$18,450
James Brown (Massachusetts, act. 1806-1808) Pair of Portraits of General William Towner and His Wife Lurana Chadwick Towner, of Williamstown, Massachusetts General Towner signed and dated "J. Brown Pinxt/ Oct 10th 180-" on the reverse, Laura Towner signed and dated "Ja. Brown Pinx [month obscured] 25, 1807" along the top edge of the reverse. Oil on canvas, the General in full military dress seated in a sack-back Windsor chair, Laura in a blue-gray Empire-waisted dress seated in a Windsor side chair holding a book, a column behind her, 33 x 28 in., in modern frames. Condition: Repairs and inpainting. Provenance: Descended through the Towner family, and then to the current owners from their aunt Betty Schwinn, whose mother Ruth Freed married John F. Towner late in life. A copy of the Genealogy of the Towner Family as well as other documents accompany the lot; they give context to the Towner family in general, as well as to the link between Betty Schwinn and the family specifically. Note: The artist, who produced at least seven signed works, was largely unknown until an article by Elizabeth V. Warren called "The Mystery of J. Brown" was published in the Fall 1998 issue of Folk Art magazine, pp. 54-63. There is speculation that Ammi Phillips studied under Brown in the early 19th century.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2016-08-14
