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THBRobert Scott Duncanson, Portrait of Cincinnati Instrument Maker James Foster, Jr.
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
LiveOct 21, 2017 - Oct 23, 2017
Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
View Full Catalog (332)
- Lot Description
Robert Scott Duncanson (American, 1821-1872). Oil on canvas, signed and dated 1843 on reverse of canvas. Framed; 28.75 x 24 in. (sight).
Robert S. Duncanson was born in Fayette, New York, and grew up in Monroe, Michigan. He moved to Cincinnati in 1841 with the ambition of becoming an artist, after having trained as an ornamental painter and carpenter in Michigan. He soon received portrait commissions, and extended his skills to genre, still life, and historical painting. After familiarizing himself with the works of Hudson River School artists Thomas Cole and William Sonntag, he established a reputation as a landscape painter and received the attention of Nicholas Longworth, a well-known Cincinnati art patron, who sponsored Duncanson's trip to Europe in 1853-1854, making him the first African American artist to undertake the Grand Tour. Back in Cincinnati, during the late 1850s, he returned to portraiture, producing several portraits of local abolitionists.
This portrait, dated 1843, is an early example in Duncanson's career. James Foster, Jr. (1814-1873), was a significant figure of Cincinnati's business life in the mid-19th century. An optician, he took a keen interest in scientific progress and became a maker of scientific instruments, running a shop at 5th and Race streets after 1853. James Foster Jr.'s instruments are included in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
Literature:
Mary Sayre Haverstock, Artists in Ohio, 1787-1900, 2000. Pp. 244-245.
Cincinnati Enquirer, James Foster Jr. Obituary, May 15, 1873.
Condition
Edge-lined. Some in-painting, including small spots on the face and collar of the sitter, as well as a few areas in the background.
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Eliminate the Hassle of Third-Party Shippers: Let Cowan's Ship Directly To You!
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