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A folk art watercolor of a cat, ca. 1795-1800 on laid paper; confidently attributed to Johann Conrad Gilbert (1734-1812). Imaginative and whimsical, and inscribed “Kitty” in pencil under the cat, this piece was probably made as a token or gift for a child, perhaps to memorialize a treasured pet. There is some creasing to the laid paper, in part due to the process of how laid paper was made in the late 18th century; some foxing. In an early painted frame. Provenance: Private Collection. Dimensions: sight 6.75” x 8.5”; frame 8.25” x 10.25”
Johann Conrad Gilbert was a fractur artist who worked primarily in Berks and Schuylkill Counties, PA. He is probably best known for his watercolor Easter Rabbit, currently in the collections of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. His works are distinguished by neat lines and deep colors, and include presentation pieces, baptismal certificates, birth certificates, and bookplates. This piece exhibits many of the same playfulness, stylistic characteristics, and motifs in Gilbert’s other pieces, particularly the Easter Rabbit.
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