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Lot Description

John Samuel Blunt (American, 1798-1835)

Pair of Portraits: John and Electa Stoddard Hale
circa 1830
oil on canvas
unsigned
each retaining partial printed labels for the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, verso
29 3/4 x 24 1/2 inches.

This lot is located in Cincinnati.

Provenance:
Ex-collection, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, Pennsylvania.

Portrait of Electa purchased from Hirschl and Adler Gallery, New York City, New York;
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Thomaston, Maine, 2017.

Exhibited:
Selections from the Permanent Collection, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, 1996.

Genealogical records confirm that Electa Stoddard Hale (1799-1876) was born in Upton, Massachusetts, and married William Hale (1795-1872) in the same town in 1819. According to state and federal census data, the Georgian-born William was a merchant by trade.

John Blunt, also called the “Borden Limner,” moved with his family to Boston, just forty miles from Upton, in the early 1830s and soon became known for his distinct and lifelike portraiture, following an exhibition of his work at the Boston Athenaeum.

Condition Report

Framed: 33 1/2 x 28 1/2 inches.

In overall fine and stable condition, with light deposits of dust and fine networks of craquelure throughout painted surface. Portrait of John with more apparent stretcher marks to perimeter, an area of exposed canvas at upper left corner, and light abrasion at center to his jacket lapel. Each canvas has been strip lined, and under UV light examination, scattered areas of minor inpainting are visible throughout background, with few additional areas to garments. John portrait with partial paper label reading "[Galle]ries / New York" affixed to stretcher.

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