Holiday Feature; John Cassin

It's That Time of Year!

During the Holiday Season we are featuring the works of John Cassin (18130-1869)

and his acclaimed engravings from The Birds of California (c. 1865)

The Black Breasted Woodpecker

These wonderfully detailed hand-colored works make the perfect gift for family and friends. Why not gift a enriching historical engraving, that displays the merging of science and art in the 19th century.

Known as the Audubon of the West, John Cassin was a Pennsylvania Quaker who served as the curator for the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences.  He was also a gifted taxonomist who succeeded in illustrating and describing 198 birds that were not included in either publication of his great predecessors Audubon or Wilson. Cassin’s great achievement was his completion of only one volume of Illustrations of The Birds of California, Texas, Oregon, British and Russian America (1853-56). After his death Brown University purchased his collection of over 4,300 birds for the universities museum of natural history.

A Selection of pieces available:

The Northern Chickadee

The Black Brant

The Red Breasted Teal 

The Northern Sea Eagle 

We have framed and unframed pieces available, Special framing prices may apply to matted pieces purchased. 

For  Purchasing Inquiries; Please call 415-788-5115, or visit us at Arader Galleries 432 Jackson Street, San Francisco, Ca 94111.

Tropical Beaches: Island watercolors of the 19th Century

William Alister MacDonald (1860-1956)

Opunoho Bay Moorea

1928

Watercolor 

Summer is a time for much needed relaxation and fun in the sun, however here in San Francisco provides us with prolonged gloom, chilly weather and sometimes rain until the fall.

We mean to fill this summer weather void inside the gallery by showcasing the beautiful original watercolor Islandscapes painted by William Alister MacDonald (1860-1950), and Robert Taylor Pritchett (1828-1907).Within these Islandscapes Pritchett and MacDonalad depicted colorful atmosphere which the viewer is instantly transported to a tranquil and tropica lbeach scene. Large palm trees move with the breeze as the waters gently ripple from ocean waves.

William Alister MacDonald was the son of a Scottish Free Church Minister. In the 1880's MacDonald moved to London and began painting watercolor scenes of London, and in particular, the Thames. Towards the end of the 19th century, MacDonald was exhibiting his watercolors at the Academy and the Royal Society of British Artists. Robert Taylor Pritchett was a landscape and marine painter, contributed illustrations to many publication in the mid- to late-19th century, including the records of Darwin's voyage in the Journal of Researches into the Natural History & Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage Round the World.

William Alister MacDonald (1860-1956)

Dawn Full moon

1928

Watercolor 

Robert Taylor Pritchett (1828-1907)

Tahiti

1921

Watercolor 

For more information and pricing inquiries Please call 415-788-5115, or visit us at Arader Galleries 432 Jackson Street, San Francisco, Ca 94111.

Zoological Illustrations by Cuvier and Saint-Hilaire

Cuvier and Saint-Hilaire

 Mandrill Male

Lithograph

20"x13"

The works from Histoire Naturelle Des Mammiferes, Avec Les figures Originales.d'aprs Des Animaux Vivians, 1824-42 was crafted by a friendship that introduced the French zoological and natural history community with the finest illustrations of exotic mammals. These lithographs captured the movement and personality of the animal while depicting scientifically accurate compositions. Similar innovation as to the design and depiction of mammals could be compared to the works of acclaimed American ornithologist John James Audubon (1785-1851).

Frederic Cuvier (1769-1832) was a French zoologist and paleontologist who worked for the Museum d'histoire Naturelles in Paris, while  Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1772-1844) was a French naturalist and evolutionary theorist. The two met in 1794 and formed a close friendship shortly after. This friendship lead to the creation of a great feet, the production of Five memoirs on natural history, one of which was a study on the classification of mammals. 

Cuvier and Saint-Hilaire

Renard Argente

Lithograph

18"x12"

The original publication of  Histoire Naturelle Des Mammiferes, Avec Les figures Originales.d'aprs Des Animaux Vivians was intended to have 72 parts to be bound in 7 volumes. This publication was made in conjunction with the Museum d'Histoire Naturelles in Paris. Most of the animals were drawn from life at the Paris Zoo Jardin de Plantes. Cuvier provided descriptions for each mammal while Hilaire edited the work and  provided additional articles.  

Cuvier and Saint-Hilaire

Kiodote

Lithograph

20"x13"

For purchase inquiries please call 415-788-5115, or feel free to stop by Arader Galleries, at 435 Jackson Street, San Francisco. 

W.H. Pyne's History of Royal Residencies: 100 Fantasticly Designed Palace Interiors

William Henry Pyne (1769-1843)

Ante Chamber, Carlton House

From: The History of Royal Residences, 1819

Hand-colored aquatint engraving

11"x13"

In the early nineteenth century English interior decorative taste was heavily influenced by revival architecture and design motifs from previous centuries past. This trend of appropriating old world motifs and crafting pastiche furnishings borrowed from ancient Greece and renaissance Italy. Neoclassicism better known as England's Regency Era (1783-1837) was influenced by King George IV. Order and symmetry were two key factors in Regency aesthetic achievement, as showcased in W.H Pyne's publication The History of Royal Residencies, 1819.

William Henry Pyne (1769-1843) was a British painter, illustrator, cartoonist and writer. He was the son of textile workers, a leather seller and a weaver, but Pyne had aspirations of pursuing classic artistic endeavors. Pyne trained at the academy of Henry Pars in London and first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1790.

Pyne's grand undertaking, The History of Royal Residences of Windsor Castle, St. James Palace, Carleton House, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court, Buckingham House and Frogmore...featured 100 commissioned hand painted aquatints of Royal interior and exterior architectural and interior design. These spectacular interior and architectural views displayed the detailed and extravagant decor of Royal peoples from iconic English palaces and landmarks.                           

W. H. Pyne

Presence Chamber, Kensington Palace

From: The History of Royal Residences, 1819

Hand-colored aquatint engraving

11"x13"

Though the publication slowly gained popularity and interest, the cost of self publishing such a extensive and artistically sophisticated book placed Pyne in financial ruin for the latter part of his life.

However, Pyne's work continues to be historically significant for documenting architectural history; such as Windsor Castle before architect Jeffrey Wyatville’s extensive alterations were made in 1824. As well as featuring St. James’s Palace,  and Carlton House; interiors created for the Prince Regent by Holland with Wyatt and Nash as architects. The History of Royal Residencies... also showcases Kensington Palace, Hampton Court, Buckingham House and Frogmore as remodeled by architect James Wyatt.

W. H. Pyne

Queen’s Audience Chamber, Windsor Castle

From: The History of Royal Residences, 1819

Hand-colored aquatint engraving

11"x13"

W. H. Pyne

King’s Writing Closet, Hampton Court

From: The History of Royal Residences, 1819

Hand-colored aquatint engraving

11"x13"

Pieces from this extravagant series of detailed Royal English households are available for purchase at Arader Galleries, 432 Jackson Street, San Francisco. Please call 415-788-5115 with any questions.

Early 19th Century Sofas in the UK and the US

In 1811, King George the III of England was deemed unfit to rule and was replaced by his son who became the Prince Regent. Upon George III’s death in 1820, the Prince Regent was coronated as King George IV. The period directly preceding and following the Prince regent's rule has been dubbed the Regency Period. The Regency Period marked the peak of neoclassical design in home décor. Antique furniture from Greece, Rome, and Egypt were used as inspiration and very closely imitated. Ornate carvings, intricate gilding, and flora and fauna design elements were very popular. Anything reminiscent of the idealized Classical period was coveted.

This particular sofa features sleek and slender qualities while clearly displaying a taste for Neoclassical design. The feet splay outwards elegantly and the legs feature spiral fluting, picked out in water-gilding on an ebonized ground. The flowerhead design on the seat apron is also executed through gilding, a prominent motif of the Regency period.

The United States was undergoing its own fascination with the great ancient empires during this time as well. Early 19th century American furniture design was heavily influenced by the resurgence of opulent tastes in Europe. This mahogany couch exhibits characteristic splayed legs and lion paw feet.The mahogany is detailed with intricate fern carvings and cornucopiae design heavily influenced by Grecian models. This couch was recently reupholstered with a fabric that would have been very common in American homes.

Reliving the luxurious lifestyles of long-gone ancient civilizations led to changes in lifestyle, aesthetic preferences, and home decor in societies superseding country, culture, and continent.Here at Arader Galleries, these two couches are exemplary of the taste level in both England and the US throughout the Regency Period. Along with these two pieces, Arader is home to many extraordinary pieces of antique furniture. To learn more about the home decor pieces we have, please contact Arader Galleries.