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This is a fine late 18th century portrait oil painting of an aristocratic Georgian boy in red velvet coat with a very cheeky smile on his face attributed to the celebrated American portrait painter Gilbert Charles Stuart (1755-1828). The painting was sold by William Rodman, fine art dealers of Belfast circa 1850, thence in the private collection of the art dealer Lucy Failey during the 20th century, with Sotheby’s in 1993, auction labels to the stretcher verso.
As with all of the original antique oil paintings we sell it is offered in the very finest condition it can be for its age having been newly professionally cleaned and re-varnished.
Gilbert Stuart is widely considered one of America’s foremost portraitists. Stuart’s most famous work is his portrait of George Washington that has appeared on the United States one-dollar bill for more than a century. Gilbert Stuart produced portraits of more than 1,000 people, including the first six US Presidents.
In 1775 Stuart left the US for Great Britain and lived and worked in London under the tutelage of Benjamin West (1738-1820), and within two years was exhibiting his own work at the Royal Academy. Between 1787 and 1793 he lived and worked Dublin, Ireland before returning to America.
Today, his work can be found in the collections of important galleries and museums throughout the United States and the United Kingdom; most notably the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Dimensions: (framed) 47cm x 41cm (18½” x 16”)
Dimensions: (painting only) 31cm x 27cm (12¼” x 10¾”)
Medium: Oil on mahogany panel.
Provenance: Circa 1850; with William Rodman, art dealers of Belfast, Northern Ireland. 1950’s; in the private collection Lucy Fairley, former Director of the Lucy Milton Gallery in London. 1993; with Sotheby’s.
Presentation: Original giltwood swept frame.
Condition: Excellent. Professionally cleaned and re-varnished. Ready to hang.