$3,525
John Quidor (American, 1801-1881) Full Length Portrait of a Lady Signed and dated "JOHN QUIDOR 1863" l. c. Oil on canvas, 27 x 23 in. (68.6 x 58.4 cm), framed. Condition: Lined, retouch, craquelure, surface grime. Provenance: Purchased from Robert Vose, Boston, Massachusetts, 1965. N.B. Regarding the work presented here, David B, Dearinger writes, "After training with John Wesley Jarvis in New York City, John Quidor began painting literary subjects, a genre for which he became best known...Portrait of a Lady, which is dated 1863, is a rare late work by Quidor: he painted few works after 1860 and the last known dated canvas by him if from 1867. Although the painting's specific subject has been lost, it is almost certainly not a portrait. Instead, its subject is undoubtedly a literary one, possibly taken from Shakespeare or some unidentified early Victorian novel, story, or play. Indeed, the elegant, rather regal dress and cape that the woman wears are probably parts of a theatrical costume and the setting appears to have the trappings of a stage...The slightly eccentric figure-style seen in Portrait of a Lady, as well as the drama and even humor implied by the subject's body language and, especially, her facial expression, are vintage Quidor. Her rather sharp features, emphasized by being in profile, is typical of the artist, as is the immediacy of his subject's slightly bemused expression: she is evidently turning quickly and appears to be reacting with some hast Read more…
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2007-09-07
