January 16, 2020 The Susquehanna Collection
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/16/2020
John Smibert is regarded as one of the most important painters working in the colonies during the first half of the eighteenth century. Born in Scotland, he moved to London at the age of twenty-one to study under the acclaimed baroque artist Sir Godfrey Kneller. Shortly after arriving in the colonies, Smibert began receiving the patronage of wealthy New Englanders, who were obviously impressed with his skill and formal training. In his first year he painted twenty-six commissioned portraits. Henry W. Foote considered Smibert "the most cultivated man [in the field of art] who came to America before the middle of the eighteenth century." Like Kneller, Smibert often painted larger canvases that depicted the sitter in a domestic setting, often with a landscape visible in the background. In the English tradition, Smibert used a variety of props including identifiable period seating forms and small still life pictures. He is known to have painted several ministers, most of whom are dressed in black gowns, have ministerial bands, and are set against a somber background. Smibert's portrait of Nathaniel Henchman is skillfully delineated and attests to the painter's attention to detail. The sitter is turned to engage the viewer with his left hand holding his Bible and his right hand turning a page. The chair visible in the foreground has scrolled arms and turned supports, and appears to be the same seating form depicted in other Smibert portraits. Nathaniel Henchman graduated from Harvard College in 1717 and was a minister in Lynn, Massachusetts from 1720 until his death on December 23, 1761. His son Daniel was a silversmith in Boston. In his will, Henchman left his wife "my large picture, so long as she shall be disposed to keep it" and bequeathed to his daughter "my small picture covered with glass." The minister's estate had a value of 3,000, a considerable sum for the time. His inventory listed the "testator's large effigies, curtain and rod" valued at four pounds and "small effigies" valued at 21s. 4d. CONDITION: The painting survives in untouched condition with its original stretcher and frame. PROVENANCE: Portrait may have passed from a Henchman descendant into the Sewell family through marriage. Nellie L. (Sewell) Bennet of Burlington, Massachusetts, sold the painting to M. Knoedler & Co. of New York. Joe Kindig Collection.
This is not a standard shippable item and will require 3rd party shipping or pickup arrangements to be made.
Item Dimensions: Frame: 43" x 35 - 1/2".