Samuel de Wilde

Follower of Samuel de Wilde, Portrait of an Actor in Character

1841

Delicate and detailed portrait of Jesus by notable outlaw John Paul Chase (American, 1901-1973). Jesus is looking directly at the viewer with a piercing gaze, holding a glowing sacred heart in his left hand. The other hand is gesturing toward the viewer, palm up, and the stigmata can be seen on his palm. Jesus is wearing a red garment with a blue cloak, the traditional symbolic colors for humanity and the heavens. It appears that this piece was painted over a previous composition. Signed "John Paul Chase" in the lower right. Presented in a mahogany frame with an oval opening. Board size: 31"H x 24"W Oval opening is 28.75" x 22" at widest points John Paul Chase (December 26, 1901 – October 5, 1973) was an American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw, who also became an artist. John Paul Chase was born in San Francisco, California. He left grade school to work on a ranch and later became an assistant machinist in a railroad yard. In 1926, Chase was fired from the railroad and was hired as a chauffeur for a professional gambler in Reno, Nevada. He spent the next few years as a bootlegger in Sausalito, San Rafael and San Francisco but was not involved in major crime until his association with Baby Face Nelson in the early 1930s, possibly in March 1932. It is generally agreed among crime historians that Reno was the most likely place where the two first became partners, Nelson having connections in the local underworld and frequently hid out there while in Chicago and the general Midwest. On October 23, 1933, he and Nelson robbed their first bank together in Brainerd, Minnesota escaping with $32,000. Along the way, they picked up a number of other outlaws including Charles Fisher...

Spanish School, Portrait of a Woman, Oil on Canvas, 19th century, depicting a woman with wine cup and ewer, unsigned, giltwood frame. Image: 41" H x 33" W; frame: 50" H x 42.5" W.

His first name sounds like a concerto. Vivacious, its name is reminiscent of an aperitif or a cyclist. The addition of the two evokes the Italianate. Indomitable and unavoidable. Mor...

His first name sounds like a concerto. Vivacious, its name is reminiscent of an aperitif or a cyclist. The addition of the two evokes the Italianate. Indomitable and unavoidable. Mor...