$6,518
Pair of Portrait Miniatures of Samuel S. Barker and His Wife Mary Ann Barker, by a member of the DaLee family (American, c. 1835-45), unsigned, the subjects identified in inscriptions on the reverse, watercolor on thin card, the subjects seated in red- and black-painted chairs, the oval portraits surrounded by black spandrels, 3 5/8 x 3 1/8 in., mounted in a later frame with oval cut mat. Condition: Light stains, minor toning, paint loss on lower portion of man's jacket. Literature: See Folk Art , "To Please the Eye: Justus DaLee and His Family," Winter 2005/06, pp. 46-57. Justus DaLee, his son Amon, and his brother Richard had a family business as itinerant portrait miniaturists. They painted in New York State, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, and New Jersey from about 1835-1848. The three painted in a similar style and rarely signed their portraits. Sometimes father and son worked on the same portraits, making it difficult to identify which of the three was the artist.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2010-08-15
