Description:
Attributed to Joseph H. Davis (Maine, New Hampshire, 1811-1865)
Portrait of a Mother and Son. Unsigned. Watercolor on paper, 9 3/4 x 11 3/4 in., in a period painted molded wood frame. Condition: Repair, minor toning, cleaned.
Provenance: collection of Isabella Carleton Wilde, collection of Harpo Marx, Edith Gregor Halpert, retaining a paper label from the American Folk Art Gallery, New York, which states it was originally from New England.
Exhibitions: New York, The Downtown Gallery, Inter-American Folk Arts, December, 1942; American Folk Art, April, 1954; New York, The Downtown Gallery, Gallery Purchases, June, 1955; Houston, The Houston Mueum of Fine Art, January, 1956; New York, The Museum of American Folk Art, April, 1964.
Literature: Three New England Watercolor Painters, Gail Savage, Norbert H. Savage, Esther Sparks, (Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, 1974),catalog of known works of Joseph H. Davis, p. 64, no. 108.
Estimate $6,000-8,000
Expertly repaired tear in upper backgrounf from center to rt. side.
The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Condition requests can be obtained via email (lot inquiry button) or by telephone to the appropriate gallery location (Boston/617.350.5400 or Marlborough/508.970.3000). Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner Inc. shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.