After Benjamin West 1738 - 1820

Freeman's Auctions, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 14, 2009, lot 738.

Figure of West has scratches and in-painting in the face. Outline of man in background. A woman's face has in-painting in the forehead, both cheeks and the chin. Some scratches on face of the young boy, scattered in-paint in area of his coat.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This painting is based on Benjamin West’s The Artist and His Family (Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, B1981.25.674) painted between the years 1770-1772. The sitters left to right are as follows: West’s eldest son Raphael Lamar (1769-1850), his wife Elizabeth Shewell West (1737-1817) holding his newborn son, Benjamin on her lap, his half-brother Thomas (1716-1792), his father John West (1690-1776), and the artist (1738-1820) holding a maulstick and palette.

The composition, as well as differences in coloring and painting style, suggest that this painting was copied from an English print engraved by George Sigmund Facius and John Gottlieb Facius, and published by John Boydell in 1779. Other contemporary copies were made from this print, including an early 19th century example in the collection of Colonial Williamsburg (1979.193). Boydell’s print, which was dedicated to Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, was very popular with contemporary audiences as a depiction of domestic harmony. One of West’s students mentioned seeing the print in a print shop window in Philadelphia, indicating that it had an audience on both sides of the Atlantic. (See Helmut von Erffa and Allen Staley, The Paintings of Benjamin West, [New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1986], pp. 462).

This rendition of West’s picture was once owned by Samuel Coates (1748-1830), a merchant and philanthropist who was instrumental in the commission and acquisition of West’s Christ Healing the Sick for the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. Coates, the president of the board of managers, corresponded directly with West about the donation of the painting that took sixteen years to arrive. According to provenance, Coates gave this depiction of West’s family portrait to his ward, Hannah Vicary (1772-1859) around 1795. Coates became guardian for the four children of his friend Captain John Vicary (1748-1784) after his death in 1784. Upon Hannah’s death, she left it to her great niece, Ellen H. Levering Many (1820-1897).