Wonderful folky profile watercolor of a young man with well-coifed hair. The small portrait pulls the eye with its presentation in a period wide black painted frame with a flat profile. Once the eye travels to the piece hanging on your wall, the simple outlined and painted profile jumps from the wove paper to greet you. This gent is dressed and coifed in the styles of the 1810s. His hair is close cropped in the back with height left over his forehead. His face is further framed by a few curls of hair and whiskers kept long enough to tuck under the front of the ear. His shirt is frilled and topped by a white cravat tied into a bow. The top of his jacket sleeve is gathered at the shoulder for a fairly tight fitting sleeve. We love the way the artist made the most use of the few colors he chose. The coat is black with white providing the highlights. A bit of red was toned down to model his face and to provide a visual draw where it outlines the bust termination. Brown is used to paint the individual strands of hair and his white shirt front and cravat are created by merely outlining them with blue—the white is implied. Condition is good for display although the paper is brittle. We put conservation materials into the framing so the paper should be spared further deterioration as long as the piece is properly cared for (i.e. no direct sun or moisture). There is a tear at about 8 o’clock. This is a marvelous American folk portrait, circa 1810. The frame is 5.5” x 6.5” with the sight size only 2” x 3”.

Provenance: Our dear late friends, John O'Neill and Peter Leonard, Westlake Hills, Texas.

Inv. #7076    $995