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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Circa late 19th century oil on canvas, 14 1/4" by 24" (18" by 27 1/2" framed), unsigned, though I think quite possibly by a listed artist, the subject one of the picturesque lakes surrounded by mountains in southern Germany or Tyrol in Austria, a lakeside chalet at right surrounded by trees and a pair of figures in a small boat just pulling up to the shore after their excursion. The painting is in excellent condition, having been cleaned and relined in 1976, as per a handwritten note in pencil ...

Decorative old antique floral painting, 17 1/4" by 13 1/4" (20 3/4" by 16 3/4" framed), unsigned, featuring a variety of flowers, including a tulip, in a decorative metallic vessel, all against a dark background, in the style going back to 17th century Holland. It is hard to know exactly how old the work is but mid 19th century would likely be a good guess. The canvas weave is rather coarse, promoting the earlier look. The piece is convincingly old, with some small losses and extensive craque...

Beautiful large original vintage Italian impressionist oil painting of Naples Harbor at sunset. Oil on canvas signed lower left G. Mariani. Canvas measures 24 x 36 inches. Artist Biography G. Mariani (Italian, 20th C.-), came from a family of artists who had been painting the beautiful cities and surrounding country life in and around their home of Naples, Italy, for many years. His father was the well known Italian landscape & cityscape painter Mario Mariani (Italian, 1907-) and he also ha...

A beautiful antique oil painting by T. Walter of a French landscape titled "Autumn in the Ccvennes" a mountain range in the south central France. 19th century signed lower left oil on canvas. Presented in a the original magnificent antique gold leaf frame. Frame 39.5 X 34.25 canvas size 28.75 X 22 in

Oil on canvas landscape painting of a New Jersey landscape signed by T. W. Vail. In very good condition, it measures in frame 17.25 inches x 13.25", site size 15.5" x 11.75". Circa 1900