Giuseppe Gandolfo

Portrait of a lawman in his study

1831

Napoleone Parisani (Camerino 1853 - Rome 1932), Portrait of Carlotta Parisani Oil on canvas 35 x 24 cm with monogram at lower left and lower right, on back: inscribed "A M.r and M.m...

Napoleone Parisani (Camerino 1853 - Rome 1932), Portrait of a Lady Oil on canvas 42 x 30 cm.

Francesco Paolo Palizzi (Vasto 1825 – Naples 1871), Portrait of his sister Luisa Oil painting on canvas 62 x 49 cm, on the back of the canvas there is the declaration of authenticit...

Ettore Tito (Castellammare di Stabia 1859 - Venice 1941), The Gypsy Woman Oil painting on panel 55 x 37 cm signed lower right.

The present pair of portraits would make an exceptional addition to any collection of early American art not only because they were painted by the notable William Jennys, but also because the sitters are members of notable and influential New England families. In addition, these pendants have impeccable provenance: they have never left ownership of the decedents of the Kimball family and this is the first time they have been available for purchase. David Kimball (1766-1848) and Nancy Stacy Kimball (1774-1844) were members of historic Massachusetts families. David Kimball is a sixth-generation decedent of Richard Kimball (d. 1675) and Ursula Scott (d. 1659), who emigrated from Rattlasden, Suffolk County, England to Watertown MA around 1634. The family then relocated in 1637 to Ipswich, the city with which the family is now most strongly identified, when Richard was appointed to be a wheelwright.[1] Nancy likewise had early New England ancestry, descended from Simon Stacy and Elizabeth Clark, who were married in London in 1620.[2] Nancy Stacy was the second wife of David Kimball, and the two were married in 1799. Given this, the present pendant portraits were likely completed shortly after the marriage. David had two children by his first wife Mary Morse, who died in September of 1798. David and Nancy would have nine additional children between 1801 and 1815.[3] Most notably, the couple were parents of the Boston politician and showman Moses Kimball (1809-1895).[2][3] Moses would found the Boston Museum, an early for-profit museum and theater opened in 1841 that resembled European curiosity cabinets: the museum displayed paintings of Thomas Scully and Charles Peale alongside Chinese artwork, stuffed animals, dwarves and mermaids. Alongside these exhibits, visitors could attend the theater which held performances by gymnasts and contortionists, followed by performances of Shakespeare and Dickens.[4] This museum set the model for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which when founded in 1870 held a similarly diverse collection and appealed to the interests of a diverse set of visitors.[5] Moreover, some Greek antiquities from Moses Kimball's museum were eventually given to the MFA and Moses donated approximately $5,000 to the MFA's endowment upon his death.[6][7] William Jennys (1774–1859), also known as J. William Jennys, is an important American primitive portrait...

A wonderful depiction of a dapper Parisian dandy, dating from 1848. I love his air of decadence! It is a work by F de Korff, a mysterious French aristocratic portrait artist who had ...

A charming portrait of a beautiful blue-eyed girl in a pink dress holding flowers in her hand. It's based on Renaissance portraits where the subject is pushed to the foreground and i...

A dramatic, one of a kind oil study. Certainly not your run of the mill 19th Century portait! Depicted is a young man, whose face is brightly lit from what is likely is an open fire....