Attributed to Ammi Phillips (American, 1788-1865), ca 1836. Oil on canvas portraits of a man and wife, the man wearing a brooch and holding a quill pen, the woman wearing a brooch, a ring and holding a diary, handwritten on the stretcher of the male portrait Asahel Hulet Godell, age 26 #1, handwritten on the female portrait stretcher Cynthia Tilsore Newell, wife of Asa Goodell; each 29.75 in. x 26.75 in. (sight). Asahel Goodell (November 22, 1810-July 23, 1900) lived in Belchertown, Massachusetts and according to his obituary was intimate friends with William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips, and Charles Sumner. Multiple census records list Cynthia Goodell as his wife, although sometimes the spelling of their name is Goodale. Phillips was working in Connecticut and Massachusetts during the late 1830s, and probably painted the portraits in late 1836 or early 1837 when Asahel was age 26 and Cynthia was around age 21. Phillips is one of the most prolific folk art painters of the 19th century, with over six hundred portraits attributed to him. He was a self-taught, itinerant portrait painter who first advertised his services in 1809. Phillips continued to travel and paint until his death in 1865, competing with the rising popularity of the daguerreotype in the last decades of his career. Art historians initially attributed Phillips works to multiple anonymous artists. It was not until folk art collectors Lawrence and Barbara Holdridge's groundbreaking research on Phillips was published in articles and eventually as the full-length publication Ammi Phillips Portrait Painter 1788-1865 (Clarkson N. Potter, 1968) that Phillips identity as the painter of these various groups was established. The Holdridges defined various periods of Phillips' oeuvre, each with their own defining characteristics. The portraits presented are from the beginning of the most productive period of Phillips’ career, the Kent period, which began in 1836. It was at this time that Phillips settled near Kent, Connecticut, with his second wife. Portraits from the Kent period are unified by their dark backgrounds, smooth brushwork, boldly contrasting paint colors, and significant attention to the details of the sitter’s costume. The women from this period are especially distinct, having long necks, triangular-shaped shoulders, and dark dresses with contrasting collars or bonnets. Mrs. Goodell’s portrait is a strong example of the period, as she possesses all of these characteristics with the exception of a collar or bonnet. Instead, her black dress has complex draping and large, distinctive sleeves. The red chair in which she is seated contrasts sharply with her costume, and is posed in such a way that she appears to be leaning forward, as is the case with many other female portraits painted by Phillips during this period. Mr. Goodell’s portrait is also finely-executed, with attention to details such as his cravat, pinned with an elegant brooch. The presented portraits are convincingly in the hand of Phillips, one of the most significant folk painters of the 19th century. Provenance: Purchased in Alabama in 1973. Sold to that consignor at auction, no date provided. Condition: Male portrait: Craquelure, hole in canvas at u.l. and l.l, paint flaking at sitter's left eye and along some of the margins of the canvas, a few areas have old repairs and in-painting. Female portrait: Craquelure, flaked paint near all corners, upper left sleeve of sitter, and a small loss on her left cheek near the lips. Each have never been relined.
Attributed to Ammi Phillips (American, 1788-1865), ca 1836. Oil on canvas portraits of a man and wife, the man wearing a brooch and holding a quill pen, the woman wearing a brooch, a ring and holding a diary, handwritten on the stretcher of the male portrait Asahel Hulet Godell, age 26 #1, handwritten on the female portrait stretcher Cynthia Tilsore Newell, wife of Asa Goodell; each 29.75 in. x 26.75 in. (sight). Asahel Goodell (November 22, 1810-July 23, 1900) lived in Belchertown, Massachusetts and according to his obituary was intimate friends with William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips, and Charles Sumner. Multiple census records list Cynthia Goodell as his wife, although sometimes the spelling of their name is Goodale. Phillips was working in Connecticut and Massachusetts during the late 1830s, and probably painted the portraits in late 1836 or early 1837 when Asahel was age 26 and Cynthia was around age 21. Phillips is one of the most prolific folk art painters of the 19th century, with over six hundred portraits attributed to him. He was a self-taught, itinerant portrait painter who first advertised his services in 1809. Phillips continued to travel and paint until his death in 1865, competing with the rising popularity of the daguerreotype in the last decades of his career. Art historians initially attributed Phillips works to multiple anonymous artists. It was not until folk art collectors Lawrence and Barbara Holdridge's groundbreaking research on Phillips was published in articles and eventually as the full-length publication Ammi Phillips Portrait Painter 1788-1865 (Clarkson N. Potter, 1968) that Phillips identity as the painter of these various groups was established. The Holdridges defined various periods of Phillips' oeuvre, each with their own defining characteristics. The portraits presented are from the beginning of the most productive period of Phillips’ career, the Kent period, which began in 1836. It was at this time that Phillips settled near Kent, Connecticut, with his second wife. Portraits from the Kent period are unified by their dark backgrounds, smooth brushwork, boldly contrasting paint colors, and significant attention to the details of the sitter’s costume. The women from this period are especially distinct, having long necks, triangular-shaped shoulders, and dark dresses with contrasting collars or bonnets. Mrs. Goodell’s portrait is a strong example of the period, as she possesses all of these characteristics with the exception of a collar or bonnet. Instead, her black dress has complex draping and large, distinctive sleeves. The red chair in which she is seated contrasts sharply with her costume, and is posed in such a way that she appears to be leaning forward, as is the case with many other female portraits painted by Phillips during this period. Mr. Goodell’s portrait is also finely-executed, with attention to details such as his cravat, pinned with an elegant brooch. The presented portraits are convincingly in the hand of Phillips, one of the most significant folk painters of the 19th century. Provenance: Purchased in Alabama in 1973. Sold to that consignor at auction, no date provided. Condition: Male portrait: Craquelure, hole in canvas at u.l. and l.l, paint flaking at sitter's left eye and along some of the margins of the canvas, a few areas have old repairs and in-painting. Female portrait: Craquelure, flaked paint near all corners, upper left sleeve of sitter, and a small loss on her left cheek near the lips. Each have never been relined.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
