Charles Willson Peale 1741 - 1827

Appears to retain its original stretchers and frame.

Descended in the family of the sitter;
Freeman's Auctions, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 8, 1992, sale 507, lot 1106 (the companion portrait, also by Peale was offered separately at this auction, see note).

Scattered inpaint throughout background with heavy reflecting varnish. Please contact department for detailed condition report and conservation notes.
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.

From Peter Colman Sellers, Portraits and Miniatures by Charles Willson Peale:

"Jane Hunter was born Jan. 10, 1768, married Maskell Ewing, Oct. 1787 and died Feb. 10. 1831. She was the daughter of James Hunter (1726-1796), a Scottish merchant who settled in Philadelphia. In 1757 he had purchased a farm, “Woodstock,” in Delaware Co., at what is now Villanova, which is still held in the family. Here Maskell and Jane Ewing moved from Trenton in 1805.”¹

When Sellers published his book in 1952, he noted that Mrs. Robert E. Brooke of Philadelphia, a descendant, owned both the portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Ewing.² The two portraits were separated in an auction in 1992. The companion portrait of her husband, Maskell Ewing is now in the collection of the Sewell Biggs Museum of Art in Dover Delaware.

¹ Charles Coleman Sellers, Portraits and Miniatures by Charles Willson Peale (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1952), p. 74-75; illus. p.314 entry 251, fig. 187.
² Ibid.