Unidentified Man

DateProbably 1820-1825

Attributed to Thomas Ware (1803-1826 or 1827)

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsUnframed: 28 x 21 1/2in. (71.1 x 54.6cm) and Framed: 31 1/2 x 25 1/2in.

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Debevoise

Object number1985.100.1

DescriptionA half-length portrait of a man, his body turned slightly towards the viewer's left, his head turned somewhat more towards the viewer, his hands not shown. He has dark brown hair that is swept up on top and towards his face on the sides, with a feathery sideburn shown on the near side of his face. His eyes are dark blue. He wears a very dark blue coat having gold-colored buttons, a yellow waistcoat, and a white shirt and white neckcloth. A white, impasto-rendered stick pin appears in his shirt ruffle. The background is a striated warm brown.

The 2 1/4-inch, convex molded, grain-painted frame is original.
Label TextAlthough no biographical details regarding the subject of this striking and competently executed painting are known, the work is readily attributable to the Vermont portaitist Thomas Ware. Ware died quite young, and as a result, the more than forty paintings currently attributed to him were executed over a relatively brief time span and show little change in style. Characteristics of his technique and format illustrated here include a figure that crowds the available picture space and is sharply outlined against a dark background.

Physical similarities between the subject and that of Ware's self-portrait executed about 1823 suggest that the Folk Art Museum's picture may represent a member of the artist's family, possibly his father, Dr. Frederick Ware. The picture's grain-painted frame is original to it and possibly also the work of Ware.