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THBPortrait of American Patriot Joseph Reed, Attributed to Charles Wilson Peale
About Seller
6270 Este Ave.
Cincinnati , OH 45232
United States
With offices in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Denver, Cowan’s holds over 40 auctions each year, with annual sales exceeding $16M. We reach buyers around the globe, and take pride in our reputation for integrity, customer service and great results. A full-service house, Cowan’s Auctions specializes in Am...Read more
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About Auction
LiveDec 10, 2016 - Dec 11, 2016
Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
View Full Catalog (503)
- Lot Description
By tradition, attributed to Charles Wilson Peale (American, 1741-1827). Oil on canvas, framed. A portrait of the patriot Joseph Reed (1741-1785), unsigned; 29 x 24 in. (sight).
Joseph Reed (1741-1785) is one of the more dynamic, and lesser known, figures of the American Revolution and early forming of the United States government. Beginning his professional life as a successful lawyer in Philadelphia, Reed was enticed into joining the Continental Army by his good friend George Washington, a move that would lead to an influential political career. Reed served as Washington's aide-de-camp and adjutant-general from 1775-1776, and acted as an army volunteer until the end of the war. After being elected to the Continental Congress in 1778, Reed signed the Articles of Confederation as a representative of Pennsylvania. From late 1778-1781, Reed served as President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, essentially governor, during which time he passed a law abolishing slavery in that state.
A well-known portrait of Reed by John Sartain (1808-1897) was engraved after the painting offered here.
Family history attributes this portrait to Peale, though the hand of the master is clearly not visible in its present state. A blacklight examination of the painting reveals it to have been heavily restored, with only the eyes, nose, and parts of the lower jaw apparently original. The remaining surface of the canvas has been almost completely painted over, and whether Peale's hand lies beneath can only be determined with an x-ray.
While the painting has been relined, the stretcher retains an old Metropolitan Museum of Art Loan number indicating that Bertha King Benkard placed the work on loan between 1935-1940 where it was exhibited in Gallery M4 of the American Wing. Correspondence from H. E. Winlock to Benkard, November 26, 1935, Offer for Loan, November 15, 1935, and Receipt for the Return, October 11, 1940, Benkard, Mrs. Harry H. (Bertha King), 1928-1948, Office of the Secretary Records, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives, New York).
An undated (1960s?) photograph of the sitting room of Benkard's home in Oyster Bay, New York, shows the painting in its present condition hanging over the mantel.
Provenance: Property from the Descendants of Bertha Benkard Rose, Oyster Bay, NY and Tucson, AZUnder black light, the painting reveals that it has been heavily restored and relined. Traces of the orignal artist's hand are visible in the eyes, nose, and part of the face. All other areas of the canvas have been overpainted. Peale's original painting may lie beneath the restored surface.Condition
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