Still lifes with fruit. French. Fernand Renard, artist. Living from 1912 to 1990, Renard created troupe l’oeil paintings for the home of American designer Bunny Mellon.

“Still life with Fruit, Fennel, Artichoke and Corn.” 20th c. French. Oil on canvas. Signed “Renard” on the lower right. © Estate of the artist. Image © 2002-2021 LiveAuctioneers and Doyle Auctions. Fair use license. via https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/104410051_fernand-renard-french-1912-1990-still-with-fruit
Still life with apricots. 20th c. French. Oil on canvas. Signed “Renard” on the lower right. Image © Christie’s 2021. Fair use license. via https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4198698
“Pears on a Tabletop.” 20th c. French. Oil on canvas. Signed “Renard” on the ;lower right. Image © 2021 – WorthPoint Corporation. Fair use license. via https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/fernand-renard-french-1802596998

Off to the country with French born American artist Louis Aston Knight. Living from 1873 to 1948, he was the son of artist Daniel Ridgway Knight. Exhibited at the Paris Salon.

“The Blue Cottage.” Undated. Oil on canvas. Signed “Aston Knight Paris” on the lower right. Private collection. Image source: the-athenaeum.org. In the public domain in the United States because the artist died over 70 years ago. via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Blue_Cottage._Louis_Aston_Knight.jpg
“Beaumontel.” Undated. Oil on canvas. Signed “Aston Knight Paris” on the lower left. Private collection. Image source: the-athenaeum.org. In the public domain in the United States because the artist died over 70 years ago. via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beaumontel._Louis_Aston_Knight.jpg
“By the River.” Undated. Oil on canvas. Signed “Aston Knight Paris” on the lower right. Image © 2021 Grogan & Company, Inc. Artwork itself in the public domain due to age. via https://www.groganco.com/auction-lot/louis-aston-knight-american-1873-1948-by-the-rive_1734D5E9C6

The life of the ancients seen through a 19th century eye. Two paintings that helped inspire the Pompeiian palace built by Prince Napoléon, a cousin of the emperor Napoléon III in 1855. Gustave Boulanger, artist. Born in Paris, he lived from 1824 to 1888.

“Répétition du Joueur de flûte et de La Femme de Diomède chez le prince Napoléon dans l’atrium de sa maison pompéienne.” 1861. French. Oil on canvas. Collections of the Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Image source: histoire-image.org. In the public domain in the United States because the artist has been dead over 100 years. via https://histoire-image.org/
“Theatrical Rehearsal in the House of an Ancient Rome Poet.” 1855. French. Oil on canvas. Collections of the Hermitage, Saint Petersburg. Image source: Web Gallery of Art. In the public domain in the United States because the artist died over 100 years ago. via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gustave_Boulanger_-Theatrical_Rehearsal_in_the_House_of_an_Ancient_Rome_Poet-_WGA2930.jpg

Salt thrones in silver, silver-gilt and champlevé enamel. Created in Imperial Russia, various silverworkers.

Silver-gilt shaped salt throne in shaped circular form with a double hinged cover enameled with a geometric pattern in red, white, blue and green. The sided applied with rectangular plaques, enameled with gryphons and an openwork centerpiece decorated with a gryphon on both sides on a red ground. Raised on four bracket feet. 1877. Made in Moscow, Russia. A. M. Postnikov partnership. Maker’s marks: The hinged covers and underside struck with the maker’s mark, 91 standard. Image © 2021 Sotheby’s. Fair use license. via https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/russian-works-of-art-faberge-icons/a-silver-gilt-and-champleve-enamel-salt-throne-a-m
Silver and champlevé enamel salt throne, the seat with opaque and translucent polychrome enamel geometric motifs. The front inscribed “Without salt and bread, it is half a dinner,” and the lid with the arms of Ekaterinoslav and Kharkov. The back inscribed with the arms of Voronezh and Rostov flanked by roosters and the interior of the lid inscribed “To His Excellence Samuel Solomonovich Polyakov from the grateful members of the Kozlovo-Voronezhsko-Rostovskaya and Kursko-Kharkovo-Azovskaya railways .” 1879. Russian. Marked Khlebnikov with the Imperial Warrant, Moscow. 88 standard. Image © 2021 Sotheby’s. Fair use license. via https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/russian-works-of-art-faberge-icons/a-rare-silver-and-champleve-enamel-salt-throne
Silver-gilt and champlevé enamel salt throne of traditional form on four bun feet, the trapezoidal body cast and chased with geometric and pan-Slavic design. The hinged cover draped with a trompe l’oeil napkin with the border finely cast and chased in the form of a traditional izba with pan-Slavic design enameled in red, blue, and turquoise and centering a vacant escutcheon within a cast and chased ribbon-tied laurel wreath. Maker’s marks: Cyrillic “MA” Moscow, 1891. Marked throughout, also with a Soviet mark. Inage © Christie’s 2021. Fair use license. via https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5783527

Cigarette, cigar and vesta (matchsafe) cases in silver and other precious materials created in Imperial Russia by Andrei Bragin, a silverworker who had a workshop in Saint Petersburg.

Vesta case in silver with geometric enamel decoration in red, white, green, dark blue, and turquoise. Engraved with Cyrillic initials on the disc-shaped reverse. ca. 1880. Russian. Andrei Bragin, silverworker. Maker’s marks: mark of Andrei Bragin, Saint Petersburg. Image © Christie’s 2021. Fair use license. via https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-a-russian-silver-and-champleve-enamel-vesta-5341785/


Rectangular jeweled two color gold presentation cigarette case with rounded corners and a cabochon sapphire thumbpiece. The cover centering an Imperial double-headed eagle. The interior being engraved “From H.I.M. The Czar of Russia August 1909” an with a later inscription “Presented to Captain H. G. Adams-Connor, Chief Constable, Isle of Wight, and left by him to his grandson, Lionel Eldred Peter Smith-Gordon./1939.” , Fitted brown leather case stamped in Russian and French “A. D. Ivanov in Saint Petersburg.” 1909. Russian. Andrei Bragin, silverworker. Maker’s marks for Andrei Bragin, Saint Petersburg. Marked inside the cover and base. Image © Christie’s 2021, Fair use license. via https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-a-jewelled-two-colour-gold-presentation-cigarette-case-5630483/
Silver gilt and enamel cigar case. 1890s. Russian. Andrei Bragin, silverworker. Maker’s marks: Cyrillic initials A. B. of Andrei Bragin. Assay mark of Saint Petersburg. before 1899. Silver standard: 88 zolotnik. Image © 2021 Ruzhnikov. Fair use license. via https://www.ruzhnikov.com/russian-european-silver/russian-silver-gilt-enamel-cigar-case-2/

Make your back hall look like Queen Victoria’s conservatory. Pochoir prints from Eugène Grasset’s 1896 portfolio “La Plante et ses Applications Ornementales sous la Direction.”

“Couronne Imperiale.” Plate 16. Page 35. Collections of the Smithsonian Libraries. Biodiversity Heritage Library, digitalizing sponsor. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/planteetsesappl00Gras/page/n35/mode/1up
“Geranium Sauvage.” Plate 19, page 41. Collections of the Smithsonian Libraries. Biodiversity Heritage Library, digitalizing sponsor. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/planteetsesappl00Gras/page/n41/mode/1up
‘Cyclamen.” Plate 22. Page 45. Collections of the Smithsonian Libraries. Biodiversity Heritage Library, digitalizing sponsor. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/planteetsesappl00Gras/page/n45/mode/1up

More imagery from a 1921 edition of Aleksandr Pushkin’s fairy tale “Conte de tsar Saltan et de son fils: le glorieux et puissant prince Gvidon Saltanovitch, et de sa belle princesse Cygne” . Published in Paris by Éditions De La Sirène, it was illustrated by Natalia Goncharova.

Page 2. Collections of and digitalized by the Boston Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/contedetsarsalta00push/page/n2/mode/1up
Page 3. Collections of and digitalized by the Boston Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/contedetsarsalta00push/page/n3/mode/1up
Page 5. Collections of and digitalized by the Boston Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/contedetsarsalta00push/page/n5/mode/1up

What you need to show the wallpaper people when they come over and want to see designs you like. Lithographs from C. J. Richardson’s 1851 work “Studies of ornamental design.” F. Bedford and Day & Son, lithographers. Published in London by John Weale.

Title page. Page 7. Collections of and digitalized by the Boston Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/studiesofornamen00rich/page/n7/mode/2up
Page 9. Page 7. Collections of and digitalized by the Boston Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/studiesofornamen00rich/page/n9/mode/2up
Page 34. Collections of and digitalized by the Boston Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/studiesofornamen00rich/page/n34/mode/1up
“Jewel Embroidery.” Page 36. Collections of and digitalized by the Boston Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/studiesofornamen00rich/page/n36/mode/1up
Page 40. Collections of and digitalized by the Boston Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/studiesofornamen00rich/page/n40/mode/1up
“Ceiling of the Sala di Cambio, Perugia. Painted in 1500 by Pietro Perugino and his pupils.” Page 46. Collections of and digitalized by the Boston Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/studiesofornamen00rich/page/n46/mode/1up
“Chalice from the church of San Dominico at Perugia.” Page 48, Collections of and digitalized by the Boston Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/studiesofornamen00rich/page/n48/mode/1up
“Ancient German applique, embroidery. Page 50. Collections of and digitalized by the Boston Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/studiesofornamen00rich/page/n50/mode/1up
“Pattern for applique embroidery.” Page 52. Collections of and digitalized by the Boston Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/studiesofornamen00rich/page/n52/mode/1up

Decorative plant motifs, Band 1 of “Japanische Pflanzen-Ornamente”. A portfolio of prints that came out in 1890, probably somewhere in Germany though it doesn’t say. Collections of the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau.

Page 9. Collections of the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau. Image itself in the public domain. via https://sachsen.digital/werkansicht/10245/9/0?cHash=99ae1b3a9ff9b4e6008643c08a1c2f43#
Page 12. Collections of the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau. Image itself in the public domain. via https://sachsen.digital/werkansicht/10245/12/0?cHash=00550ca25c264d0f268f775cb1161143
Page 9. Collections of the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau. Image itself in the public domain. via https://sachsen.digital/werkansicht/10245/13/0?cHash=437895c94a5b5f0ce3989ba88e72ac6d
Page 15. Collections of the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau. Image itself in the public domain. via https://sachsen.digital/werkansicht/10245/15/0?cHash=024084c02ab038217212d143e3640781#
Page 16. Collections of the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau. Image itself in the public domain. via https://sachsen.digital/werkansicht/10245/16/0?cHash=b5850d38d0558802a74b0a4fd8cf123a#
Page 17. Collections of the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau. Image itself in the public domain. via https://sachsen.digital/werkansicht/10245/17/0?cHash=db937edfaf6ec4fb2198f2abd489dac8#
Page 21. Collections of the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau. Image itself in the public domain. via https://sachsen.digital/werkansicht/10245/21/0?cHash=be19229d2417f06d49780f54372025f6#
Page 22. Collections of the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau. Image itself in the public domain. via https://sachsen.digital/werkansicht/10245/22/0?cHash=13e22da732ec1a37e519ca6e2cfde702#
Page 24. Collections of the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau. Image itself in the public domain. via https://sachsen.digital/werkansicht/10245/24/0?cHash=88d5693d30c8e4ef5fdf4a06f682cde3#

Sitting down to tea with Austrian still life painter Lea Reinhart. Living from 1877 to 1970, she probably studied at the Vienna Art School for Women.

“Still Life with Antiques,.” Undated. Austrian. Oil on panel. Signed “L. Reinhart.” © Estate of the artist. Image © 2021 Dorotheum GmbH & Co KG. Fair use license. via https://www.dorotheum.com/en/l/580154/
“Still Life with Antiquities and Strawberries.” Undated. Austrian. Oil on panel. Signed “L. Reinhart.” © Estate of the artist. Fair use license. via https://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2017/03/Lea-Reinhart.html and dorotheum.com.
Still life. Undated. Austrian. Oil on panel. Signed “L. REINHART” on the upper left. © Estate of the artist. © Bonhams 2001-2021. Fair use license. via https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22689/lot/309/