1910s

A beautiful historically inspired maiden with a sword amidst Moorish castles and architecture. A dazzling charcoal rendering by the Polish emigrant W.T. Benda, a frequent cover artist for Life, Hearst’s and The Shrine Magazine. Benda is perhaps best remembered today for his elaborate theater masks which made him the toast of New York City during the roaring 20’s jazz age. He also favored images of exotic European and Asian ingenues with mysterious foreign features and dress.

A Benda Princess

Artist: Wladyslaw Benda

This set of two pendant oil paintings is unusual within Wenzell’s oervre, both for its classical mythological subject and explicit eroticism. These two paintings were clearly conceived as a matched set; they present a “before” and “after” narrative. The first panel was published as a vignette in the March 26th, 1910 issue of Collier’s magazine but we don’t believe that the second work was created for publication. This pair was displayed in the Wenzell’s 1967 Maxwell Gallery (San Francisco) exhibition, “The Age of Elegance.” An illustrated program is included with sale.

Bacchus and Nude Nymph

Artist: Albert Wenzell

A whimsical pen and ink drawing by Heinrich Kley depicting a pair of crocodiles holding a tightrope for an art nouveau circus aerialist balancing with umbrella. Titled in the corner by the artist Seiltanz or “Rope Walk.” A fine example of Kley’s dazzling technical skills, work also visits the artist’s penchant for humanizing the animal kingdom. Beautifully framed and matted in a period fine gold gilt plein air aesthetic antique frame.

Rope Walk

Artist: Heinrich Kley

A delightful early Rolf Armstrong original pastel in which the artist employs an impressionist and modern technique for the shadowing and details. This is a lovely and unusual transition piece from the period in Armstrong’s career where he began to shift from depicting winsome art nouveau beauties to the more dramatic and angular art deco flapper girls which defined his career. We have yet to find a printed version of this stunning original artwork by the father of American pin-up.

An Orchid and a Smile

Artist: Rolf Armstrong

A whimsical and dazzling watercolor by Heinrich Kley titled “Siche Rude Seiten;” loosely translated, “Our Unrefined Side”. THe splendid cast of characters captures the essence of this fondly remembered avant-garde, Jugendstil, German Expressionist artist. This is a rare full color example of the artist’s work, most surviving pieces by Kley are pen & ink drawings. Kley, whose work first appeared in “Die Jugend” in 1908 caught the eye of Walt Disney in 1937 and Kley inspired much of the animation of “Fantasia”. This evocative painting is rich in humor, technique and imagery.

Our Unrefined Side

Artist: Heinrich Kley

A fabulous large and radiant original oil on canvas by the acclaimed American illustrator Edward Eggleston. This alluring, Edwardian attired glamour girl in luminous moonlight surround was a commissioned calendar artwork under the title The Sweetheart of Sigmi-Chi. Produced in 1919 this same image also appeared (with a riverboat superimposed above the subject’s right shoulder) under the title Dixie. This is one of many instances where an illustrator would reuse a central image to save time while working up a new piece for a competing calendar company. In this instance, Eggleston so seamlessly removed the paddle boat from the original artwork I wouldn’t have known it existed in that form if not for the image shown in Norm Platnick’s A Lady of Mystery: A Collector’s guide to Edward Eggleston.

Sweetheart of Sigma-Chi

Artist: Edward Eggleston

A wonderful original work by the gifted and prolific Louis F. Rhead this is 4 images on one illustration board, all were used for the 1916 Harper & Brothers published edition of The Arabian Nights . The maiden was the frontispiece for the introduction section and the stylized letters where the artists created fonts for chapter first letters. This is framed in a period, antique art nouveau bat wing gesso antique frame and looks devine as such.

Introduction From Arabian Nights

Artist: Louis Rhead

A large allegorical oil on stretched canvas, created for a 1919 Edition Of Randolph Hearst’s Hearst Magazine. Titled ” In The Year Of Our Lord”. A handsome near nude angel in the midst of a gathering of the wretched in a Book of Revelations inspired scene. This mythic and richly iconic humanist, sensuous, yet spiritual art is the genre Charles Allan Winter helped develop. This is a deeply moving and emotionally raw published original painting by this leading artist.

In the Year Of Our Lord

Artist: Charles Winter

We are delighted to offer an extraordinary, large, masterfully executed and cleverly conceived oil on stretched canvas by Charles Bosseron Chambers. This is a dark take on the nude forest nymph theme which captivated the likes of Arthur Spear, Maxfield Parrish and Robert Atkinson Fox. In this work the nude nymph is visted by elfin eared musical satyrs which represent, to the deeply religious Chambers, the underworld of sensuality. This allegorical work is haunting and evocotive, the nude is rendered with great care and a mastery of the female form which is second to none. This is among the finest works we have offered; the painterly technique and technical expertise of C. Bosseron Chambers is masterfully harnessed in this work. Framed in a museum quality art deco aesthetic gallery frame. A haunting epic work that examines the allure of temptation and the temptation of allure.

Nude Forest Nymph Visited By Satyrs

Artist: Charles Bosseron Chambers

This original 1912 oil on board features actress Constance Collier in her role of Pallas Athene in the Beerbohm Tree production of Ulysses. This stylized art nouveau depiction in the Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic was by the well listed artist Charles Buchel and a similiar illustration of the actress by Buchel hangs in the London V & A museum. Buchel was a prolific versatile artist who depicted Edwardian and Victorian actors and actresses in period stage costumes. He designed numerous theatre programs and period postcards depicting dramatic scenes. Comes ready to hang in a fine period gesso ornate frame.

Constance Collier as Pallas Athene

Artist: Charles Buchel

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