Frank Owen Salisbury

Cadre ancien en bois sculpté et redoré

Under UV light : - important repaint on the left shoulder (approv. 4 x 3cm) - small retouches along the neck - L-shaped scratches on the drapery on the right
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Francis (Frank) Owen Salisbury became very well renowned in England as well as on the other side of the Atlantic, in the United States. Originally trained in the craftsmanship of stained glass which always remained his passion, it is for his paintings and more specifically for his portraits that he achieved international fame.

He painted the portraits of no less than 25 members of the Royal Windsor Family, of 6 American Presidents among whom the Portrait of Harry S.Truman (Harry Truman Museum & Library, Missouri), the Portrait of Franklin D.Roosevelt (White House, Washington D.C.) and of numerous giants of Industry and Finance, among whom Andrew William Mellon, John Pierpoint Morgan and John Davison Rockefeller Jr., without mentioning the famous portraits of Winston Churchill.

Salisbury was close to the Post family for whom he painted many portraits including the one of Marjorie Merriweather Post in 1934 and again in 1946 (both kept at Hillwood Estage, Museum and Gardens, Washington D.C.). The two portraits presented in the sale are a testimony of the friendship that the artist held with the Post family.

Salisbury executed this portrait in 1939, when Eleanor Post-Close was 30 years old.