Oil on a pair of porcelain plates of 9 3/4" diameter, one a painting of a younger woman in her late 20's or early 30's, wearing a pearl choker, the other of a young man of similar age with a circa 1950's style flat top, each signed by major 20th century Chinese-American artist GEO CHANN (1913-1995). Chann is a major, very sought after painter, the abstract works of whom regularly sell for more than $100,000 at major auctions in Asia and America...

Oil on board painting in a fully impressionist hand, 26 1/2" by 21 1/2" (35" by 29 1/2" in old, vintage probably original frame), signed lower left and incised on the old soft board on reverse "Pines at Carmel".  This lovely impressive work is by listed California artist IDA MAYNARD CURTIS (1860-1959). Curtis was born in Pennsylvania before the outbreak of the Civil War. She studied with Charles Webster Hawthorne, and with Ross, Menard and Simon in Paris...

A highly decorative, elegant painting of Siamese cats, 22" by 24" (32" by 34" in gold contemporary framing), signed at top edge by the noted American artist KENNETH STEVEN MACINTIRE (1891-1979). Judging from the materials used, the painting was likely painted at some time from the late 1940's through about 1960, I believe. The colors used----white, gold yellows, and black----make for a highly decorative composition that reminds of the Art Deco period...

Oil on canvas, 20" by 27" and simple wood frame 1 1/4" wide on a side, the subject a ceramic vase with exotic bird motif, on a tabletop, the vase and surrounding area filled with various flowers including carnations, hydrangeas, roses of various colors, and perhaps goldenrod. The work is signed at lower right "G Cocco" (GIUSEPPE COCCO 1879-1963), a listed painter from Naples, Italy. Cocco's signature is hard to decipher and as a result I think he is less known than he should be...

Oil on canvas painting of incoming waves, painted in an impressionist manner, 15 1/2" by 23 1/2" (19 3/4" by 28" framed) signed at lower left and dated 1906 by listed Danish artist VIGGO LAURITZ HELSTED (1861-1926). This is a pleasing scene and quite typical of the artist's work. He was known for coastal and marine paintings as well as landscape in Denmark...

Fine old painting of a young woman in a most distinctive red-striped dress, signed at lower right by American artist REVINGTON ARTHUR (1908-1986). This painting has composition, a great palette and blond light, and a modernist feel. It stands in contrast to much of his work, which was executed in rather dark colors. The artist was a student of George Luks, Arshile Gorky, and Kimon Nicolaides...

Pastel on paper, 20" by 25" and silvery frame 3 3/4" wide on a side, the subject a schnauzer dog in an arid mountain landscape possibly in the Palm Springs, California area. The drawing is by an artist skilled in the use of pastel. JOSEPHINE CRUMRINE (1917-2005) of Alaska was perhaps best known for her work depicting Eskimos and other familiar Alaska themes such as sled for the menus of the Alaska Steamship Company, but she also experimented with other subject matter...

PAIR of original drawings of a traditionally dressed Moroccan man and woman, executed in pastel, each 10" by 7 3/4" (16 1/2" by 14 1/4" as framed), each signed by the noted American artist LOUIS J. ENDRES (1896-1989) and bearing the notation "Maroc". Endres hailed from Cincinnati and studied with Frank Duveneck. By his late 20's he was to be found in North Africa, in Morocco, where he found a wealth of artistic subject matter that continued to engage him throughout his life...

Circa 1840's watercolor on paper (not likely later than 1860), apparently unsigned, 16 1/4" by 10 1/2" (25" by 20 1/2" as framed), showing a classic European tower above an arched stone bridge in a city, several figures in period clothing going about their daily lives. This is in amazingly fresh condition, with vibrant fresh color and a minimum of foxing...

Vintage circa 1880's oil on canvas, 20" by 14" and 1" wide old dark oak simple frame, likely the original, signed at lower right side with the typical conjoined "MStraus" signature of well listed Northern California artist MEYER STRAUS (1831-1905). Straus was born in southern Germany, and was in the US by 1848. He traveled the southern states, including New Orleans and Mobile areas, as well as Ohio and Illinois...

This is a fresh and clean example of the 1956 print "The Four Sisters, Chazalet", one of an edition of only 675 examples, signed in pencil at lower right and bearing an characteristic embossed blind stamp and, in the image, (copyright symbol) "F & R (Frost and Reed) at lower left. The print measures 18" by 24" (26 1/2" by 32" as framed). According to information on the net, Chazalet is a small medieval period town in central France near the famed ceramics town of Limoges...

Unusually large detailed engraving, 31 1/4" by 20 1/8", laid down on board, of Christ coming down off the Cross, this example engraved by Nicolaus Dorigny (1657-1776), and possibly after Daniel Ricciarelli (1509-1566), in turn after a painting by Raphael. The work is dated 1720 at lower left. There's a lot of text in Latin at bottom, and a close look reveals the names of the two above artists...

PAIR of watercolor on paper paintings, each 14 1/2" by 10 3/4" inside the satin mat, 23" by 19" as identically framed in goldish vintage frames with ornate tops, each signed by the California artist and fashion illustrator ESTHER WYNN, who passed away in 1990 according to recent information acquired from relatives...

Oil on canvas of a clapboard cottage by a lake in spring, 18" by 24" with 3" frame, signed at lower left "J.C. FRANCES". I do not see a listing for the artist but he or she was obviously at the very least familiar with the paintings of Henry Pember Smith (1854-1907) and George W. Drew (1875-1968), who painted eerily similar scenes. This painting shows a gambrel roofed cottage with blooming pink blossomed trees and ducks----an idyllic spring idyll in New England or New York state perhaps. Over...

This is a hand colored lithograph of the species Petroica Goodenovii (the Red-capped Robin, of central and southern Australia), drawn by the famous 19th century English naturalist, ornithologist and natural history illustrator JOHN GOULD, the lithographic plate produced by his assistant Henry Constantine Richter (1821-1902). Gould's prints of hummingbirds are most likely his most popular, but over a period of many years, especially in the 1830's and 1840's, he produced a number of major works o...

Gouache on board painting, 10" by 16" image with 1" margins, unframed, signed at lower left by well-listed, often-auctioned California artist HARRY CASSIE BEST (1863-1936), the work featuring an unusual subject for the artist, an Italian scene---the Bay of Naples with Vesuvius in the distance. I do no see any information regarding Best having made any trips to Italy, so this could be a work resulting from the artist's having seen prints or original works depicting the famous Italian vista. Hughe...

Watercolor and gouache painting on paper of a wooden house surrounded by trees and shrubs, 11" by 14" inside the mat (16" by 20" as framed), signed at lower left "N. Belij" and dated there "-30". This is a work of listed Finnish artist NIKOLAI BELIJ (1896-1968). I do not know a lot about the artist; most of the information about him on the net is in Finnish or Swedish. Works by him have been offered at auction in Scandinavia. The painting is in excellent fresh condition and looks much younge...

Painting on board, 18" by 20" (24" by 28" as framed), signed at lower right "BIZLEY" (artist RICHARD BIZLEY, 1959-, of Dorset, England). Auctions of items relating to natural history are seeing intense interest from museums and individuals, and record prices are set regularly. This highly detailed and imaginative work (**ONE OF TWO NOW IN MY SHOP BY THIS ARTIST**) brings the viewer to the Jurassic period (206 to 144 million years ago) with its depth and imagery. A bizarre, horned dinosaur is fee...