Portrait of a Man

Dateca. 1845

Attributed to Sheldon Peck (1797-1868)

MediumOil on canvas, now lined with muslin and stretched over paperboard

DimensionsUnframed: 14 1/4 x 10 1/16in. (36.2 x 25.6cm) and Framed: 16 1/4 x 12 x 1in.

Credit LineGift of Juli Grainger

Object number2008.100.2

DescriptionA three-quarter-length portrait of a seated man turned one quarter towards the viewer's right. He sits in an arrow-back, black-painted, gold-decorated side chair that is partially visible behind him. He holds a large book in his lap, his hands crossed over the book and the fingers of his proper right hand stuck between the pages as if holding his place. He wears a black coat, black waistcoat, black tie, and white shirt. He has blue eyes. His dark reddish brown hair is parted in the middle and hangs straight to shoulder length. He sits slightly off center in the composition, further to the left than right. Behind him, the background is a firey orangey-red, somewhat modulated with darker tones and perhaps representing drapery (which is, however, not detailed).
The 1 7/16-inch splayed, stained frame may be original.

Label TextThe painting bears all the earmarks of Peck's mature style, including the sitter's oversized head, which typically appears in the artist's full-length portraits. In other ways, however, the likeness is unusual. Peck painted full-scale images and true miniatures, but this falls between those in terms of size. Originally, the canvas primary support was tacked straight through the front onto an auxilliary support --- another surprise and perhaps a factor of the artist's (or the client's) economizing. The firecracker red background is also atypical.

MarkingsIn the file, see the photocopy of the conservators' label that now appears on the back of the tertiary support, reflecting conservation work done in 1989 by Mayer and Myers.
ProvenanceWesty Thomas, New York, NY; Marguerite Riordan, Stonington, Conn.; sold in 1989 to Juli Grainger, CWF's donor. Riordan's bill of sale provides no provenance preceding her ownership.