Folk Art

American Hollow Cut Gent In Wonderful Folk Carved Frame
  • Sometimes the work inside the frame grabs you and sometimes it’s the frame. Here we offer a truly folk-art carved wood frame with hollow cut silhouette of a handsome young man. This American combination presents a striking piece in a small footprint. The artists are unknown but the American hollow cut silhouette features a young, unknown gent in a high collar shirt with bow tie, circa 1820. The frame is stained with a varnish and appears to be sawn and carved from a single piece of walnut wood. For its size, the frame is massive and features simple and very tasteful carvings including gouged top and bottom rails, and reeded and relief carved side rails with chamfered diamonds, triangles, and squares. It’s a mystery why the top left rounded edge was filled in while the right side was carved out as expected. Did the carver forget to finish the left side or is there some other reason? The silhouette is enclosed by a 1/4“ chamfered softwood board and the entire frame has all the shrinkage, splitting and warpage we want to see. Finally, the “filet” is a simple inside trim that adds depth framing the object and pulls the whole piece together. 7”H x 5 3/4"W x 1 1/2"D. Minor staining to the silhouette and expected splitting to the wood and one small piece of wood loss at about 7 o’clock in front.

    Provenance: The Collection of Edson J. Brown and Ross M. Trump.

    #6978    $675