Civil War Calligraphy
Company "F" Roster
1st Battalion Heavy Artillery
Massachusetts Volunteers
Circa 1864-1865
Black ink calligraphy on paper listing members of Company "F", 1st Battalion Heavy Artillery, Massachusetts Volunteers. The names of the company officers and NCO's are encircled with wreaths of laurel, as are the names of the Bugler and Drummer, while the names of enlisted personnel are in rows separated by laurel. There is a pen, ink and pastel illustration of a stone fort, possibly Fort Warren at the top. The paper is toned and there are some light stains and foxing as well as a small hole in the upper left. In a period varnished frame with gilt and gesso beading.
The Massachusetts 1st Battalion, Heavy Artillery performed duties at the forts in Boston Harbor, including Fort Warren, throughout the Civil War. Company "F" was mustered into service in 1864 for one year's service and was mustered out in June 1865. - Approximately 19.5-inches by 16.5-inches framed, view area approximately 16.5-inches by 13.5-inches.
Price: $1,150
EAS435
OIL ON CANVAS DEPICTING AMERICAN TROOPS ENGAGED IN BATTLE
Major General Zachary Taylor
Circa 1847 - 1850
Although unsigned and undated, this heroic painting depicts Major General Zachary Taylor (on white horse) at the Battle of Buena Vista (22 - 23 February 1847). The background depicts troops advancing under cover of artillery while the foreground depicts Taylor and another mounted officer directing the battle. More artillery sets up on their flank. An officer shown with these artillerymen bears a strong resemblance to period depictions of Captain Braxton Bragg. It was the timely arrival of Bragg's "Flying Artillery" that saved the day for the Americans.
Zachary Taylor (1784 - 1850) was known as "Old Rough and Ready" because of his down to earth style. At the time of the Battle of Buena Vista he had already defeated the Mexican army at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma and had captured Monterrey. Despite being stripped of many of his best troops by Winfield Scott and disobeying Scott's orders to remain on the defensive, Taylor continued his advance into Mexico. At Buena Vista he encountered and, though outnumbered 4 to 1, defeated a Mexican army commanded by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.
Taylor became the Whig candidate for President of the United States in 1848. Though he did not win a majority of the popular votes, he did win enough Electoral votes to defeat his two opponents. Taylor's term in office was cut short by his untimely death, possibly due to cholera, in 1850.
The painting has been handsomely executed. The artist used a considerable amount of glazing to render the background, as well as the faces and uniforms. This contributes to the remarkable depth and clarity of the painting. The color is superb, from the soft pinks and blues of the sky and the subtle browns and greens of the undulating hills to the oiling smoke of the cannon and the nuanced shading of the wind-whipped flags. It is clear that the artist did not allow enough drying time between glazes; as a result there is a degree of craquelle across the surface of the painting. In spite of this, the painting is so well rendered and pleasing to look at that the craquelle blends into the background.
The painting, which measures 26" x 36", retains it's original stretcher; the picture has been cleaned; there is no other restoration; the gold leaf frame is period and appropriate, however, we are not certain if it is actually original to the painting.
Price: $38,000
RS244
Mountain Scene With Sheep
By Edward Gay
Edward Gay was born in Ireland in 1837. Along with his parents he rode the great wave of Irish immigration following the Great Famine. The family settled in Albany, NY where Gay’s artistic talents were noticed and encouraged by local artists James and William Hart and George Boughton. Though by 1858 he had already exhibited in the National Academy of Design in NYC, in 1862 he traveled to Europe and studied in Germany under Johann Schirmer and Karl Friedrich Lessing. He returned to the United States in 1864. In 1867 he and his family moved to Mt. Vernon, NY. Here he painted numerous views of the bucolic landscapes surrounding his newfound home. He also painted a number of scenes of South Carolina, where his daughter had moved after her marriage. In 1905 he built a summer home in Cragsmoor in upstate New York. He also made frequent trips to Europe to paint. Though he began painting in the classic Hudson River School style, Gay eventually painted in the Barbizon manner. He was a member of the Century Association and the Union League Club of New York. His works are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Historical Society, and Westchester Woman’s Club, Brigham Young University, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Union League Club of NYC and many others.
This oil on artists board painting is depicts a craggy mountain range with sheep in the foreground. The painting has a view area of approximately 9 x 12 inches and is mounted in a period gilt frame with an overall size of 18 x 15 inches. The varnished is deeply yellowed, but the painting is in otherwise excellent condition.
Price: $4,500
110-114
New England Portrait Of Little Girl, Circa 1825-1835
A charming oil on canvas portrait of a little girl in a whitework dress that has been rendered with meticulous detail.
The portrait is in a period lemon gold frame that measures 24 by 29 inches. The sight size of the portrait is 21 by 25 inches.
Price: $7,600
210-35
Portrait Of A Child In Blue Dress
Attributed to William Mathew Prior
Mid 19th Century
This picture says it all...very good condition with extremely minor infill of a few scratches; canvas edges reinforced and stretched on new stretched made of period wood. Mounted in period grain painted frame measuring 14 1/8 by 18 5/8-inches; view area measures 10 3/8-inches by 14 5/8-inches.
Price: $27,000
329-2
Portraits Of A Rhode Island Couple
Attributed William W. Kennedy
Oil On Canvas
Circa-1840’s
These paintings were purportedly found in southern Rhode Island; based on the consignors receipt...what we can guarantee is that they are without compromise. Stylistically the sitters clothing falls within the period that Kennedy worked at New Bedford, Massachusetts that borders Rhode Island. In the flat style with characteristics common to Kennedy’s1 hand...bright eyed, pristine skin-tones and general attitude. The paintings are mounted in appropriate gilt frames of the period that measure 25 by 21-inches.
1There are less than twenty signed examples of Kennedy’s portraits extant-approximately 40 others have been found that closely resemble the documented works. Stylistically, Kennedy's crisp, flat likenesses strongly resemble the Prior and Hamblen portraits. His likenesses are distinguished by consistent portrayal of his sitters with steeply sloping shoulders, squared noses, and small, pursed lips. Characteristic of his portrait-painting style is excessive shading around the nose and a single dark line between the lips.
Price: $14,500
329-5
Child In Blue Dress Holding Rabbit Squeak Toy
Prior Hamblin School
Circa 1845
This oil on academy board portrait depicting a blue-eyed blond-haired girl child remains in a perfect state of originality. The work is mounted within a black painted frame of the period that is not original to the portrait. (View area measures approximately 15.5 by 11-inches.)
Price: $25,000
187-10
Portrait of a Gentleman in a Red Vest
WILLIAM BIDDLE
Early 19th Century - SOLD
This dapper gentleman is seated on an Empire sofa and is dressed in, blue jacket with a rolled collar, a red vest with a standing collar, and a boldly decorated cravat. His hair is worn in the Roman style so popular in the first quarter of the century. The name "WILLIAM BIDDLE" is printed in Roman letters in the lower right corner. It is not known if this is the name of the artist or the sitter. The painting was acquired in the Northampton, Massachusetts area.
The view area is 27-inches x 32-inches. The painting is in a 33.5-inch by 38-inch painted frame that has worn gilding around the outer edge. The canvas has been relined and a roughly 1.25-inch by 1.5-inch "J" shaped tear that intrudes just to the corner of the left eye has been restored. The painting is heavily crackled but stable and there is scattered minor in-painting.
594-1 - SOLD
Watercolor Memorial 1837
Cornelia Rudd Age 10 mos.
New York
The frame measures 20 by 16-inches, while the memorial itself measures 18 by 14-inches.
Price: $3,850
ACD
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