223

THOMAS WARE

American, 1803-1826

Four Portraits of the Marcy Family

Joseph Marcy
1823, oil on panel
inscribed T. Ware, upper right
inscribed Joseph Marcy, aged 65, 1823 verso
27 1/4 x 21 3/4 in.

Mary Marcy
1823, oil on panel
inscribed Mary Marcys likeness, painted in 1823, aged 58 yrs. verso
27 x 22 in.

Sylvester Marcy
1823, oil on panel
inscribed Sylvester Marcy, Aged 23 years, T. Ware Sculp., June 30th, 1823 verso
27 x 22 1/2 in.

Eliza T. Marcy
1823, oil on panel
inscribed Eliza T. Marcy, Aged 17 years, Painted by T. Ware in 1823 verso
26 1/4 x 21 1/2 in.

  • Provenance: By descent within the Billings Family, Woodstock, Vermont.
  • Literature: Kern, Arthur B. and Sibyl B. "Thomas Ware: Vermont Portrait Painter." The Clarion, America's Folk Art Magazine, The Museum of American Folk Art, New York, Winter 1983/4. pp. 36-45, illus. p. 42, cat. no. 15, 16, 17, 18.
  • Notes: Thomas Ware, a Vermont native, is known for his naïve portrait painting, as demonstrated in the Four Portraits of the Marcy Family, painted in 1823. The paintings, which have descended within a Woodstock, Vermont family collection, are notable not only for the striking rendering of each figure, but also for Ware's confident signature and inscriptions on the reverse of each work. These works reflect the heyday of naïve American portrait painting that flourished from the late-eighteenth century until the 1850s.
  • Condition: Appear to be in near-original condition. Boards warped (convex), between 1/2 - 3/4 in.

    Joseph Marcy: wear at edges; surface dirt and grime with spotting particularly visible on face; some minor surface abrasions; stable craquelure in neck region (in black and red paint).

    Mary Marcy: wear at edges; surface dirt and grime; some minor surface abrasions; one area of damage to board (indentation, approx. 1/2 in. x 1/8 in.) along back of her neck, one area of paint loss (approx. 1/2 in.) along the top edge of her forehead.

    Sylvester Marcy: wear at edges; surface dirt and grime; surface abrasions throughout (primarily thin scratches); two small damages to board in background.

    Eliza Marcy: wear at edges; surface dirt and grime; stable craquelure in red/pink paint of dress and in bird; surface abrasions (scratches), primarily in background.


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