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THBImportant Portrait of Benjamin O'Fallon, Indian Agent, Attributed to Charles Bird King
About Seller
6270 Este Ave.
Cincinnati , OH 45232
United States
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About Auction
LiveMar 11, 2017 - Mar 12, 2017
Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
View Full Catalog (408)
- Lot Description
Attributed to Charles Bird King (American, 1785-1862). Oil on canvas housed in a gilt frame. A seated portrait of Benjamin O'Fallon, an important figure of the American frontier, unsigned; 29.5 x 24.5 in. (sight).
Benjamin O'Fallon (1793-1842), originally from Kentucky, was the nephew of William Clark who, along with Meriwether Lewis, led the famed Lewis and Clark exhibition. Clark quickly noticed O'Fallon's skilled diplomacy with the Sioux during a trading trip to St. Peters River, and in 1817, he appointed him as a US Indian agent to the Sioux. In 1822, O'Fallon accompanied a delegation of Indian leaders to Washington, D.C. This visit was the occasion for many of the Indian leaders to have their portrait painted by Charles Bird King, and O'Fallon allegedly arranged the sittings. It is presumed that this portrait of O'Fallon was executed at the same time.
The basis for attributing this portrait to Charles Bird King was supplied by Herman J. Viola, Curator Emeritus at the Smithsonian Institution, in 2007. In a May 22, 2002 letter written to the consignor, Herman Viola, Emeritus Curator of the Department of Anthropology, United States National Museum Smithsonian Institution, and author of "Diplomats of Buckskins" (1981), described the painting as undoubtedly in the hand of Charles Bird King, noting that "the brush strokes, the style, the flair, all say King." (Personal Communication to the consignor, May 22, 2002.)
Condition
Some wear to the frame. The painting was relined. The original canvas was glued on a newer one, and glue traces are visible throughout under UV light. There are also two spots of in-painting, one located on the forehead of the figure, the other located in the lower right corner. There is also evidence of old craquelure, stabilized thanks to the relining process.
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