Attributed to A. Ellis

Woman with Shawl

Lot Closed

January 24, 07:41 PM GMT

Estimate

40,000 - 60,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

Property from the John B. Schorsch Collection

Attributed to A. Ellis

1780 - 1880

Woman with Shawl

oil on board

circa 1820

26 1/2 in. by 19 3/4 in.

With warped board. Examined under UV light: inpainting to the proper right shoulder, a scratch to the proper right side of the background stopping at the sitter's jaw. The face with varnish and inpainting. Ingrained dirt throughout.

The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.

Found in a shop in New Hampshire.

A similar example to this painting attributed to A. Ellis, Boy with Dog, is in the Maine State Museum, discovered in Readfield, Maine in 1979. There are fewer than twenty portraits attributed to A. Ellis, and very little is known about the artist. Although the subjects of both the Woman with Shawl and Boy with Dog are unknown, other sitters attributed to A. Ellis were from central Maine and New Hampshire, where this painting surfaced. These two paintings show a similar unusual rendering of the eyes and nose - dark and bead-like, with the nose being a continuation of the eyebrows. The fingers of Woman with Shawl are also unusually pointed, similar to other A. Ellis attributed works. For additional information on A. Ellis, see Folk Art in Maine: Uncommon Treasures 1750-1925, ed. Kevin D. Murphy, (Camden, ME: Down East, 2008), p. 87.