American Furniture & Decorative Arts

451.

American School, 19th Century

Portrait of a Man Seated at a Table Composing a Letter on His Lap

Desk, c. 1860. Unsigned. Watercolor and gouache on paper, 21 x 18

1/4 in., in a period molded giltwood frame. Condition: Toning, minor

foxing.

$800-1,000

452.

Jane A. Davis (American 1821-1855)

Portrait of a Girl in a Garden Wearing a Red Dress, c. 1840.

Unsigned. Watercolor on paper, depicting the girl wearing a red dress,

red beaded necklace, and holding a flower, 5 1/4 x 4 1/4 in., in a period

grain-painted wood frame. Condition: Good, minor stains.

$2,000-3,000

453.

“Red Book Artist” (Massachusetts and New York)

Silhouette of a Lady Wearing a Red Dress and Holding a Book,

early 19th century, three-quarter length figure with hollow-cut head,

watercolor and gouache embellishments, (minor toning), 4 1/2 x 3 1/2

in., in a period molded giltwood frame.

Literature: This silhouette portrait has characteristics similar to other

works done by the “Red Book Artist” as listed in the exhibition catalog

A Loving Likeness: American Folk Portraits of the Nineteenth Century,

from The Gallery at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, New Jersey, April

4–May 17, 1992, pp. 48-49: the sitter holds a red book, the women

face to the right, the figures have an overly long thumb which curls up

and rests on the book, the hands are done with opaque white paint

and the free hand rests on the women’s hip, silhouette is hollow cut,

watercolor is used for details.

$1,500-2,500

online bidding at http://www.skinnerinc.com 97

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