An exceptional Jane Anthony Davis watercolor portrait on paper, c1835. Features a stylish gentleman sitting at a table in a paint decorated chair. His face is gouache; a light blue watercolor defines and shadows his features and compliments his blue eyes. The buttons and trim of his fitted waistcoat and vest are also highlighted blue. His folded hands sit on a dark blue table top. Larger in size than most of Davis’s pieces, this portrait exemplifies the classic charm and quirkiness that is Jane Davis. In excellent condition. Provenance: Private Collection; The John Gordon Collection of Folk Americana, Christies, January 1999. Housed in possibly the original period frame. Dimensions: sight 5.25” x 6.75”, frame 7 5/8” x 9.25”.
For additional examples of Davis’s work, see “A Loving Likeness; American Folk Portraits of Nineteenth Century”, pgs. 14 & 15. Also “Three New England Watercolor Painters”, pgs. 42–55.