18th C. British Pendant Portraits - Lady & Gentleman

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Connoisseur's Delight Fine Art & Antiquities

By Artemis Gallery

Jun 27, 2024

Set Reminder 2024-06-27 11:00:00 2024-06-27 11:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Connoisseur's Delight Fine Art & Antiquities https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/connoisseurs-delight-fine-art-antiquities-16181
Classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  European, British, 18th century. A fabulous pair of 18th century British pendant portraits probably painted by a follower of Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723). Both sitters are depicted bust-length and in an oval format with matching gold-tone frames. The man dons a red coat with a cuirass beneath suggesting he is a high ranking officer of cavalry, as well as a powder white wig with long curly locks typical of the period. The woman wears a ruby red satin bodice with bejeweled fasteners over a white ruffled blouse and a blue shawl cascading over her left shoulder. She gazes at the viewer with her brown doe eyes, ruby red lips, an aquiline nose, rosy cheeks, and an alabaster complexion, all crowned by an elegant updo of brunette tresses, as well as a proper double chin, a sign that she has had plenty to eat, and thus conveys her affluence and elite status. A rare pendant pair of 18th century British portraits, most likely depicting a married couple of respectable social rank. Size (sight views): ~30.25" L x 25" W (76.8 cm x 63.5 cm) Size (frames): ~35.25" L x 31" W (89.5 cm x 78.7 cm)
  
  About Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723): Sir Godfrey Kneller was a German-born artist who trained in Amsterdam under Ferdinand Bol and Rembrandt. In 1674, he moved to London and became the most revered portrait painter in England from the late seventeenth to the early eighteenth century. Virtually everyone of esteem from the reign of Charles II to George I was painted by the Kneller studio. Kneller was the founding governor of the first academy of art in England, and his status as a court and society painter was unparalleled. Principal Painter from 1689 and named a baronet in 1715, Kneller is also the only portrait artist commemorated in Westminster Abbey.
  
  Please note: the pigments of both portraits have been tested via x-ray florescence and are consistent with the period.
  
  Provenance: private Brighton, Colorado, USA collection
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #185380

  Condition

  Both paintings present with expected age wear including scratches, abrasions, and craquelure. Some inpainting. However, the visages are still strong. On the versos of both, a layer of old canvas/linen covers the painted canvas and wooden stretchers. This protective layer has some tears/losses. The paintings themselves may have been relined at some point. Please note: the pigments of both portraits have been tested via x-ray florescence and are consistent with the period. The frames of both portraits present with expected age wear: scuffs/abrasions, cracks, and losses commensurate with age. Some areas of touch up to the frames' gold tone finish.
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