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#2095

SOLD

Memorial Miniature for a Young Girl Carrying a Basket of Flowers.

Painted around 1800, this miniature is special in many respects: the charm of its subject and pose, the double ivory format which carries a portrait on one side and a memorial made with the child's hair and an unusual mother-of-pearl urn on the reverse side of its original gold pendant case, and the early date of the use of the mourning miniature, which is more often seen after the mid 1820's. Beneath the portrait is the engraved inscription, "REMEMBER THE GIVER".

Watercolor on ivory, all original, ivory is 2 9/16 inches high and the case 3 1/2 inches high.

#2031

SOLD

Miniature Portrait of Four Sisters

A rondelle composition of young girls, balanced in placement within an ivory circle, each similarly painted in lace trimmed dresses and wearing her hair in spiraling curls.

In an open locket-type, foliate decorated, reproduction brass case. New England circa 1840. Case diameter is 2 3/4 inches.

#2030

Mrs. Moses B. Russell
(Clarissa Peters Russell, 1809-1854)

Miniature portrait on ivory in watercolor of two children holding a basket of strawberries.

The work of this artist is recognized as one of the ultimate statements in children's folk miniature portraiture of the mid Nineteenth Century. It is naive, charming, and emotionally appealing in every respect. Pose is always frontal, color adds interest to both costume and background, and finely drawn details such as eyelashes and cupid's bow mouths are hallmarks of her style. The inclusion of two figures, as well as the addition of the basket of strawberries, makes this piece an especially prized example of her work.

Although the artist painted portraits of both adults and children, she seems to have specialized in the later. She is commonly referred to by her married name, her husband a well-known Boston miniaturist also, but she began her career earlier in Andover, Massachusetts before meeting Russell.

The miniature is encased in a period leather case with gold and mother of pearl embellishments. The ivory itself measures 2 1/4 x 2 3/4 inches. Boston circa 1845.

#2062

A Couple by the Puffy Sleeve Artist

An artist of stylish decorative skill work briefly in MA, VT and NH making hollow-cut silhouettes with watercolor painted bodies. The hand has never been identified, and it is remarkably similar to the work of two other artists who worked in the same brief time period, 1830-1831, but whose work had several distinct stylistic differences. This artist, referred to as the Puffy Sleeve Artist, painted thinner figures with more exaggerated outlines than did the others. Hand placement and drawing were different. Yet the distinct overlapping features in their works make it seem that a relationship existed between them.

The woman here, dressed in black and with blue ribbons on her collar and at her waist, holds a book with the initials D.W. painted on it. Her husband's coat has a brown lining or vest beneath it.

In what appear to be their original frames which measure 4 x 5 inches.

Ex-collection Raymond Egan. Illustrated in "A loving Likeness: American Folk Portraits of the Nineteenth Century", pp. 46 and 47, text by Marna Anderson. Exhibited in 1992 in the Gallery at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ.

#2029

SOLD

A rare standing figure by the Puffy Sleeve Artist of Eliza Carter in a red dress and holding flowers.

Adult portraits by this artist are always painted in a three-quarter length pose with the head in full profile and the body turned towards the side. The few full length portraits known by this hand are of children, and they are painted with hollow-cut silhouette heads, as are the adults, but their bodies are shown facing fully forward towards the viewer while their feet face the profile side.

MA, NH or VT circa 1830 -1831. Watercolor on paper. Paper is 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches, and framed the portrait is 5 5/8 x 6 5/8 inches in a period rope twist frame.

#2065

The gentleman is handsome, a bump in his nose but with sensitive, pensive eyes. The likeness matches the man in its fine drawing and subtle coloration. His skin is luminous and appears as if painted on ivory, not its actual finely applied pastel on paper with drawn details skillfully painted.

The work is reminiscent of portraits by other hands found in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but it has a New York history and would date circa 1820.

The paper is cut to a rough oval and framed behind a green fabric that is a mid tone between the dark and light areas of the pastel background. The mat is a beautiful modern choice which inhances the work, and its sight dimensions are 7 1/2 x 9 3/4 inches. A period paint decorated frame completes the presentation and measures 10 1/2 x 12 3/4 inches.

#2033

SOLD

A pair of rare signed watercolor on paper portraits of a couple by Frederick Mayhew (1785-1854).

Circa 1820. Either New Bedford or Martha's Vineyard, MA.

For reference on the artist see images on pages 256 and 257 of "American Naive Paintings: The National Gallery of Art" or "The Clarion", Summer 1984.

#2048

Best in Category: A Signed, Dated, and Embellished Portrait of Amos Jones by Justus Da Lee ( 1793-1878)

Handsome and stylish, crisply drawn and in flawless condition, this small watercolor, pencil and ink portrait has everything desirable in the genre. Many works by the artist bear signature characteristics but few are actually signed. Date is usually estimated by costume and pose details. The fish as a decorative and possibly symbolic element appears on another known portrait and on a family record by the artist. The sitter's name is written in pencil script on the back of the portrait, as opposed to the block printed inscription on the front, giving us examples of both of his signature styles.

Jones is drawn in profile within a spandrelled format. Blue brush strokes are visible within the lower background area indicating a deliberate use of the blue aura that seems to bleed from the spandrel, possibly answering another question about the artist's working method.

Not least, although repeated here at the end, the sitter has a personal elegance of face and costume, a dramatic persona created by sweeping brow and handsome features, and a thoughtful and pensive expression.

New York State. Paper with full margins is 3 x 3 1/2 inches. In what appears to be its original gilded frame which measures 4 1/8 x 4 5/8 inches.

#2049

Portrait of a boy seated in a red painted chair by Justus Da Lee (1793-1878)

A charming portrait of a boy, dressed in his finest in a jacket, tie and colored vest, to have his portrait painted. He is nameles to us, although the inscription, obviously in the hand of Justus Da Lee, tells us that he is from Cabotville (New York) and that the date is JJuly 26, 1842. Such inscribed works are rare, and this is a fine example in excellent condition.
The paper has full margins and measures 3 x 3 1/2 inches. The frame is period and probably original and measures 4 1/2 x 5 1 /8 inches. Drawn in watercolor, ink and pencil on paper.

#2022

Mrs. Moses B. Russell (Clarissa Peters Russell 1809-1854)

Portrait of a Baby in a Blue Dress

The work of this artist is recognized as one of the ultimate statements in children's folk miniature portraiture of the mid Nineteenth Century. It is naive, charming, and emotionally appealing in every respect. Pose is always frontal, color adds interest to both costume and background, and finely drawn details such as eyelashes and cupid's bow mouths are hallmarks of her style.

Although she painted portraits of both adults and children, she seems to have specialized in the later. She is commonly referred to by her married name, her husband a well-known Boston miniaturist also, but she began her career earlier in Andover, Massachusetts before meeting Russell.
Watercolor on ivory in a period gilded frame and with its original stamped brass mat and enclosing the backboard of its original case which bears the label of Smith's, a case maker in Boston. The ivory itself is 2 3/8 x 2 1/16, and it is attached to its original backing paper which the artist used to test the colors on her brush. Framed dimensions are 4 1/2 x 5 inches. Boston, circa 1845-1850.

#2023

Rufus Porter

A classic example of the artist's work, in untouched condition and in its original gilded rope twist frame. The young man portrayed is handsome, his pose thoughtful, its execution finely done.

A note inside identifies the sitter as "Stevens Hayward Turner, Aged 21". Turner's dates are 1816-1884. He lived in Massachusetts.

In pencil, ink and watercolor on paper with original painted border at frame edge. Circa 1837.

#2024

Portrait of a woman, painted in watercolor on paper and highly stylized in form. The shape of her skirt and the entire outline of her body is elegant and dramatic for an otherwise "countrified" portrait and shows us the value of an artist having a good design sense. The frame matting is later but complements the drawing.

Image size 3 1/2 inches by 4 1/2 inches and 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches framed.

#2013

A Portrait of Julia Lee

This unusual small watercolor portrait employs a technique seen in early oil paintings, the painting of a shadow to suggest a three-dimensional framing device.
Julia's image is inscribed below, "Julia Lee of (?) / 7 years old". The child wears a green-blue dress figured in red and with a white lace collar.
Painted in pencil and gouache. Probably New England. Circa 1810-1815.

Period frame measures 5 7/8 x 7 5/8 inches. Outer edges of painted circle are 3 1/8 x 3 1/4 inches.

#1994

Miniature portrait of a blond, blue-eyed gentleman by Moses B. Russell (1810-1884).

This fine work, painted in watercolor on ivory, signed on its paper backing by the artist, and noted as having been painted in Boston in 1847, is presented within its original engraved, chased, and engine-turned gilt-brass locket, and it has a lock of brown hair within the small oval aperature in its back.

Its brilliant colors- blues, magenta, rose and yellow- and deep value contrasts make clear the virtue of the covered locket case. The work has always been looked at by its wearer and then worn closed, away from the light, which could have faded its image. Only the slight damage to its cover-clasp allows us to know how often it must have been viewed.

Case height not including the hanger is 1 7/8 inches with a case width of 1 9/16 inches.

#1992

A wonderful two-sided portrait miniature of a father and his two sons, painted in water color on ivory and in its original engraved gilt-brass pendant case.

Painted circa 1805 and probably French in origin, this beautiful miniature shows the father on one side and has two smaller inset images of his sons on the reverse, the composition balanced by flowers placed above and below them on the case back.

The work is unsigned and has a lock of blond hair inside. Case 2 3/4 inches high and small window-mounted portraits of children are each 1 1/4 inches high.

#1853

The Unfinished Masterpiece of Richard Waterman
Moffitt Da Lee (1809-1868)

A Portrait of the artist's wife
Hannah Maria Minton Da Lee (1813-1890)

This small profile portrait, drawn in pencil, ink, and watercolor on paper, shows the sitter in a three-quarter length pose and seated, her skirt billowing out from her body. Our eyes are drawn up from it to focus on her face, highly detailed and with a pale blush of color. She has quiet beauty and a sense of peace and dignity. The area around her hands is unfinished as is the chair in which she sits. The pencil lines indicating the folds of her dress are drawn in unglazed pencil and shine like silver when tilted to catch the light.

Descended in the family and inscribed on the back in ink, "Hannah Maria Minton Da Lee Born May 29th 1813 Died December 28th 1890 Wife of R M W Da Lee".

Western New York State. Circa 1855. 3 3/8 x 2 3/4 inches sight and in modern frame 6 3/8 x 5 3/4 inches.

Reference: "The Magazine Antiques", July /August 2011, Brownstein and Shushan, pgs 154-161. Illustrated pg 159.

#1882

A portrait of Van Buren Da Lee (1837-1905), son of Richard Waterman Moffitt Da Lee and Hannah Maria Minton Da Lee, circa 1841.

This small portrait of the artist's son, inscribed "Van Buren Da Lee Aged 4 years Son of R W M Da Lee" on the back in ink, is a small jewell of children's portraiture. Drawn in pencil, ink, and watercolor on paper by his father Richard W. M. Da Lee (1809-1868), it has a sense of great intimacy and charm. It is drawn with great delicacy and intense observation. A very similar portrait of Van Buren is in the collection of the Colonial Williamsberg Foundation.

Reference: "The Magazine Antiques", July /August 2011. Brownstein and Shushan, pgs 154-161. Illustrated pg. 158.

Conservation mounted and in a modern frame. The image is 3 5/8 x 2 1/2 inches and is in a modern frame of 7 x 5 1/2 inches.

#1868

SOLD

Double portrait of Eunice E. C. Marden and Lurana G. Marden (1835-1845), daughters of Sewell (1794-1856) and Sarah Avery Marden (1794-1862).

Painted by J. H. Davis in 1837 in Deerfield, New Hampshire.

Portraits by Davis of figures in outdoor settings are rare. The parents of Eunice and Lurana were also painted by Davis in the same year, and they are shown in his more typical double figure mode, seated facing each other at a table. This rare example has all the 'bells and whistles': bouquets and basket of flowers as well as potted plants, a cat, a doll, and the birds and butterflies used in other examples of this rare type of Davis composition.

In pencil, watercolor and ink on paper and in a period frame. 8 3/4 x 6 5/8 inches sight and 12 1/4 x 10 1/4 inches framed.

Exhibited: "American Folk Art on Paper", Baltimore Museum of Art, 1984.

Related examples are in the MFA, Boston, Karolik Collection and Sotheby's catalogue of the Daphne Farago Collection, February 1991, lot 1218.

#1976

Miniature portrait of a man, painted in watercolor on ivory and in a gilt copper case. Probably New England. Circa 1835-1840.

#1955

A pair of miniature portraits on ivory of a woman painted in the same pose by two artists. Profile portraits on ivory are unusual, and the similar pose used by two artists to paint the same sitter probably indicates that a second portrait was desired and was based on the other image.

One portrait is stylistically more academic than the other, its features more subtly modeled and the expression more individualized. In both the sitter has white lace covering her hair, and she wears a white dress in one and black in the other. The less academic image is unusual for the intensity of its blue background, which serves to set off the figure and gives it a sense of greater definition.

American or English, circa 1840. One in what appears to be its original black lacquered frame with brass fittings, the other in a period style gilded frame with inner gold matting.

#1912

A tintype portrait of a young black woman holding a white child.

This small photographic image cannot be viewed without an awareness of its cultural roots. The 'nanny' leans backward, as if to remove herself as subject of the picture, as she holds the child forward toward the photographer. Yet she, more than the child, looks towards the camera, aware of the significance of fixing in time the moment they share.

In fine condition and encased in a brown floral-decorated thermaplastic case with an inner brass mat. Presumably from the American south, circa 1860.

#1919

Articles in THE MAGAZINE ANTIQUES in August 2007 and February 2008 (by Arthur and Sybil Kern and Peter and Leslie Warwick) examined the drawings of five Ohio artists. Clearly they were related stylisically to one another: they were fully or predominently monochrome, of similar scale, and sitters were portrayed to include the head and shoulders in profile.
This drawing, from an Ohio collection, can be considered as the work of another hand from the same time frame and geographic area that shares many features but also adds elements to the genre not previously seen. Slightly larger in scale, 11 1/4 x 18 3/4 inches sight (not approximately 8 x 10 inches), drawn in graphite, charcoal and white chalk, and with a profile that is set against a background striking for its division into black and white sides, it differs in the strength of the graphic statement it makes.
Sitter and artist unknown, circa 1830-1835.

Portrait of a gentleman.

Some portraits show likeness, some achieve character portrayal. There is setting to give information or one to set a stage for something more. English portraiture covers a spectrum from vacuous to intense, the society portrait to the inner soul revealed. Our gentleman is at the end of a scale tipped toward drama and insight, mood creation and thought provocation.
This is English folk portraiture rich in detail and stylish in execution: swagged drapery, fluted column, rich costume. But it is the man who commands our attention.
Circa 1810-1820.

#1860

A rare intact family group of five profile portrait drawings of the family of John Martin and Mary Footman Martin of Plainfield, New Hampshire, circa 1835, by J.M. Crowley.

Included in the group are the parents and an older child shown in half-length poses and full-length standing portraits of the youngest children, William and Irene.

Crowley is known for his graphite drawings, and examples with standing children are particularly rare and prized. The artist is known to have worked both in New Hampshire and New York State from the mid-1820's through the 1830's.

#1834

SOLD

Susan Elizabeth Wentworth by Joseph H. Davis

This small folk art masterpiece has all that we look for in Davis' work, especially his portraits of children: a charming subject, vibrant color, a patterned floor cloth, doll, basket of flowers, two cats, and wonderful costume details.

Davis was an elusive artist whose works were made over a five year period spanning from 1832 to 1837. Inscriptions on his works leave records of his sitters, and Susan Elizabeth can be traced from her’s to her birth to Joseph C. Wentworth and Tryphena Burnham Roberts on June 18, 1832 in Milton, Strafford, New Hampshire. She lived in Rochester, New Hampshire when she married Charles Henry Goodwin in 1849. The 1910 census finds her a widow, still living in New Hampshire with members of her extended family.

Watercolor, pencil and ink on paper. Excellent condition and in its original mahogany veneered frame. 5 1/4 x 6 1/2 inches sight. Descended in the family with a davis work of her parents.

#1848

Two Rare period volumes by Rufus Porter, the1826 and 1832 editions of ''Choice Selection of Valuable and Curious Arts and Interesting Experiments Fully Explained".
They are described as 'warranred and genuine and may be performed easily, safely, and at little expense'. Included in the text is the design of the device Porter employed to draw profile portraits.

#1807

Justus Da Lee

A beautiful pair of small watercolor and pencil on paper portraits of the Brownell sisters (Sally and Penaina?). The older of the two has the married name Burington added. The frontal body drawing with side profile of the head of one sister can be identified as the work of Justus circa 1837. The details here are finely drawn and very specific within the faces, hair, jewelry and costumes, for those who think small portraits were quickly 'dashed off' and not highly personalized.
Probably western New York State. Original black painted frames.

#1810

A group of eight small watercolor and ink drawings of fashionably dressed women made in 1860. Each is distinctive for its costume details as well as the personality each figure projects. Facial features, elaborate hair and hats, details of dress tailoring and fabrics, as well as carefully articulated pose, all add up to create beautiful and stylish images. They were, possibly, made as illustrations for a woman's magazine.
Each drawing is 3 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches, and they are mounted and framed in simple black modern frames which are each 6 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches.

#1721

Justus Da Lee

A mystery in the DaLee family oeuvre solved. Stylistically these images are clearly the work of the father Justus and done very early in his "side portrait" painting career. In 1837 Justus introduced spandrels to his painting style. At the same time, he began a transition from combining frontal body orientation and profile head drawing in his female figures to painting them completely in profile. The painted black spandrels are not emplyed here, thus, dating the works earlier in the decade. They have an interesting contrast of highly detailed faces and hair or bonnets and a relatively simplified/stylized body treatment.
Upstate New York circa 1830-1835. Original frames on couple and period frame on older woman.

#1626

Attributed to Amon Da Lee

A pair of watercolor, ink, and pencil portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Boyce, the attribution based on similarities to the signed pair of the Reverend Joe Byington and his wife Deliaby Amon, the son of Justus DaLee, who worked with his father and brother Richard painting small portraits and family records.
Western New York State circa 1840. Period frames.

#1789

A pair of miniatures on ivory in similar locket cases that present somewhat of a quandry: the work appears to be that of Mrs. Moses B. Russell who died in 1854, however the 'snood' or net that holds her hair regains popularity (it is first used in the Middle Ages) around 1860. The work of her husband is often remarkably similar. The wife's case is inscribed 'H.E.Davis'. Probably Boston area.

#1687

A well-executed example of a male profile portrait attributed to Rufus Porter. The sitter is handsome and shown with a thoughtful expression on his young face. In its original gilded frame with rope twist decoration. Watercolor, pencil, and ink on paper. New England circa 1830.

#1575

An ambrotype of a portrait. The photographer's stamp says 'Bowdoin'. I believe this to be the only evidence of this now lost painting. Painting circa 1790's. Ambrotype circa 1850's.

#1491

An unusual watercolor and ink portrait on paper of a woman by an unidentified artist, shown in profile, and holding a colorful bouquet of flowers. New England circa 1830.

Both sides have inscription panels beneath the watercolor, ink, and pencil portraits. Both are sensitively drawn, and the blue-shadowed one is unusual in its intensity, and effect seldom achieved in portraiture.

#1391

Very folky portrait on ivory of a woman in its original locket case, which is on the back monogrammed M-R. The sitter is shown within a black rick-rack border to which there is a minor repair of one edge. She wears a black lace-trimmed dress with coral jewelry, an elaborate belt buckle, and combs in her red hair. NE circa 1830.

#1397

Watercolor, pencil, and ink portrait of "Ezra Parsons, May 14, 1831" by "T.R. Robie". A fine portrait drawn by a great calligrapher. Note the beauty of the details. This is a hand I have never before seen.

#1326

These representations of a young couple, the woman in a pink dress and with flowers in her hair, the faces painted white with pink highlights, are probably examples of the rarely found work of Amos Holbrook. Circa 1830.