Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier Marquis de Lafayette
maker
Scheffer, Ary
ID Number
DL.388139
catalog number
388139
accession number
182022
Description
Full length oil of Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, the Marquis de Lafayette painted in 1818-1819 when he was 61 years old and had recently been elected to the Chamber of Deputie. The original portrait was created in Paris by emigrant artist Ary Scheffer (1795-1858) and exhibited at the 1819 Paris Salon. The marquis is clothed in simple, civilian, republican dress to reflect his political principles. He is wearing a long, brown, high collar outer coat with M-notched lapels is worn over a black buttoned coat, standing collar waistcoat, trousers and shoes; white collar with white knotted stock. The marquis is positioned in the center, standing three-quarters to the left in a hilly landscape with his left foot in front of his right, holding a hat and walking stick in his right hand as he looks to the left. The sky appears to be dark with a hint of sunset but the painting needs to be cleaned so the sky may not actually be dark under the old varnish. The original frame is gold gilt on pine.
In 1822–23 Scheffer made two replicas, one for the marquis, and one to be presented to the American Congress, while Scheffer who was friendly with the marquis, retained the 1819 original. The American copy was shipped aboard the ship Cadmus in October 1824 and went on tour with the marquis, who had arrived August 1824 in America by invitation of James Monroe. The tour lasted until 1825 when the congressional copy of the portrait was hung in the House of Representatives. Numerous copies were made by a variety of artists both in America and abroad, not only of the full length version but also as a bust length copy. It was a testament to Lafayette's popularity.
This painting is one of the copies made during the period. It is attributed to William Russell Birch. Birch was known to have created miniature bust versions of this portrait of enamel on copper for Lafayette's fiftieth anniversary tours commemoratives. He added the American flag in the background on these small souvenirs like the enamel at Yale University.
William Russell Birch (1755-1834) was a miniature painter, landscape artist, a talented engraver, and designer. He was trained by jeweler Thomas Jeffrey and Sir Joshua Reynolds. He emigrated to Philadelphia in 1794 and was noted for his copies of Stuart portraits of Washington. He was also the father of Marine painter Thomas Birch.
Ary Scheffer (1765-1809) was a member of a very artistic family. He was the son of portrait painter Johan Bernard Scheffer, a German born emigre to the Netherlands. His mother was Cornelia Lamme,a portrait miniaturist. His daughter Cornelia Scheffer was an artist and sculptor. His maternal grandfather was Arie Lamme, a Dutch landscape painter, and Ary's brother Hendrik also was an artist of note. His other brother was a journalist and politically active which is how the brothers befriended Lafayette. Scheffer began exhibiting at the Salon de Paris in 1812 and by 1846 he was an associate member of the Royal Institute of the Netherlands. He became a French citizen in November 1850 and died in 1858.
Dinner knife, one of a set of six (1986.0531.03-.08) that match a set of six dinner forks (1986.0531.09-.14).
Straight tinned steel blade with rounded tip. Blade, bolster, and tang are one piece. Bone scales are riveted to the top and bottom of the tang with brass pins to form a tapered block handle with chamfered edges and corners and a blunt butt. Central brass pin on one side is larger than the other two. Metal is discolored, scratched and has some rust spots. Much of the tin is worn off. Bone is yellowed and crazed, cracked and chipped around edges and pulling away from the tang.
Blade is stamped: “L . BOOTH/SHEFFIELD”; partially worn off.
Maker is possibly L[uke] Booth, active in Sheffield, England in the early 19th century until his death in 1855.
Spun bulbous or bellied cann or mug inscribed on front "WAC / to / RD" in engraved foliate script. Molded rim, rounded bottom, and molded, circular foot. Hollow, double C-scroll handle has flat sides and creased face; sprigged upper terminal is attached to rim and lower terminal is an abbreviated split scroll. Bottom underside struck with two marks next to centerpoint, a combined mark of "G / & / H" in a vertical oval above a circle and "1 / 4 9 / 8" in a diamond or lozenge below and "G & H" in a rectangle, all in raised serif letters.
Maker is Gale & Hayden (William Gale Sr. and Nathaniel Hayden) of New York, NY; in partnership, 1846-1850.
Patent model (U.S. Patent No. 3,640) of a cooking stove made by Henry W. Camp of Owego, NY and patented on June 24, 1844; finish resembles wood. Features two ovens, one along bottom and the other above it at one side; top plate of stove has four circular holes for cooking vessels, two above the upper oven and two above the firebox. Missing second firebox with grate that slides under hearth at one end. Several oven doors and all four legs gone. Engraved with the inventor's name and location at end with oval smoke pipe hole. Darkened paper tag with purple wove ribbon is printed and handwritten with patent information and object numbers.
Rectangular waffle iron, plier form; both plates feature a grid of squares with raised, six-petaled rosettes. Two, long, tapered handles have rectangular shafts and ball-and-acorn terminals; the tip of one is hammered into a hook holding a shaped locking ring that fits over the other handle to secure closed. Both handles have circular pads double-riveted to plates. Possible partial, illegible mark on exterior of one plate.
Patent model (U.S. Patent No. 2,235) of a horizontal cylindrical, elevated or stepped-back oven for attaching to a cooking or heating stove; made by Samuel B. Spaulding of Brandon, VT, and patented on August 28, 1841. Painted black; folded seams. Features two flues: one surrounding the oven is fed by two circular openings in its underside and has a sliding damper at one end; and the other, for when the oven is not in use, wraps around the front half of the oven and has a pivoting damper at its front center. No marks on object, but paper tags tied on with red wove ribbon and stored separately are printed and handwritten with patent information and object numbers.
High-shouldered, turnip-shaped pitcher on a flared and ogee-domed, circular pedestal base, engraved "H" in flecked script to right of center on front of its conical body. Incurved neck flares to a reverse-cyma rim with wide V-shaped pouring lip. Beading applied at rim, base of neck, top of pedestal, and bottom of foot; fine diagonal serrations around bottom edge of pedestal. Hollow S-curve handle has raised beads near upper and lower terminals. Underside of rounded bottom struck with pseudo hallmarks of a spreadwing eagle and left-facing sovereign's head in profile, both in circles, flanking the centerpunch, and with "VEAL & GLAZE" in raised serif letters in a serrated rectangle overstruck on a smaller rectangular mark above and below.
Dinner knife, one of a set of six (1986.0531.03-.08) that match a set of six dinner forks (1986.0531.09-.14).
Straight tinned steel blade with rounded tip. Blade, bolster, and tang are one piece. Bone scales are riveted to the top and bottom of the tang with brass pins to form a tapered block handle with chamfered edges and corners and a blunt butt. Central brass pin on one side is larger than the other two. Metal is discolored, scratched and has some rust spots. Much of the tin is worn off. Bone is yellowed and crazed, cracked and chipped around edges and pulling away from the tang.
Blade is stamped: “L . BOOTH/SHEFFIELD”; partially worn off.
Maker is possibly L[uke] Booth, active in Sheffield, England in the early 19th century until his death in 1855.
Two-handled, inverted pear-shaped, serpentine-paneled sugar bowl engraved "AMC" in conjoined foliate script on a stepped pedestal base with circular foot. Stepped and domed cover is topped by a cast urn filled with flowers and a plumed scroll, and fits inside the everted, reverse cyma-edged rim above incurved neck. Applied beading at base of neck, top of pedestal, and circular foot. Spurred, faceted, S-curve handles have raised rings next to scrolled terminals. Underside of rounded bottom struck with maker's mark between two pseudo-hallmarks. Centerpunch visible. Part of a three-piece service, 1988.0252.1-.3.
Maker is Gale, Wood & Hughes (William Gale Sr., Jacob Wood, and Jasper Hughes) of New York, NY; in partnership, 1833-1845.
Dinner knife, one of a set of six (1986.0531.03-.08) that match a set of six dinner forks (1986.0531.09-.14).
Straight tinned steel blade with rounded tip. Blade, bolster, and tang are one piece. Bone scales are riveted to the top and bottom of the tang with brass pins to form a tapered block handle with chamfered edges and corners and a blunt butt. Central brass pin on one side is larger than the other two. Metal is discolored, scratched and has some rust spots. Much of the tin is worn off. Bone is yellowed and crazed, cracked and chipped around edges and pulling away from the tang.
Blade is stamped: “L . BOOTH/SHEFFIELD”; partially worn off.
Maker is possibly L[uke] Booth, active in Sheffield, England in the early 19th century until his death in 1855.
Dinner knife, one of a set of six (1986.0531.03-.08) that match a set of six dinner forks (1986.0531.09-.14).
Straight tinned steel blade with rounded tip. Blade, bolster, and tang are one piece. Bone scales are riveted to the top and bottom of the tang with brass pins to form a tapered block handle with chamfered edges and corners and a blunt butt. Central brass pin on one side is larger than the other two. Metal is discolored, scratched and has some rust spots. Much of the tin is worn off. Bone is yellowed and crazed, cracked and chipped around edges and pulling away from the tang.
Blade is stamped: “L . BOOTH/SHEFFIELD”
Maker is possibly L[uke] Booth, active in Sheffield, England in the early 19th century until his death in 1855.
Dinner knife, one of a set of six (1986.0531.03-.08) that match a set of six dinner forks (1986.0531.09-.14).
Straight tinned steel blade with rounded tip. Blade, bolster, and tang are one piece. Bone scales are riveted to the top and bottom of the tang with brass pins to form a tapered block handle with chamfered edges and corners and a blunt butt. Central brass pin on one side is larger than the other two. Metal is discolored, scratched and has some rust spots. Much of the tin is worn off. Bone is yellowed and crazed, cracked and chipped around edges and pulling away from the tang.
Blade is stamped: “L . BOOTH/SHEFFIELD”; partially worn off.
Maker is possibly L[uke] Booth, active in Sheffield, England in the early 19th century until his death in 1855.
Small, japanned, coffer- or platform-top box with scrolled hasp lock on front, circular wire handle on lid, and two hinges at back. Lid has a white band on its front and sides overpainted with red circles separated by a zig-zag of green brushstrokes; yellow, symmetrical, wheat-like motifs extend from handle. Box front has a crossed pair of red-to-yellow daisies with yellow-dotted centers on green leafy stems. Box sides and back of lid and box are plain. One-piece lid has a wire-rolled rim. Three-piece box has a top edge folded with a wire bead below and sides that fold under the flat bottom. Tinned interior. No marks.
Attributed to the Stevens Tinshop of Stevens Plains (now Westbrook), ME, circa 1800-1842.
"Osborne's American Toy Water-Colours" consisting of a small, rectangular, slide lid box containing 17 rectangular cakes of watercolor paint. The box is divided into three, equal-size, widthwise rows: the top two have wooden dividers for holding 6 cakes each, all embossed with seashells on their fronts, and are labeled across the row dividers with the names of the pigments; the bottom row (originally for housing brushes) has five larger cakes, all embossed with a five-pearl coronet on their fronts, and bears the manufacturer's and seller's label of "[D. B.] SMITH & W. HODGSON, JR.'S / DRUG AND CHEMICAL STORE, NORTHEAST CORNER OF ARCH AND SIXTH STREETS, PHILADA."
Single-sheet, oblong octagonal, japanned tray painted with a symmetrical design featuring a large, circular red flower or fruit at center of well encompased by an oval red bud or fruit between alternating yellow and green leaflets at sides and three smaller red buds or fruits between two, curved and pointed, yellow-highlighted and -veined, green leaves above and below. Large flower has feathered alizarin and white overtones on sides; smaller circles and ovals have yellow centers and alizarin overstrokes. A yellow ribbon and line border well. Made in one piece, cut and folded, with wire-rolled rim and flat bottom. Exterior is painted black with finish removed at top right on bottom to highlight an inscription scratched in cursive script: "Mary Ellen Bagley / Brookfield (underlined) / 1845".
Attributed to the Oliver Filley Tinshop of Bloomfield, CT, circa 1800-1846.
Half-cased portrait of a seated child, body and gaze turned slightly to the viewer's right, wearing white pantaloons, a patterned dress, and a hat or bonnet with wide plaid ribbon tied in a bow under the chin. Cheeks hand-tinted pink. Daguerreotype, octagonal pebble-textured mat and glass are loose; placed in the back half of a hinged case covered in brown leather stamped with an oval design. No marks.
Patent model (U.S. Patent No. 3,021) of a horizontal cylindrical, elevated or stepped-back oven with a firebox for its base that attaches to a cooking or heating stove; made by Samuel B. Spaulding of Brandon, VT, and patented on March 30, 1843. Folded seams. Single damper that slides back and forth at back center underside of oven is for two flues: one surrounding the oven and the other, for when the damper is pushed in and the oven is not in use, wraps around its front half. No marks on object, but paper tags tied on with red wove ribbon and stored separately are printed and handwritten with patent information and object numbers.
Faceted pedestal-foot andiron from a full-size patent model (U.S. Patent No. 3,170) of a pair of andirons with three safety bars to prevent them from tipping or falling over, made by Edwin Smylie of New York, NY, and patented on July 12, 1843. Features a banded-ball finial on a conical shaft, spool-and-reel base and circular, scalloped foot on three pins. Four-part upright screws together and is secured at bottom with a nut. Two-part stepped billet bar attaches with threaded pin. No marks on object, but a darkened paper tag tied below the finial with red or purple wove ribbon is printed and handwritten with the patent information for the "Andiron." Portion of a second tag is tied around billet bar.
Large, shallow-belly cooking pot with wide angled rim, tapered triangular-section ears with reverse curve at base, and four fillets (one at rim and three around body) on three, fire-eroded, triangular-section legs. Hollow cast in a three-part mold with sprue mark on bottom underside. No other marks. Together with a pair of pot tongs having two hooked-end curved arms hinged with pin that attach to the ears for hanging and carrying.
Foot warmer or stove with a red painted, flat top and ovolo-molded bottom attached to a perforated tin box with a hinged door; wire supports at all four corners. Top has a diamond-shaped cut-out and perforation pattern; sides punched with concentric circles. Wire bail handle hooked through loops on top; bent wire loop door pull. Contains a square, single-piece, cut and folded brazier or pan for holding the heat source. No marks.