Portrait of John Abbe (?-?)

Dateca. 1825-1830

MediumWatercolor and pencil on wove paper

DimensionsPrimary Support: 4 7/16 x 3 9/16in. (11.3 x 9cm) and Framed: 5 7/16 x 4 9/16in.

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1958.300.26

DescriptionA half-length portrait of a young blue-eyed man facing front, his head turned slightly towards the viewer's left. He wears black trousers, a black double-breasted coat, a white neck cloth and shirt, and a red, blue, black, and white-striped waistcoat. His black hair is brushed forward, his proper left ear visible. The composition is enclosed within an oval outlined in black, but the lower edge of the figure is cut off horizontally, a pencil inscription appearing in the resulting space.
The 9/16-inch reed-molded frame, painted black, is probably a period replacement.
Label TextThe hard-edged quality of the subject's body and the distorted shape of his head with its somewhat flattened features and ill-placed ear suggest that this unidentified artist felt more at ease with--and perhaps worked more often in--a profile rather than a full-face format.
InscribedIn pencil in script below the image is "John Abbe."
MarkingsNo watermark found.
ProvenanceJ. Stuart Halladay and Herrel George Thomas, Sheffield, Mass. Halladay died in 1951, leaving his interest in their jointly-owned collection to his partner, Thomas. Thomas died in 1957, leaving his estate to his sister, Mrs. Albert N. Petterson, who was AARFAM's vendor.