By a National Academician and painting companion of Emil Kosa, here is a large watercolor (21" by 26 1/2"-----28" by 34" as framed) painting of an old style Southern California large wood dwelling structure, signed at lower right by noted artist GEORGE GIBSON (1904-2001). The old house with straggling palm outside certainly resembles some of the picturesque old structures near downtown Los Angeles that were so often the subject of Kosa's works...

At first glance most would think this a print, but it is guaranteed to be an original drawing. The work on paper, measuring 22" by 18", and 27" by 23" in contemporary gold framing, is signed at lower left in a flowing signature "Petzoldt", followed by "Mchn. 28" (Munich, 1928). The handwriting of the signature and overall nineteenth century appearance of the drawing suggests this could be 1828, but the paper would definitely appear to be of the 20th century...

Watercolor on paper, 10" by 8" (16" by 13 3/4" in a contemporary gold frame), the subject a white house looming above a country lane on which a horse-drawn carriage moves at left. The scene is obviously in the tropics or sub-tropics, there being palms and other exotic vegetation. It could be Bermuda, or, perhaps, somewhere in the Caribbean basin. The work is signed in pencil at lower right "J. Pittaway" and "'24 & '25" is adjacent...

Everyone seems to love Paris, a city which has inspired and continues to inspire much art. This pair of watercolors, one of the elegant and timeless Place Vendome, the other the famed "Le Dome" cafe of Montparnasse, are signed by artist "Hrobel". Each measures 16" by 24" (26" by 33 1/4" as framed). The pair is ready for the wall, with clean blue mats and tasteful cream frames. The colors are not faded and there is no foxing nor water staining...

Gouache painting of a gingerbread, Victorian house in Georgetown, Colorado, 12 1/2" by 10", 20 3/4" by 16 1/4" framed. The painting is signed at lower left "M H Brown" and dated there 57 or 59, and the word "Georgetown" identifies the setting. A modern framer's sticker on the backing from Georgetown, Colorado confirms the locale. Georgetown is an historic town filled with examples of Victorian architecture from the boom days of the 19th century in that part of the country...

Watercolor measuring 14 1/4" by 20 1/2" plus 2" wide wood inexpensive frame, by listed Irish artist JOSEPH WILLIAM CAREY (1859-1937), signed J.W. CAREY and titled at lower right "Loch Lochy/Caledonian Canal" and dated 1920. There is an old 1920's or 1930's Belfast label on the reverse wood from William Rodman and Company, 41 Donegall Place BELFAST. This piece is showing its age, as it has evidently traveled through life for some time without protective glass...

Recently acquired from a Southern California German-American family liquidating a household, are twenty-one watercolor paintings by "Uncle Max" (Markus "Max" Hansen, 1898-), featuring mostly Old World landscapes and street scenes, with a few interiors in the mix. Some are framed in wood, some unframed, some have glass, some do not, some are signed, some are not. The artist was talented but is unknown outside of the family...

A vintage watercolor painting, circa 1965 perhaps, featuring a northern New Mexico church, perhaps the famous one at Ranchos de Taos, although it also vaguely resembles the iconic sanctuary at Chimayo. Or, perhaps it is intentionally a composite of many of the wonderful old churches of northern New Mexico. This piece measures 20" by 24" inside the mat and 30" by 34" as nicely framed in blanched wood. An internet search has not revealed an artist that might be matched to this work...

A nineteenth century watercolor painting of high purple mountains looming above an arid landscape framed by two trees at right, unsigned, 6 1/2" by 9 1/2" plus 3/4" wide framing. Found in California, and I lean towards this being a view in that state, though it could be elsewhere in the West or even conceivably in a place like Italy. The houses at far left do not help to solve the riddle. The piece, glued to the backing board, is definitely quite old...

A large well executed watercolor by Richard Zoellner, American (1908-2003) of a farm and small village with a church steeple on a bleak winter day. Titled on the back of the watercolor, “Day in January.” Sight size 13 1/2 by 20 inches.

Condition; excellent in gold frame. Minor damage to the frame. Sold

A nicely worked watercolor of a church dominating over its obviously European village, 15 1/2" by 18 3/4" (21 1/2" by 25" framed), signed at lower right with what appears as "W Kuns" or "Whuns" or similar. The watercolor is clean, with some browning at the very edges from long contact with the mat. Probably executed circa the 1960's, possibly, in the Baltic states (possibly, Latvian) or another part of eastern Europe.

Gouache on paper, 16 1/2" by 10 3/4" and 4" on a side mat/frame, signed at lower left in Cyrillic with the possible name "Dreber" or "Dreiber" or "Dreyber", and dated 22 November 1974. This carefully crafted drawing of fuchsia and a tulip-shaped bloom reminds me of early American folk art Americana like Pennsylvania fraktur.......but, this is Russian! Condition is excellent with just slight mottling of a leaf... I think this could be just the artist's handling of the paint...

This is a very nicely done watercolor painting of a young woman in a flowered hat, holding more roses in her hands, executed in the style of the noted illustrator and artist Harrison Fisher (1875-1934). The work, 10 3/4" by 8 3/4" (16 1/4" by 14 1/2" framed) likely dates to about 1905 or 1910. It is laid down on a card and the mat is laid over that. I have peeked underneath and do not see any evidence of a signature. A fine addition to a lady's dressing area. Condition is very good. There ...

Watercolor painting of a dramatic western American mountain, unframed, executed on a 12" by 17 1/2" sheet of watercolor paper, unsigned. The mountain resembles the pyramidal Going to the Sun Mountain in Montana's Glacier National Park, but I suppose this could be elsewhere in the great American west. Condition is excellent; the work needs only framing.

Watercolor on paper, 9 1/2" by 13 3/4" (16 1/2" by 20 1/2" as framed), the subject a 19th century shipwreck engulfed by waves on what appears to be an Atlantic ocean beach, some tiny sails visible on the distant horizon. The artist painted in New England and specifically on Nantucket so this could well be coastal New England. The watercolor is signed at lower left by the listed Ohio and Pennsylvania artist RUFUS WAY SMITH (1840-1900). Smith was a talented artist, judging from the relatively fe...

PAIR of watercolor coastal scenes, unsigned, circa 1880, on heavy quality watercolor paper, 11" by 18" inside the old mats (18" by 25" in identical framing), found in Essex, Massachusetts. I purchased these for their inherent quality, despite a few condition issues, and hoped to find a signature when I opened them up, but, did not find either signature or any other inscriptions. I imagine these are by a listed artist who worked in the Cape Ann region or in that part of coastal New England. T...

By the hand of the noted Polish-born Jewish artist who spent most of his life in California, BERNARD BARUCH ZAKHEIM (1896-1985) is this very early (1929) watercolor study "Mural Design for Monterey Calif". We see an image of a number of figures evidently hard at work in a landscape (possibly harvesting). The watercolor, 11 1/2" by 12" and 14" by 15 1/2" framed, dates to less than a decade after the artist arrived in California. Zakheim was born in Poland, and studied art in Danzig, Warsaw, ...

Frederick Smallfield, (English, 1825-1915)

Genoese Flower Girl

Watercolor on paper, signed and titled on the reverse.

Painting size: 16” x 10”
Frame size: 26.75” x 20.5”

Smallfield was a painter of genre scenes in oil and watercolour. He was a student at the Royal Academy Schools in the late 1840s with the members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, but he was probably not close to them then, for he is not mentioned in their diaries. However by the late 1...