Isaac Orr and Mary Johnson Orr
Corinth, Vermont, circa 1834
Each, watercolor and pencil on paper, 27 x 23 inches, mounted to museum standards in reproduction veneered frames
Please contact us for a full condition report.
This pair of portraits depicting Isaac Orr (1804-1873) and his wife, Mary Johnson Orr (1808-1870) of Corinth, Vermont rank among the most powerful and highly stylized known examples by Dr. Samuel A. Shute. Painted two years before his untimely death at age 33, these extraordinary portraits are notably flamboyant and freely painted in a style unique to Samuel Shute. They were part of a commission that also included a smaller watercolor portrait of their daughter, Atlantis Orr (1831-1860), 17 x 14 inches, inscribed on back: “April, 1834, Atlantis Orr 2 years 7 months” now in a private collection, illustrated in A Sampler of Recent Acquisitions II (David A. Schorsch, New York, 1992).
Watercolor portraits by Samuel A. Shute are rare when compared to the body of work done together with or individually painted by his wife, Ruth W. Shute (1803-1882). An unusual and distinguishing characteristic of Samuel Shute’s most highly stylized portraits are stark white-painted faces exemplified in the portrait of Mary Johnson Orr and “Woman with two canaries” in Jean Lipman and Tom Armstrong, Eds., American Folk Painters of Three Centuries (New York, 1980), p. 165. Additional watercolor portraits by Samuel A. Shute include “Dr. and Mrs. Charles Chandler” of 1829 in Lipman and Armstrong, p. 167; “Gentleman wearing a striped waistcoat and Woman wearing a bonnet with pink ribbons” in Stacy C. Hollander, Ed., American Radiance, The Ralph Esmerian gift to The American Folk Art Museum, p. 54, plate 25a-b, and “Lady with a colored belt” in Marna Anderson, A Loving Likeness, American Folk Portraits of The Nineteenth Century (Princeton, NJ, 1992), p. 38.
Provenance:
Found in St. Johnsbury, VT; Collection of Stephen Corrigan and Douglas Jackman, Rockingham, VT; Walters-Benisek, Northampton, MA; Private collection; Stephen Score, Boston, MA; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT; Private collection.
Rhode Island or Massachusetts, circa 1780 Maple, chestnut, white pine, with original hardware, 25 ½ x 30 x 14 ¾ inches Please contact us for full condition report
This is a finely miniaturized version of a classic New England tall chest, with split top drawers and bracket feet, and mellow color. The use of wooden-spring “Quaker” drawer locks and chestnut drawer linings are indicative of early case furniture made in Rhode Island and parts of southeastern Massachusetts. The original pierced Chippendale brasses of a rare design add an element of sophistication to this beautifully proportioned little gem.
Probably Massachusetts, circa 1840-1860
Opaque watercolor on paper, need size, 12 5/8 x 17 5/8 inches
Cleaned and de-acidified, repair to vertical crease along right side from being previously folded; mounted to museum standards in a period frame.
Please contact us for a full condition report.
Provenance:
Found in Sunderland, MA; Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Hammitt, Woodbury, CT; Private collection; Thomas R. Longacre, Marlborough, NH; Frank and Barbara Pollack, Highland Park, IL; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT, 2007; Private collection, 2007-2020.
Exhibited:
“American Folk Art from Connecticut Collections,” Newtown Historical Society, Newtown, CT, 1974.
“The Cat in American Folk Art,” The Museum of American Folk Art, New York, 1976.
Published:
Bruce Johnson, American Cat-alogue (New York, 1976), no. 28.
Probably Maryland or Virginia, circa 1800-1815
Poplar, hickory and maple, original painted decoration, in a remarkable state of preservation, 36 x 40 x 14 inches
Please contact us for full condition report
A settee of nearly identical form and scale but in refinished condition is in the collection of Winterthur Museum, illustrated
in Nancy Goyne Evans, American Windsor Furniture, Specialized Forms (New York, 1997), figs 1-88.
Provenance:
Pioneer Americana collection of Esther H. Ludwig (1905-2005), Shoemakersville, Berks County, PA; “An Important Berks County Collection: The Estate of Esther H. Ludwig,” Freeman’s, Philadelphia, PA, November 21, 2005, lot 1284; Philip H. Bradley Company, Downingtown, PA; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT; Collection of Jane and Gerald Katcher, Aspen, CO.
Published:
Advertisement for Philip H. Bradley, The Magazine Antiques, April 2006, p. 9.
Jane Katcher, “Continuing Themes and Connections,” in Jane Katcher, David A. Schorsch, and Ruth Wolfe, Eds, Expressions of Innocence and Eloquence, Selections from the Jane Katcher Collection of Americana, Volume II (Seattle, 2011), pages 340-341, 423, number 82.
Rhode Island, circa 1770
Mahogany, poplar, old or original finish, 7 ¼ x 6 x 3 ½ inches
Together with an English silver pair-cased fuse pocket circa 1820 containing a Newburyport Massachusetts repair paper. The watch is not in working order.
Please contact us for a full condition report.
Note:
The distinctive and recognizable concave shell-design on this watch hutch matches those found in the interiors of many Rhode Island-made desks and secretaries, its maker was likely one of the many apprentices who trained under cabinetmakers in both Newport and Providence.
Provenance:
Private collection, CT; David A. Schorsch, Greenwich, CT, 1983; Private collection: David A. Schorsch, New York, NY, 1991; Collection of Thomas A. Gray, Winston-Salem, NC; “The Collection of Thomas A. Gray,” Brunk Auctions on site in Winston-Salem, NC, March 29, 2010, lot 56; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT, 2011; Collection of Brian and Pam Ehrlich, Mystic, CT;“American Furniture & Decorative Arts,” November 2-3, 2019, lot 65.
Published:
Advertisement for David A. Schorsch, The Magazine Antiques, May 1983, p. 916.
Advertisement for David A. Schorsch, The Magazine Antiques, January 1986, p. 155.
Catalogue VIII: Excellence in American Design, Current Offerings from the Collection of David A. Schorsch, Inc, (New York, 1991), p. 59. Notable Acquisitions (Woodbury, CT: David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, 2011), unpaginated.
Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1760 Walnut, maple, white pine, with original brasses, 69 x 38 x 19 inches Please contact us for full condition report
This is a classic example of a flat-top Queen Anne high chest made in Salem, Massachusetts, having the signature attributes of a distinctively scalloped apron with central diamond cut-out, spurred knee returns, and elegantly shaped cabriole legs with pad feet. This particular apron design is one of the most beautiful made in colonial America and occurs on a small number of Salem high chests regarded as the best of kind.
Probably New Lebanon, NY, circa 1800-1820 Length 7 3/8 inches Excellent condition with original dry salmon with nice patina. Please contact us for full condition report.
This box is characteristic of the earliest Shaker prototype boxes made at New Lebanon, New York, decades before the mechanized production of boxes in uniform shapes and sizes.
Attributes of these early boxes are: A less narrow oval shape Fingers of a slightly blunted form with pronounced chamfering Box sides made of ash of a slightly greater thickness than later machine milled boxes The use of tiny irons tacks Likely made without a mold or patterns, as evidenced by the compass marks under the lid.
Federal Painted Tall-Case Clock
Concord, New Hampshire, circa 1810
Birch, white pine, brass works, painted iron face, original brass finials, with original red paint, 92 x 20 x 9 ½ inches
Saddle board stamped twice: “T.CHANDLER.”
Please contact us for full condition report
With its rare original paint and handsome form, this is the finest known examples of a red-painted country Federal tall clock with original works by Major Timothy Chandler, one of the most celebrated New Hampshire clockmakers. It was formerly in the collection of Charles S. Parsons, Jr., a noted scholar of New Hampshire decorative arts, best known for the book The Dunlaps & Their Furniture. In 1976 Parsons described this clock as: “Figure 17… in its original red paint. Although it does not carry quarter columns in the waist, the size of the door adds an attractive appearance of pleasing proportions. The details of construction also indicate an experienced cabinetmaker who added a scrolled skirt and delicate fretwork.”
Provenance:
Collection of Charles S. Parsons, Jr.
Published:
Charles S. Parsons, Jr. New Hampshire Clocks & Clockmakers (Exeter, NH, 1976), pp. 22-23.
New England, circa 1830
Hollow-cut watercolor on paper, 4 ½ x 3 ¾ inches, original basswood floral paint decorated frame with original glass and backboard.
Please contact us for full condition report.
The young gentleman in profile, with hollow-cut face, shirt and collar; the hair, shirt, and two-tone colored coat picked out in watercolor. The silhouette retaining its remarkable original paint decorated flat frame, with quarter round interior corners, and decorated with flowers and leaves, a stylized sun, pinwheels, and a basket of flowers in vibrant shades of red and green on a yellow background. The frame is carved from the solid with no joinery employed. In a superb state of preservation, in untouched condition, with original glass and backboard secured by original tiny wooden pins. This is a gem of the very finest quality.
Provenance:
Collection of Carolyn and Tom Porter, Delaware, OH.
Possibly Midwestern, circa 1870
Maple, brass nails, glass bead eyes, original painted decoration, 6 x 4 ½ x 2 ¼ inches
In a fine state of preservation with patina, wear and usage appropriate to age.
Please contact us for a full condition report.
This charming and sculptural pipe bowl is uniquely shaped and retains its original painted decoration. The pipe bowl is in the form of a wide-eyed gentleman in a feathered bicorn hat and smoking a cigar while striking an acrobatic pose. The figure’s hinged lower legs and hat lift to reveal the pipe bowl. The face is remarkably detailed with large eyes, mustache, and extended mutton chop side burns. The distinctive shape of this cocked hat is similar to those worn by the American navy during the 1820s and 1830s.
Provenance:
Hill Gallery, Birmingham, MI; Fred Giampietro, New Haven, CT; Collection of Stephen and Petra Levin, Stow, VT.
Red haired little girl in a white dress Possibly Portland, Maine, dated 1832 Oil on artist board, 22 x 19 inches Inscribed in ink on verso: “W.M. Prior / 1832.” Cleaned and re-varnished, in a reproduction veneered frame. Please contact us for a full condition report.
This portrait of a red-haired little girl in a white dress wearing a coral necklace with heart-shaped pendant is signed and dated by William Matthew Prior (1806-1873), one of the most prominent and influential American folk painters of the nineteenth century. Beginning early in his career Prior cleverly adapted his portrait painting style to respond to the taste and budget of his clientele, that ranged from simple and inexpensive “flat” likenesses to highly polished “shaded” portraits in a nearly academic mode. The dramatic clouds in the background of this portrait anticipate the skies of landscapes that Prior painted in his later years
Provenance: Collection of Marjorie Wyman, St. Louis, MO; Private collection.
Probably Massachusetts, circa 1830
Sycamore and white pine, iron tacks and wooden pins, original painted decoration,1 ¾ x 5 x 4 inches, in a fine state of preservation, with minor in-paint to small areas of loss.
Please contact us for a full condition report.
With exceptionally fine floral, vine and striped decoration in shades of red and blue on a mustard yellow ground, this fine New England pantry box is elevated to the highest level of American folk decoration. It clearly evidences the hand of an accomplished ornamental painter. It is one of the very best examples of its type known to us.
Western Massachusetts, dated July 4, 1831
Watercolor and ink on maple with original resin-based finish, replaced bone escutcheon, 3 1/2 x 11 x 7 3/8 inches
Inscribed in ink with verse, “White” and “Green” and “July 4, 1831.” With a later ink inscription on underside: “Mrs. Belle B. Gibbs.”
In a fine state of preservation with original painted decoration.
Please contact us for a full condition report.
Executed in transparent watercolor and ink on a dovetailed maple box with original resin based finish having a warm golden brown patina. This box is remarkable for the clarity and vibrancy of its well preserved landscape decoration painted from life and print sources. The scenes of local New England landscapes include: mountains, red-roofed Federal houses, outbuildings, fences, gardens, and row boat. The vignettes taken from print sources depict pastoral scenes with stone thatched roof cottages, fences, trees, and a castle ruin. The front of the box with a diamond-shaped bone escutcheon and steel lock, is flanked by a poetic verse in tiny block lettering above the names of the artists “White” and Green” and the date “July 4, 1831” in ornamental calligraphic lettering. The underside of the lid is inscribed in script: “This work is trifling, yet my friend, Perhaps to you ’twill sometimes End / A memory of those days that’s past, When joy, and pleasure fleeted past.” It has been suggested that this box may honor President James Monroe who died on July 4 1831. Monroe was popular in his day, overwhelmingly elected president in 1816 and 1820, during a period of increased nationalism after the War of 1812 known as the “Era of Good Feelings” between 1815 and 1825.
Charles F. Montgomery observed that “A little before 1800, ornamental painting became a part of the curriculum in girls’ schools in the United States; and as early as 1812 this was extended to include the painting of tables and work boxes. In Reminiscences of a Nonagenarian, the author writing of Newburyport, comments that in 1812 “Miss Mary Ann Colman was a good teacher of water color painting; the fruit and flower pieces executed at her school were natural and well done. She also taught painting on wood; several work boxes and work-stands, painted under her instruction, are still to be seen in the residences of some of our older citizens.” (American Furniture, The Federal Period…, p. 462.) Dean A. Fales, Jr., noted that “fond parents often obtained from cabinetmakers boxes or tables on which their daughters could demonstrate their newly acquired proficiencies.” (American Painted Furniture…, p. 177). For references to this genre see Charles F. Montgomery, American Furniture, The Federal Period in the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum (New York, 1969), figs 478-481; Dean A. Fales, Jr., American Painted Furniture 1660-1880 (New York, 1972), figs 284-286, 290-293; C. Kurt Dewhurst, Betty MacDowell and Marsha MacDowell, Artists in Aprons, Folk Art by American Women, (New York, 1979), figs 58-59; Nina Fletcher Little, Neat and Tidy: Boxes and Their Contents Used in Early American Households (New York, 1980), fig 70 and pl. 20; Cynthia V. A. Schaffner and Susan Klein, American Painted Furniture (New York, 1997), figs 1.37-1.43, and Stacy C. Hollander, Ed., American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum (New York, 2001), figs 248 and 250.
Provenance:
Owned by Isabella B. Gibbs (1826-1902), a music teacher from Russell, Massachusetts, a town near Springfield; Nathan Liverant & Son, Colchester, CT.
Probably Pennsylvania, circa 1880-1900
Softwood, wire legs, original painted decoration, on a modern museum base, 6 x 14 x 2 inches
In a fine state of original preservation
This boldly carved and oversized bird carving has a dynamic and unusual form with unusually long tail feathers, and vibrant original painted decoration in a superb state of preservation. It belongs to a well established tradition of painted bird painted bird carvings made in southern eastern Pennsylvania during the last decades of the nineteenth century, see Richard S. and Rosemarie B. Machmer in Just For Nice, Carving and Whittling Magic of Southeastern Pennsylvania (Reading, Pennsylvania: Berks County Historical Society, 1991).
Vermont, circa 1780-1820
White pine, original grain painted, original iron cotter pin hinges andiron lock and key, 23 ½ x 39 ¾ x 17 ½ inches
In a fine state of preservation; minor overall wear and usage appropriate to age.
Please contact us for a full condition report.
This is a classic example of an early New England “six board” blanket chest with scalloped boot-jack ends and original iron cotter pin hinges indicative of late eighteenth century manufacture, likely decorated in the early 19th century with boldly painted black brushwork decoration on an unusual moss-green background.
Provenance:
By descent in the Compton family of Vermont; David A. Schorsch, New York, 1992; Private collection.
Published:
David A. Schorsch, A Sampler of Recent Acquisitions II (New York, 1992), unpaginated.
Wisconsin, circa 1880
White pine, iron wire legs, with original paint, height 5 ½ inches
In a remarkable state of preservation
Please contact us for full condition report
This rooster shares common authorship with a small group of bird sculptures from rural Wisconsin circa 1880. Oral tradition maintains that the maker was a deaf-mute farm worker. This rooster was discovered in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, stored for over a century sealed in a glass display cabinet. As a result it survives in the most exceptional and pristine state of preservation with vibrant colors beautifully retained.
Provenance:
By family descent, Black River Falls, WI; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, 1999; Private collection.
Southern United States, circa 1880-1900
Maple, original painted decoration, brass ferule
Length 37 inches
Please contact us for full condition report
We consider this to be the finest Southern alligator cane known. While most folk art canes are carved in a shallow-relief, this example features a large and wonderfully stylized and sculpted full-length alligator, fully three dimensionally carved, with bold profile, textured skin, glass eyes, and open mouth with fine metal teeth. It has survived in outstanding condition, the original painted decoration having a dry surface and nice wear to the ball-shaped handle. For examples of the more typical style of alligator cane see George H. Meyer, American Folk Art Canes, Personal Sculpture (Bloomfield Hills, MI, 1992), pp. 38-41.
Child holding a peach
New England, circa 1845
Oil on canvas, 30 x 25 inches, with original gilt frame
Cleaned and lined, one repaired tear, with minor scattered in-painting to small areas of loss.
Please contact us for full condition report.
This portrait is an important discovery among the small known group of full-length child portraits by George Gassner. For biographical information on Gassner see David A. Schorsch, “The Myth of G. Gustemer and the Recognition of George Gassner,” Antiques & Fine Art, Anniversary issue 2015.
Provenance:
Robert L. Foster Auction Co., Newcastle, ME; September 3-4, 2016;
New England private collection
DR. SAMUEL A. SHUTE (1803-1836)
Isaac Orr and Mary Johnson Orr
Corinth, Vermont, circa 1834
DR. SAMUEL A. SHUTE (1803-1836)
Isaac Orr and Mary Johnson Orr Corinth, Vermont, circa 1834 Each, watercolor and pencil on paper, 27 x 23 inches, mounted to museum standards in reproduction veneered frames Please contact us for a full condition report. This pair of portraits depicting Isaac Orr (1804-1873) and his wife, Mary Johnson Orr (1808-1870) of Corinth, Vermont rank among the most powerful and highly stylized known examples by Dr. Samuel A. Shute. Painted two years before his untimely death at age 33, these extraordinary portraits are notably flamboyant and freely painted in a style unique to Samuel Shute. They were part of a commission that also included a smaller watercolor portrait of their daughter, Atlantis Orr (1831-1860), 17 x 14 inches, inscribed on back: “April, 1834, Atlantis Orr 2 years 7 months” now in a private collection, illustrated in A Sampler of Recent Acquisitions II (David A. Schorsch, New York, 1992). Watercolor portraits by Samuel A. Shute are rare when compared to the body of work done together with or individually painted by his wife, Ruth W. Shute (1803-1882). An unusual and distinguishing characteristic of Samuel Shute’s most highly stylized portraits are stark white-painted faces exemplified in the portrait of Mary Johnson Orr and “Woman with two canaries” in Jean Lipman and Tom Armstrong, Eds., American Folk Painters of Three Centuries (New York, 1980), p. 165. Additional watercolor portraits by Samuel A. Shute include “Dr. and Mrs. Charles Chandler” of 1829 in Lipman and Armstrong, p. 167; “Gentleman wearing a striped waistcoat and Woman wearing a bonnet with pink ribbons” in Stacy C. Hollander, Ed., American Radiance, The Ralph Esmerian gift to The American Folk Art Museum, p. 54, plate 25a-b, and “Lady with a colored belt” in Marna Anderson, A Loving Likeness, American Folk Portraits of The Nineteenth Century (Princeton, NJ, 1992), p. 38. Provenance: Found in St. Johnsbury, VT; Collection of Stephen Corrigan and Douglas Jackman, Rockingham, VT; Walters-Benisek, Northampton, MA; Private collection; Stephen Score, Boston, MA; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT; Private collection.Diminutive country Chippendale chest of drawers
Rhode Island or Massachusetts, circa 1780
Diminutive country Chippendale chest of drawers
Rhode Island or Massachusetts, circa 1780
Maple, chestnut, white pine, with original hardware, 25 ½ x 30 x 14 ¾ inches
Please contact us for full condition report
This is a finely miniaturized version of a classic New England tall chest, with split top drawers and bracket feet, and mellow color. The use of wooden-spring “Quaker” drawer locks and chestnut drawer linings are indicative of early case furniture made in Rhode Island and parts of southeastern Massachusetts. The original pierced Chippendale brasses of a rare design add an element of sophistication to this beautifully proportioned little gem.
Gray and white cat with mouse
Probably Massachusetts, circa 1840-1860
Gray and white cat with mouse
Probably Massachusetts, circa 1840-1860
Opaque watercolor on paper, need size, 12 5/8 x 17 5/8 inches
Cleaned and de-acidified, repair to vertical crease along right side from being previously folded; mounted to museum standards in a period frame.
Please contact us for a full condition report.
Provenance:
Found in Sunderland, MA; Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Hammitt, Woodbury, CT; Private collection; Thomas R. Longacre, Marlborough, NH; Frank and Barbara Pollack, Highland Park, IL; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT, 2007; Private collection, 2007-2020.
Exhibited:
“American Folk Art from Connecticut Collections,” Newtown Historical Society, Newtown, CT, 1974.
“The Cat in American Folk Art,” The Museum of American Folk Art, New York, 1976.
Published:
Bruce Johnson, American Cat-alogue (New York, 1976), no. 28.
Paint-decorated windsor double settee
Probably Maryland or Virginia, circa 1800-1815
Paint-decorated windsor double settee
Probably Maryland or Virginia, circa 1800-1815
Poplar, hickory and maple, original painted decoration, in a remarkable state of preservation, 36 x 40 x 14 inches
Please contact us for full condition report
A settee of nearly identical form and scale but in refinished condition is in the collection of Winterthur Museum, illustrated
in Nancy Goyne Evans, American Windsor Furniture, Specialized Forms (New York, 1997), figs 1-88.
Provenance:
Pioneer Americana collection of Esther H. Ludwig (1905-2005), Shoemakersville, Berks County, PA; “An Important Berks County Collection: The Estate of Esther H. Ludwig,” Freeman’s, Philadelphia, PA, November 21, 2005, lot 1284; Philip H. Bradley Company, Downingtown, PA; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT; Collection of Jane and Gerald Katcher, Aspen, CO.
Published:
Advertisement for Philip H. Bradley, The Magazine Antiques, April 2006, p. 9.
Jane Katcher, “Continuing Themes and Connections,” in Jane Katcher, David A. Schorsch, and Ruth Wolfe, Eds, Expressions of Innocence and Eloquence, Selections from the Jane Katcher Collection of Americana, Volume II (Seattle, 2011), pages 340-341, 423, number 82.
Chippendale shell-carved watch hutch
Rhode Island, circa 1770
Chippendale shell-carved watch hutch
Rhode Island, circa 1770
Mahogany, poplar, old or original finish, 7 ¼ x 6 x 3 ½ inches
Together with an English silver pair-cased fuse pocket circa 1820 containing a Newburyport Massachusetts repair paper. The watch is not in working order.
Please contact us for a full condition report.
Note:
The distinctive and recognizable concave shell-design on this watch hutch matches those found in the interiors of many Rhode Island-made desks and secretaries, its maker was likely one of the many apprentices who trained under cabinetmakers in both Newport and Providence.
Provenance:
Private collection, CT; David A. Schorsch, Greenwich, CT, 1983; Private collection: David A. Schorsch, New York, NY, 1991; Collection of Thomas A. Gray, Winston-Salem, NC; “The Collection of Thomas A. Gray,” Brunk Auctions on site in Winston-Salem, NC, March 29, 2010, lot 56; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT, 2011; Collection of Brian and Pam Ehrlich, Mystic, CT;“American Furniture & Decorative Arts,” November 2-3, 2019, lot 65.
Published:
Advertisement for David A. Schorsch, The Magazine Antiques, May 1983, p. 916.
Advertisement for David A. Schorsch, The Magazine Antiques, January 1986, p. 155.
Catalogue VIII: Excellence in American Design, Current Offerings from the Collection of David A. Schorsch, Inc, (New York, 1991), p. 59.
Notable Acquisitions (Woodbury, CT: David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, 2011), unpaginated.
Queen Anne flat-top high chest
Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1760
Queen Anne flat-top high chest
Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1760
Walnut, maple, white pine, with original brasses, 69 x 38 x 19 inches
Please contact us for full condition report
This is a classic example of a flat-top Queen Anne high chest made in Salem, Massachusetts, having the signature attributes of a distinctively scalloped apron with central diamond cut-out, spurred knee returns, and elegantly shaped cabriole legs with pad feet. This particular apron design is one of the most beautiful made in colonial America and occurs on a small number of Salem high chests regarded as the best of kind.
Shaker painted oval box
Probably New Lebanon, NY, circa 1800-1820
Shaker painted oval box
Probably New Lebanon, NY, circa 1800-1820
Length 7 3/8 inches
Excellent condition with original dry salmon with nice patina.
Please contact us for full condition report.
This box is characteristic of the earliest Shaker prototype boxes made at New Lebanon, New York, decades before the mechanized production of boxes in uniform shapes and sizes.
Attributes of these early boxes are:
A less narrow oval shape Fingers of a slightly blunted form with pronounced chamfering
Box sides made of ash of a slightly greater thickness than later machine milled boxes
The use of tiny irons tacks
Likely made without a mold or patterns, as evidenced by the compass marks under the lid.
MAJOR TIMOTHY CHANDLER (1762-1848)
Federal Painted Tall-Case Clock
Concord, New Hampshire, circa 1810
MAJOR TIMOTHY CHANDLER (1762-1848)
Federal Painted Tall-Case Clock
Concord, New Hampshire, circa 1810
Birch, white pine, brass works, painted iron face, original brass finials, with original red paint, 92 x 20 x 9 ½ inches
Saddle board stamped twice: “T.CHANDLER.”
Please contact us for full condition report
With its rare original paint and handsome form, this is the finest known examples of a red-painted country Federal tall clock with original works by Major Timothy Chandler, one of the most celebrated New Hampshire clockmakers. It was formerly in the collection of Charles S. Parsons, Jr., a noted scholar of New Hampshire decorative arts, best known for the book The Dunlaps & Their Furniture. In 1976 Parsons described this clock as: “Figure 17… in its original red paint. Although it does not carry quarter columns in the waist, the size of the door adds an attractive appearance of pleasing proportions. The details of construction also indicate an experienced cabinetmaker who added a scrolled skirt and delicate fretwork.”
Provenance:
Collection of Charles S. Parsons, Jr.
Published:
Charles S. Parsons, Jr. New Hampshire Clocks & Clockmakers (Exeter, NH, 1976), pp. 22-23.
Miniature silhouette of a young gentlemen
New England, circa 1830
Miniature silhouette of a young gentlemen
New England, circa 1830
Hollow-cut watercolor on paper, 4 ½ x 3 ¾ inches, original basswood floral paint decorated frame with original glass and backboard.
Please contact us for full condition report.
The young gentleman in profile, with hollow-cut face, shirt and collar; the hair, shirt, and two-tone colored coat picked out in watercolor. The silhouette retaining its remarkable original paint decorated flat frame, with quarter round interior corners, and decorated with flowers and leaves, a stylized sun, pinwheels, and a basket of flowers in vibrant shades of red and green on a yellow background. The frame is carved from the solid with no joinery employed. In a superb state of preservation, in untouched condition, with original glass and backboard secured by original tiny wooden pins. This is a gem of the very finest quality.
Provenance:
Collection of Carolyn and Tom Porter, Delaware, OH.
Figural Pipe Bowl
Possibly Midwestern, circa 1870
Figural Pipe Bowl
Possibly Midwestern, circa 1870
Maple, brass nails, glass bead eyes, original painted decoration, 6 x 4 ½ x 2 ¼ inches
In a fine state of preservation with patina, wear and usage appropriate to age.
Please contact us for a full condition report.
This charming and sculptural pipe bowl is uniquely shaped and retains its original painted decoration. The pipe bowl is in the form of a wide-eyed gentleman in a feathered bicorn hat and smoking a cigar while striking an acrobatic pose. The figure’s hinged lower legs and hat lift to reveal the pipe bowl. The face is remarkably detailed with large eyes, mustache, and extended mutton chop side burns. The distinctive shape of this cocked hat is similar to those worn by the American navy during the 1820s and 1830s.
Provenance:
Hill Gallery, Birmingham, MI; Fred Giampietro, New Haven, CT; Collection of Stephen and Petra Levin, Stow, VT.
WILLIAM MATTHEW PRIOR (1806-1873)
Red haired little girl in a white dress
Possibly Portland, Maine, dated 1832
WILLIAM MATTHEW PRIOR (1806-1873)
Red haired little girl in a white dress
Possibly Portland, Maine, dated 1832
Oil on artist board, 22 x 19 inches
Inscribed in ink on verso: “W.M. Prior / 1832.”
Cleaned and re-varnished, in a reproduction veneered frame.
Please contact us for a full condition report.
This portrait of a red-haired little girl in a white dress wearing a coral necklace with heart-shaped pendant is signed and dated by William Matthew Prior (1806-1873), one of the most prominent and influential American folk painters of the nineteenth century. Beginning early in his career Prior cleverly adapted his portrait painting style to respond to the taste and budget of his clientele, that ranged from simple and inexpensive “flat” likenesses to highly polished “shaded” portraits in a nearly academic mode. The dramatic clouds in the background of this portrait anticipate the skies of landscapes that Prior painted in his later years
Provenance:
Collection of Marjorie Wyman, St. Louis, MO; Private collection.
Small Paint-Decorated Oval Box
Probably Massachusetts, circa 1830
Small Paint-Decorated Oval Box
Probably Massachusetts, circa 1830
Sycamore and white pine, iron tacks and wooden pins, original painted decoration,1 ¾ x 5 x 4 inches, in a fine state of preservation, with minor in-paint to small areas of loss.
Please contact us for a full condition report.
With exceptionally fine floral, vine and striped decoration in shades of red and blue on a mustard yellow ground, this fine New England pantry box is elevated to the highest level of American folk decoration. It clearly evidences the hand of an accomplished ornamental painter. It is one of the very best examples of its type known to us.
Slide-lid box with school-girl painted decoration
Western Massachusetts, dated July 4, 1831
Slide-lid box with school-girl painted decoration
Western Massachusetts, dated July 4, 1831
Watercolor and ink on maple with original resin-based finish, replaced bone escutcheon, 3 1/2 x 11 x 7 3/8 inches
Inscribed in ink with verse, “White” and “Green” and “July 4, 1831.” With a later ink inscription on underside: “Mrs. Belle B. Gibbs.”
In a fine state of preservation with original painted decoration.
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Executed in transparent watercolor and ink on a dovetailed maple box with original resin based finish having a warm golden brown patina. This box is remarkable for the clarity and vibrancy of its well preserved landscape decoration painted from life and print sources. The scenes of local New England landscapes include: mountains, red-roofed Federal houses, outbuildings, fences, gardens, and row boat. The vignettes taken from print sources depict pastoral scenes with stone thatched roof cottages, fences, trees, and a castle ruin. The front of the box with a diamond-shaped bone escutcheon and steel lock, is flanked by a poetic verse in tiny block lettering above the names of the artists “White” and Green” and the date “July 4, 1831” in ornamental calligraphic lettering. The underside of the lid is inscribed in script: “This work is trifling, yet my friend, Perhaps to you ’twill sometimes End / A memory of those days that’s past, When joy, and pleasure fleeted past.” It has been suggested that this box may honor President James Monroe who died on July 4 1831. Monroe was popular in his day, overwhelmingly elected president in 1816 and 1820, during a period of increased nationalism after the War of 1812 known as the “Era of Good Feelings” between 1815 and 1825.
Charles F. Montgomery observed that “A little before 1800, ornamental painting became a part of the curriculum in girls’ schools in the United States; and as early as 1812 this was extended to include the painting of tables and work boxes. In Reminiscences of a Nonagenarian, the author writing of Newburyport, comments that in 1812 “Miss Mary Ann Colman was a good teacher of water color painting; the fruit and flower pieces executed at her school were natural and well done. She also taught painting on wood; several work boxes and work-stands, painted under her instruction, are still to be seen in the residences of some of our older citizens.” (American Furniture, The Federal Period…, p. 462.) Dean A. Fales, Jr., noted that “fond parents often obtained from cabinetmakers boxes or tables on which their daughters could demonstrate their newly acquired proficiencies.” (American Painted Furniture…, p. 177). For references to this genre see Charles F. Montgomery, American Furniture, The Federal Period in the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum (New York, 1969), figs 478-481; Dean A. Fales, Jr., American Painted Furniture 1660-1880 (New York, 1972), figs 284-286, 290-293; C. Kurt Dewhurst, Betty MacDowell and Marsha MacDowell, Artists in Aprons, Folk Art by American Women, (New York, 1979), figs 58-59; Nina Fletcher Little, Neat and Tidy: Boxes and Their Contents Used in Early American Households (New York, 1980), fig 70 and pl. 20; Cynthia V. A. Schaffner and Susan Klein, American Painted Furniture (New York, 1997), figs 1.37-1.43, and Stacy C. Hollander, Ed., American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum (New York, 2001), figs 248 and 250.
Provenance:
Owned by Isabella B. Gibbs (1826-1902), a music teacher from Russell, Massachusetts, a town near Springfield; Nathan Liverant & Son, Colchester, CT.
Exotic bird with long tail feathers
Probably Pennsylvania, circa 1880-1900
Exotic bird with long tail feathers
Probably Pennsylvania, circa 1880-1900
Softwood, wire legs, original painted decoration, on a modern museum base, 6 x 14 x 2 inches
In a fine state of original preservation
This boldly carved and oversized bird carving has a dynamic and unusual form with unusually long tail feathers, and vibrant original painted decoration in a superb state of preservation. It belongs to a well established tradition of painted bird painted bird carvings made in southern eastern Pennsylvania during the last decades of the nineteenth century, see Richard S. and Rosemarie B. Machmer in Just For Nice, Carving and Whittling Magic of Southeastern Pennsylvania (Reading, Pennsylvania: Berks County Historical Society, 1991).
Grain-painted lift-top chest
Vermont, circa 1780-1820
Grain-painted lift-top chest
Vermont, circa 1780-1820
White pine, original grain painted, original iron cotter pin hinges andiron lock and key, 23 ½ x 39 ¾ x 17 ½ inches
In a fine state of preservation; minor overall wear and usage appropriate to age.
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This is a classic example of an early New England “six board” blanket chest with scalloped boot-jack ends and original iron cotter pin hinges indicative of late eighteenth century manufacture, likely decorated in the early 19th century with boldly painted black brushwork decoration on an unusual moss-green background.
Provenance:
By descent in the Compton family of Vermont; David A. Schorsch, New York, 1992; Private collection.
Published:
David A. Schorsch, A Sampler of Recent Acquisitions II (New York, 1992), unpaginated.
Rooster
Wisconsin, circa 1880
Rooster
Wisconsin, circa 1880
White pine, iron wire legs, with original paint, height 5 ½ inches
In a remarkable state of preservation
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This rooster shares common authorship with a small group of bird sculptures from rural Wisconsin circa 1880. Oral tradition maintains that the maker was a deaf-mute farm worker. This rooster was discovered in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, stored for over a century sealed in a glass display cabinet. As a result it survives in the most exceptional and pristine state of preservation with vibrant colors beautifully retained.
Provenance:
By family descent, Black River Falls, WI; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, 1999; Private collection.
Alligator cane
Southern United States, circa 1880-1900
Alligator cane
Southern United States, circa 1880-1900
Maple, original painted decoration, brass ferule
Length 37 inches
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We consider this to be the finest Southern alligator cane known. While most folk art canes are carved in a shallow-relief, this example features a large and wonderfully stylized and sculpted full-length alligator, fully three dimensionally carved, with bold profile, textured skin, glass eyes, and open mouth with fine metal teeth. It has survived in outstanding condition, the original painted decoration having a dry surface and nice wear to the ball-shaped handle. For examples of the more typical style of alligator cane see George H. Meyer, American Folk Art Canes, Personal Sculpture (Bloomfield Hills, MI, 1992), pp. 38-41.
GEORGE GASSNER (1811-1861)
Child holding a peach
New England, circa 1845
GEORGE GASSNER (1811-1861)
Child holding a peach
New England, circa 1845
Oil on canvas, 30 x 25 inches, with original gilt frame
Cleaned and lined, one repaired tear, with minor scattered in-painting to small areas of loss.
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This portrait is an important discovery among the small known group of full-length child portraits by George Gassner. For biographical information on Gassner see David A. Schorsch, “The Myth of G. Gustemer and the Recognition of George Gassner,” Antiques & Fine Art, Anniversary issue 2015.
Provenance:
Robert L. Foster Auction Co., Newcastle, ME; September 3-4, 2016;
New England private collection