Friday, August 12, 2022

FROM MY GALLERY

 My gallery of art, I'm talking about. For many years I was a collector of antique art. Oil paintings, water colors, drawings. At one time I had over 100 works of art. I eventually sold some - and lost some when I moved from Texas to Tennessee.

I was never wealthy - and I'm extremely frugal. I only bought whatever I could afford. My art collection fit nicely in my big Texas house. Now that I'm living in a small place in Tennessee, there's no room for anything. Most of my art is stored in damp, moldy closets at the mercy of destructive mice.
I've fallen far from grace.

I've decided to document some of my art collection on my blog, mostly for my own selfish purposes - and with the hope that others might enjoy seeing them.

(I might extend this into two posts, if it's not too boring)

                                                      Jon


This is one of my favorites. It's a miniature pencil drawing of two horses by Princess Louise (1848 - 1939), daughter of Queen Victoria. She became an incredibly good sculptress and artist. This drawing was done in 1866 when she was eighteen.
(it was very difficult to photograph this - I finally used my cell phone)




This is the very first antique painting I ever purchased. I was intrigued by the date on it, which is 1750. The artist's signature is Lounsbury, the painting is originally from New York.


This is not one of my favorite paintings, but I purchased it because it's by Gare Barks. Her real name is Margaret and she was the wife of artist Carl Barks.
Carl Barks was a long-time illustrator for Disney studios and he was the creator of Donald Duck. All of the old Donald Duck cartoons and illustrations were done by Carl Barks. His wife Margaret (Gare) was mainly a landscape artist.


I love this painting of Bamburg Castle (England) which was painted in the 1840s. It is hanging above my antique desk (photo below)



This painting was done in the 1700s and I got it from a Beverly Hills estate. It's a copy of Raphael's painting Madonna of the Chair - 
Mary, Jesus, and John the Baptist.
It is very large and heavy, and I'm reluctant to hang it on my flimsy walls.


This lovely pastel portrait was done in the 1920s. The seller swore to me that this is Thomas E. Lawrence - Lawrence of Arabia.
It definitely isn't him. It doesn't look like T.E. Lawrence - - and he never had a mustache.


I purchased this from the mayor of a New Jersey city - - but I forgot what city it was (!!!).
It's a European autumn landscape with gleaners, dated 1885.


This gorgeous, pristine English watercolor was painted around 1815. It depicts a baker's cart and a man selling bread to a lady. 
I think the horse and cart are superbly drawn.


This is one of my very favorite paintings. It is huge, about five feet long. I have no information about it, except that it's from either Germany or Austria. My uneducated guess is that it was probably painted in the 1940s......or 30s?

I had it hanging in the dining room when I lived in Texas. Now it's in my living room.



I don't always buy expensive art. I got this painting of a deer in the snow at auction for nine (yes nine) dollars! It's quite large. I'm not crazy about the frame - - but it's presently hanging near the kitchen.


This is a Dutch painting from the 1870s. It's a haunting landscape of a windmill and rising moon by a lake. The gorgeous frame is original and in perfect condition.



Cats, cats - - I have plenty of cats. This sweet painting is hanging in my bedroom

Are you bored to tears - - - or would anyone dare to see a part two post? I have enough art in my collection to do five or six posts at least.

16 comments:

  1. I'm glad you've elected to show us your art pieces, Jon! I thought the Lounsbury was my favorite until I saw the large Autumnal one. Now THAT speaks to my soul. If you ever grow weary of it ....

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    1. I have so many works of art in my collection that it's difficult to choose favorites - - but I do think that the large autumnal painting is my favorite. I never get tired of looking at it.

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  2. Oh, and yes. I'd enjoy seeing a Part 2!

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  3. Beautiful paintings, Jon. Thank you for sharing. I collect art, too. Nothing probably of much value (only to me). I really like the Dutch landscape. I became fond of the Dutch artists when I took an art appreciation course in college. I'm also fond of the Hudson River Valley paintings. Modern art, not so much. I'm old school all the way. LOL! By all means post all your paintings. The problem with collecting art is that you only have so many walls. I had paintings stored in closets, under the bed and in the garage (not a good place). I finally quit going to art shows to tempt myself and donated a number of them to our local Humane Society. Enjoy your art....you've got some beauties!
    Paranormal John

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    1. I'm definitely old school, too. I've never been able to identify with modern art. Art, like music, should satisfy and nourish the soul. I've had an unholy obsession with collecting art - - and now that I have so much of it, it seems to be a frustrating enigma. You're right - - there are only so many walls. It's heartbreaking to see most of my collection piled up in closets.

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  4. I would love to see more of your paintings. I loved the Dutch Windmill with the rising moon. but every one of your paintings is a pleasure to look at. I have always been drawn to Dutch style windmills, and used to collect antique postcards featuring dutch children in their wooden shoes and often a windmill would be in the background. I have collected them and Delft Ware at antique stores since I was in my twenties.
    Once again my son is stationed in the Netherlands at the Hague this time. I will be asking him for some keepsakes from The Netherlands again.

    Thank you for showing us some of your lovely artwork..



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    1. The painting of the windmill and rising moon is beautiful - and it looks much better in real than on my inferior photo. There is a lot of extraordinary Dutch art, going back to the 15th century.
      I remember those cute antique postcards with Dutch children (and wooden shoes). I love Delft Ware, but don't know very much about it.

      I will share more artwork on my next post. Thanks for your comment.

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    1. Thank you, Donna - - I'll definitely have Part Two on my next post.

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  6. Yes, please do show more of your collection, Jon, as I appreciated this showing as well as the explanations about the artwork. I have never purchased any artwork so this was an interesting read. It’s unfortunate that you can’t display all of your collection now.

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed seeing these. Now that I live alone in the wilderness, nobody ever sees my art collection, so I figured I'd display them on my blog. There will be more on my next post.

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  7. Loved seeing ALL of these pieces! My favs were the Bamburg Castle, the Buck in the woods, and of course the kittens!

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    1. I knew you'd like the kittens. That painting was in storage for many years. When I moved to Tennessee I decided to hang it near my bed. The kitties are comforting to look at and always make me smile. The Bamburg Castle painting is definitely one of my favorites.

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  8. What an amazing varied collection of art! I think my favourite is the bread seller. It's beautifully done and seems like a little slice of life. But oh, imagine having to reach so high to get your bread, like the lady is doing. And the poor baker would have to take care not to develop arthritic knees!

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  9. The bread seller is indeed a beautiful watercolor, and it's very well-preserved for being so old. It does seem rather awkward having to reach so high for the bread!

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