Ammi Phillips (1788 - 1865)

inscribed on the back of the canvas: George C. Sunderland / Painted When at the Age / of 21 years / by / Mr. Ammi Phillips / In the fall 1840; appears to retain the original painted frame.

Lincoln V. Mitchell, Silvermine, Connecticut, 1958;
Barbara C. and Lawrence B. Holdridge, Owings Mills, Maryland;
Christie's, New York, Important American Furniture, Folk Art and Decorative Arts, October 5, 2000, sale 9468, lot 21;
Joan R. Brownstein Art & Antiques, Newbury, Massachusetts.

Traveling Exhibition, "Ammi Phillips, Portrait Painter, 1788-1865," New York City, Museum of American Folk Art; Albany, New York, Albany Institute of History and Art, October 14, 1968 - January 7, 1969, cat. no. 212;
Traveling Exhibition, "Revisiting Ammi Phillips: Fifty Years of American Portraiture," New York City, Museum of American Folk Art; San Diego, California, San Diego Museum of Art; Chicago, Illinois, Terra Museum of American Art, February 5, 1994 - December 31, 1994.

Barbara C. and Lawrence B. Holdridge, "Ammi Phillips," Art in America (Summer 1960), pp. 98 - 103;
Barbara C. and Lawrence B. Holdridge, "Ammi Phillips, Limner Extraordinary," Antiques (December 1961), pp. 558 - 563, fig. 1;
Barbara C. and Lawrence B. Holdridge, "Ammi Phillips, 1788-1865," Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin (October 1965), no. 142;
Barbara C. and Lawrence B. Holdridge, Ammi Phillips, Portrait Painter, 1788-1865, (New York, 1969), no. 212, pp. 37 and 51;
Hollander and Fertig, [et al]. Revisiting Ammi Phillips: Fifty Years of American Portraiture (New York: Museum of American Folk Art, 1994), frontispiece, pp. 56, 74 and pl. XLVIII.

Overall fine condition. Appears to be original frame and stretcher, relined and restretched. There is inpainting on his chin, in the pupils of his eye and along his right shoulder. There is a repaired tear in the upper right hand corner of the canvas and scattered inpainting in the background. There is plexiglas sheet on the back of the canvas which protects the name of the sitter and the signature of Ammi Phillips.
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 signed portrait established the identity of the “Kent Limner" as Phillips, and provided the link between his "Kent" period (1829-1838) and his "Border" period (1812-1819). The Holdridges referred to it as the "Rosetta Stone" of their research.¹ George C. Sunderland lived in Somers, NY, a small town in northern West Chester County, not far from Phillips' home in Amenia.  He was a mill wright and planned and built mills.  The scroll he holds is thought to show a new mill design. ¹ Hollander and Fertig, [et al]. Revisiting Ammi Phillips: Fifty Years of American Portraiture (New York: Museum of American Folk Art, 1994), p. 74.