EARLY PORTRAIT PAINTING OF GEORGE WASHINGTON CIRCA 1 (06/05/2011)...

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EARLY PORTRAIT PAINTING OF GEORGE WASHINGTON CIRCA 1790

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EARLY PORTRAIT PAINTING OF GEORGE WASHINGTON CIRCA 1790

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Sold Date: 06/05/2011
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Fraternal, Political, Organizations

About me: I have spent the past 30 years collecting fine art,antiquities and collectables from Florida to New England and as far west as Colorado. I searched flea markets,garage sales,antique shops,auction houses and private sellers. I have accumulated more than I could ever properly display.So,I have decided to let go of some of my treasures and pass them on to the next generation of collectors. I will describe each item to the best of my ability and rest assure each and every item is exactly as described .

Up for auction here is : A rare and wonderful late 18th century Portrait Painting of George Washington circa 1790, posslbly the work of Gilbert Stuart. This wonderful early portrait painting of George Washington has great provenance. The painting is oil on paper mounted on canvas. The painting was badly damaged when I first purchased it. There was a very old tear in the heavy paper the painting is painted on. The tear in the paper ran through the chest area of Washington and into the field of the painting. There was a smaller tear in Washington hair on the right side of the portrait. I had the painting mounted on canvas and restretched over the original oval wood frame. This was a very difficult restoration process being that the paper had curled up over many many years. Inpainting was kept to an absolute minimum during restoration.Washington's face was not affected by the tear or during the restoration process. What is fasinating about this painting is its provenance. Behind the wood backboard were two pieces of paper giving some of the paintings history. The first piece of paper was almost identical to the second piece of paper only it made reference to the work being very much like the work of Gilbert Stuart. I believe it read: "This appears to be the work of Gilbert Stuart". That piece of paper lies beneath the second piece of paper mounted on the wood back board. The paper reads: This painting of Washington was found in a Pre-Revolutionary War homestead on Long Island in 1888. It undountedly was painted from life-a likeness of Washington as he actualy looked-his mouth-his set of false teeth which did not fit him.The paper is signed and dated 1933. I cannot make out the signature of the person who wrote this document. The same person signed both pieces of paper. It has been over a couple years since I had the painting restored and I can't remember everything written on the second piece of paper. I would hate to remove the outer paper to reveal what is written underneath. I remember it was almost identical with the exception of the reference to Stuart and I believe the signature on the paper was a little easier to read. I took close-up photos of the date and the signature. The painting remains in its original 18th century gilt frame. I had the frame regilded since most of the original gild had long since worn away. This truly is a likeness of Washington as he actually looked. I would agree that this painting of Washington was painted from life. The painting and frame are definitely 18th century. I cannot say with 100% certainty that this is the work of Gilbert Stuart. I will say that I am almost convinced that it is by Stuart,it certainly has all the hallmarks, but I'll leave that up to the experts. The painting was not cleaned during restortion. The painting was mounted on canvas with just the necessary inpainting required for proper restoration. The painting measures 10"h x 8 1/2"w. The frame measures 12"h x 10 1/2"w. A fantastic 18th century Portrait Painting of George Washington circa 1790,possibly the work of Gilbert Stuart. It is necessary for me to place a reasonable reserve on this painting to protect my investment. Insurance is included in the shipping cost of this item. ** Please see my other auctions for more art,antiques,collectables and other items of interest.