life that was vanishing even as Eastman recorded it, attaching a level of nostalgia to an image that the artist himself might not have been able to envision.
Press ReleaseJoao Barbosa Rodrigues Elegant Depictions Of Palms
João Barbosa Roderigues is recognized as one of Brazil's greatest naturalists. He is perhaps best known for his vivid book of chromolithographs titled “Sertum Palmarum Brasiliensium” featuring the palms of the Amazon. This large-scale publication displays 382 species of palms in 42 genera. 166 of them were described as new by Roderigues. When taken out of context , they have an almost abstract quality, with strong lines, bold color, and sophisticated composition. Born in Campanha, in the state of Minas Gerias, Roderigues was the son of a respected Portuguese merchant and a Brazilian woman of Indian descent. Versed in latin, Greek and French, Rodrigues’ classical education aided him in his botnaical career. An overtly talented child, he became a poet and novelist, publishing his first work at the age of eleven.On a commission for the Brazilian government, Roderigues set out to explore the Amazon in 1871. One specific task laid out to him was to study the palms of this lush and expansive forest which had also attracted many scientists and explorers from Europe. Accompanied by his family he stayed there on assignment for three-and-a-half years. Roderigues is noted as being the first native Brazilian to document the palms of the Amazon.Returning from his expedition with many specimens in tow, Roderigues became director of the Botanical Museum of the Amazon which at its height of development housed 10,000 botanical specimens. In 1890 he became the director of the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro where he was still able to continue his research and writing. He also embarked on many expeditions through other South American countries, and started the first scientific journal for Brazil’s world-class botanical garden entitled “Contributions du Jardin Botanique du Rio de Janiero”.In 1902 the Brazilian congress arranged for the publication of “Sertum Palmarum” in Brussels, Belgium. The double folio was published in 1903. Along with its descriptions of palms, the work also includes a list of their uses, and common names accompanied by their scientific names. With 174 fantastic full-page illustrations, Roderigues' masterpiece is the ultimate combination of science and art.Please contact Philadelphia Gallery Director Lori Cohen…
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Rare And Sumptuous Eighteenth Century Shell Engravings
Franz Michael Regenfuss (1713-1780) produced one of the first and finest works on shells ever produced - Choix de Coquillages et de Crustaces. Printed in Copenhagen in 1758 his detailed and highly attractive illustrations were produced under the sponsorship of the King of Denmark. This was the largest format work on shells ever produced and the decorative arrangements of shells betray a compelling esthetic interest to complement the scientific intent of this collector's reference. The collecting of exotic seashells became a popular pastime among scientists and aristocrats in 18th-century Europe. Collectors vied for the most elaborate and exotic shells, imported from distant locales. Natural history artists followed this fashion, creating illustrated compendia of shells to aid in identification and classification of types and species. Printed in both French and German, Regenfuss's book was an immediate success, celebrated for its superb plates, which appealed to collectors of art as well as conchologists. Each splendid shell appears to emerge from the page with a quality of three dimensionality, a testament to the fineness of draftsmanship, engraving, and coloring. Overall, more care was lavished on the production of these plates than on any other shell illustrations, with magnificent results. A beautiful selection of these works are now available through Arader Galleries in Philadelphia.
Press ReleaseAlessandro Sanquirico’s Evocative Set Designs From LA Scala Opera House
As opera reached a height of popularity and innovation in early 19th-century Italy, stage sets and scenery were increasingly viewed as art forms unto themselves. Enterprising artists and designers competed to create the most lavish, evocative, and visually engaging opera settings, and were so successful that their stage sets often competed with the performances themselves for an audience’s attention and appreciation. Public criticism of various operas often revolved as much around the quality of the set designs as the beauty of the music, and audiences became increasingly discerning about the visual aspects of grand performances. Reflecting this tendency, Alessandro Sanquirico, a Milanese artist, was inspired to document the most striking sets at Italy’s most celebrated opera house, La Scala in Milan. Sanquirico’s vividly colored, masterfully drafted aquatint engravings capture the sumptuousness and sheer spectacle of these extravagant sets, often including costumed singers in the midst of a concert, and at the same time the artist brings the excitement of the performance to life in these remarkably vibrant illustrations.
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ARADER COLLECTION SERVICES
Because we understand the great investment of collecting works of art, our specialists at Arader Galleries are prepared to work with our clients in every aspect relating to owning and maintaining a beautiful collection. These services include museum quality framing, paper restoration and conservation, painting restoration, furniture restoration, and appraisals. We will also represent our clients for no fee at auction. Please feel free to inquire at any of our gallery locations. With restoration and conservation labs in New York and Pennsylvania this department focuses on works on paper and has developed a fine reputation among collectors for its superior work. Suggestions are made to insure that the proper steps are taken to restore a given work to its original state. As paper conservation is a delicate procedure, our professionals work in a conservative method to insure that no action will harm the integrity of the artwork. Services offered by the conservation department include: removal of water-staining, surface cleaning, removal of mold and mildew, removal of foxing, repair of tears or abrasions, de-acidification, lifting of artwork from backing, strengthening folds, and flattening creased works of art. Estimates are provided based on the amount of work required, time involved and supplies needed to complete the work. Our museum quality framing is prepared with the utmost care. Framing a work of art is a vital part of both its display and preservation. Until recently, few framers took the correct precautions to ensure that the materials they used would successfully protect and preserve the artwork itself; unfortunately some framers still cut corners by using inexpensive and unstable materials. Works on paper are the most delicate media, especially vulnerable to damage from sun, moisture, and general neglect. Our framers use only acid-free matting and UV-filtering glass to ensure the lasting quality of your work.
