Loading Spinner
Don’t miss out on items like this!

Sign up to get notified when similar items are available.

Lot 337: Attributed to John Hesselius (1728-1778), portrait of slator (slater) clay (1754-1821) of new castle, de and phi

Est: $20,000 USD - $30,000 USDSold:
Freeman'sPhiladelphia, PA, USNovember 11, 2015

Item Overview

Description

Attributed to John Hesselius (1728-1778)

portrait of slator (slater) clay (1754-1821) of new castle, de and phi

ladelphia, pa, 1759

Pencil inscription to verso of re-lined canvas, likely transcribed from original, "Slater Clay 1759 age five years J.H.," oil on canvas, framed.

29 1/4 in. x 24 3/8 in. (sight)



PROVENANCE:

Descended in the family of the sitter to the present owner.
A letter, written by William John Potts and dated July 10, 1879, notes that "a portrait in oil, about three quarter length of the Rev Slator Clay is in the possession of Mrs. Harriet (Clay) Leaf wife of the Rev Edmund Leaf Rector of the Church at Birdsboro PA. Mrs. Leaf is the dau. of Chas. Clay and grand daughter of the Rev. Slator Clay. The portrait is not of much merit as a work of art. It was taken at the age of five years in 1759? The young gentleman is represented with a cardinal bird in his hand a favorite style of the day. As this may be the work of an early American painter (...Hesselius?) it is of interest."

Artist or Maker

Condition Report

Relined, replaced stretcher, verso with inscription, "Slater Clay 1759 age 5 years JH," ( presumably copied from original canvas) the old, discolored natural resin varnish was selectively cleaned at face, hands and waistcoat-then matte acrylic resin varnish applied. A mended vertical tear to the right of figure, two mends flank figure, scattered retouch throughout. The portrait is very dark- appears to be leaves and possibly section of a tree to the left of figure. Stretcher Bears "Newman's Gallery" label.


Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by Freeman's Conditions of Sale.

Notes

A probable fourth to add to a series of three known paintings by John Hesselius depicting members of the notable and distinguished Clay Family of New Castle, Delaware, as discussed in Fleischer, Roland E. "Three Recently Discovered Portraits by John Hesselius," The Magazine Antiques, March 1981, pp. 666-668. The existence of this portrait seems to confirm Fleischer's suspicions that Hesselius painted the Clay's other children concomitant to his painting of Slater Clay (1711-1767), Ann Clay (1723-1789) with Mary Clay (1758-1801), and Thomas Clay (1753-1793) in 1759.

From the use of rich color and careful depiction of fabric to the sitter's elegant pose and pleasant disposition, the present portrait bears much stylistic resemblance to Hesselius's portrait of Thomas Clay, discussed by Fleischer and currently in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, accession number 2009-16-9 (see illustration above). These artistic choices bespeak a maturation in Hesselius's style that is often attributed to the influence of John Wollaston (1710-1775), an English painter who was active in the Colonies from 1749 to 1767 and who helped introduce the more decorative traditions of the English Rococo into Colonial portraiture.

Fleischer notes that with his first known painting dating from 1749, John revealed that "he had largely abandoned the sober, naturalistic style of his father [Gustavus Hesselius (1682-1755)] in favor of the brighter, more decorative style of Robert Feke [c.1705-c.1752];" however, it is in the portraits of the Clay family that Fleischer believes we can distinctly detect Hesselius's shift away from Feke towards Wollaston, with the portrait of Thomas Clay, and arguably now, also the portrait of his brother Slator Clay, being the most "stylistically advanced." The composition of the present painting may have been inspired directly by Wollaston's double portrait of Mann Page and his sister Elizabeth, 1757, in which the young Master Page is depicted holding a tethered red cardinal in his outstretched arm.

The fifth child of Slater Clay (1711-1767) and Ann Curtis Clay (1723-1789), Slator (Slater) Clay was born on October 1, 1754 in New Castle, Delaware. He married Hannah Holstein (1748-1832) on December 3, 1786 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though a trained lawyer, Clay later shifted his focus to religion and was ordained a deacon in Christ Church, Philadelphia by Bishop White on December 23, 1787. According to an account by one of his sons, Rev. Jehu C. Clay (see: Hotchkin, Rev. S.F. Early Clergy of Pennsylvania and Delaware, (1890), pp. 91-93), Rev. Slator Clay was, "five feet and eight inches high, and his body was slender and delicate, his eyes were of a hazel color, and his countenance was 'benign and interesting.' He was affable to friends. His Christian character made him humble, gentle and childlike." Slator and Harriet had four children: Ann, George, Jehu Curtis, and Charles Holstein, the last of whom was appointed the executor of Slator's will and estate.

Payment & Shipping

Accepted forms of payment: Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Freeman's does not offer packing, shipping, or freighting service. ALL shipping is the sole responsibility of the buyer. Upon completion of the transaction, please email Freeman's with the registered shipper of your choice. You may call a shipper of your own choosing or select one from Freeman's list of recommended companies.

Auction Details

American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts

by
Freeman's
November 11, 2015, 10:00 AM EST

2400 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, US

Terms

Live bidding may start higher or lower

Buyer's Premium

$0 - 100,000:30.0%
$100,001 - 2,000,000:25.0%
$2,000,001+:17.0%

Bidding Increments

From:To:Increment:
$0$199$10
$200$499$25
$500$999$50
$1,000$2,999$100
$3,000$4,999$250
$5,000$9,999$500
$10,000$29,999$1,000
$30,000$49,999$2,000
$50,000$99,999$5,000
$100,000+$10,000

Terms and Conditions

All property offered and sold through Freeman's, ("Auctioneer", or "Broker", or the "Company") shall be offered and sold on the terms and conditions set forth in these Conditions of Sale. By participating in any sale, you acknowledge that you are bound by these terms and conditions.

Freeman's has made every effort to catalogue and describe accurately property to be sold. The Company, however, assumes no risk, liability or responsibility for the identification or authenticity or authorship, or weight, count, or measure of any property identified in its catalogue or lists of sale. This shall include, among others, the identity of the creator, the period, culture, source of origin, as the case may be, with which the creation of any property is identified in any publication.

ALL PROPERTY IS SOLD "AS IS". THE CONSIGNOR MAKES NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO ANY PROPERTY OFFERED FOR SALE, SINCE THE AUCTIONEER IS ACTING SOLELY AS AN AUCTION BROKER, AND, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED, DOES NOT OWN THE PROPERTY OFFERED FOR SALE. THEREFORE, THE AUCTIONEER MAKES NO WARRANTY OF TITLE, WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR ANY OTHER WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION OF ANY KIND OR NATURE WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPERTY.

In no event shall it be responsible for the correctness, nor deemed to have made any representation or warranty of description, genuineness, attribution, provenance or condition of the property and no statement by anyone or in the catalogue, in any advertisement, or which is made at the sale, in the bill of sale or invoice, or elsewhere, shall be deemed such a warranty or representation or an assumption of liability. Without in any way waiving the foregoing, any complaint regarding authenticity, genuineness, attribution or provenance shall be made within twenty-five (25) days of the day of sale or such complaint shall be waived. All bidders acknowledge their right to have made or requested full inspection of any and all properties prior to sale and agree to be charged with all matters such inspection may have disclosed or indicated. Inspection on the day of sale will be permitted only upon prearrangement with the COMPANY.
Freeman's reserves the right to withdraw any property at any time before the fall of the hammer in its sole and exclusive discretion.

Unless otherwise announced by the auctioneer at the time of sale, all bids are per lot as numbered in the printed catalog. Freeman's reserves the right to determine any and all matters regarding the order, precedence or appropriate increment of bids or the constitution of lots.

The highest bidder acknowledged by the auctioneer shall be the purchaser. In the event of any dispute between bidders, the auctioneer shall have the sole and final discretion either to determine the successful bidder or to re-offer and resell the article in dispute. If any dispute arises after sale, the Company's sale record shall be conclusive in all respects.

If the auctioneer determines that any opening or later bid or any advance of bidding is not commensurate with the value of the article offered, the auctioneer may reject the same and withdraw the article from sale.

Upon the fall of the hammer, title to any offered lot or article will immediately pass to the highest bidder as determined in the exclusive discretion of the auctioneer. Such bidder thereupon assumes full risk and responsibility for the property sold, agrees to sign any requested confirmation of purchase, and agrees to pay the full purchase price therefore or such part upon such terms as the Company may require. All property shall be paid for and removed by the purchaser at his/her expense within ten (10) days of sale and, if not so removed, may be sold by the Company, or sent by the Company to a public warehouse, at the sole risk and charge of the purchaser(s), and the Company may prohibit the purchaser from participating, directly or indirectly, as a bidder or purchaser in any future sale or sales. The Company will not be responsible for any loss, damage, theft, or otherwise responsible for any goods left in the Company's possession after ten (10) days. If the foregoing conditions or any applicable provisions of law are not complied with, in addition to other remedies available to the Company and the Consignor (including without limitation the right to hold the purchaser(s) liable for the bid price) the Company, at its option, may either cancel the sale, retaining as liquidated damages all payments made by the purchaser(s), or resell the property. In such event, the purchaser(s) shall remain liable for any deficiency in the original purchase price and will also be responsible for all costs, including warehousing, the expense of the ultimate sale, and the Company's commission at its regular rates together with all related and incidental charges, including legal fees. Payment is a precondition to removal. Payment shall be by cash, certified check or similar bank draft, or any other method approved by the Company. Checks will not be deemed to constitute payment until cleared. The Company will charge interest of one and one-half percent (1 1/2%) per month on any balance remaining thirty (30) days after the day of sale. Any exceptions must be made upon the Company's written approval of credit prior to sale.

Unless the sale is advertised and announced as "without reserve", each lot is offered subject to a reserve and the Company may implement such reserves by bidding through its representatives on behalf of the Consignors. In certain instances, the Consignor may pay less than the standard commission rate where the Company or its representative is a successful bidder on behalf of the Consignor. Where the Consignor is indebted to the Company, the Company may have an interest in the offered lots and the proceeds there from other than the broker's Commissions, and all sales are subject to any such interest.

No "buy" bids shall be accepted at any time for any purpose.

Any pre-sale bids must be left in writing with the Company prior to commencement of offer of the first lot of any sale. The Company's copy of any such bid shall conclusively be deemed to be the sole evidence of same, and the Company shall not be held responsible for any failure to execute any pre-sale bid.

A buyer's premium will be added to the successful bid price and is payable by the purchaser as part of the total purchase price. The buyer's premium is 25% of the successful bid price up to and including $100,000, 20 % between $100,001 and $2,000,000, and 12% on any amount in excess of $2,000,001. Please note that Invaluable charges an additional 5% to the Buyer's Premium for their services

Unless exempted by law from the payment thereof, the purchaser will be required to pay any and all applicable state and/or local sales taxes. Deliveries to be made outside the state where a sale is conducted may therefore be subject to a corresponding or compensating tax in another state.

Contract Information

All property offered and sold through Freeman's, ("Auctioneer", or "Broker", or the "Company") shall be offered and sold on the terms and conditions set forth in these Conditions of Sale. By participating in any sale, you acknowledge that you are bound by these terms and conditions.

Payment Information

An invoice representing the total due of hammer + buyer's premium + sales tax (if applicable) will be issued and is due within 10 days of the sale. Acceptable forms of payment include cash, checks payable in US dollars, and bank transfers. Freeman's does not accept credit cards. Lots purchased will not be released until funds have cleared the bank.

Please note that Invaluable charges an additional 5% to the Buyer's Premium for their services

Shipping Information

Freeman's does not offer packing, shipping, or freighting service. ALL shipping is the sole responsibility of the buyer. Upon completion of the transaction, please email Freeman's with the registered shipper of your choice. You may call a shipper of your own choosing or select one from Freeman's list of recommended companies.

Shipping Information

Freeman's does not offer packing, shipping, or freighting service. ALL shipping is the sole responsibility of the buyer. Upon completion of the transaction, please email Freeman's with the registered shipper of your choice. You may call a shipper of your own choosing or select one from Freeman's list of recommended companies.

Buyer's Premium

A buyer's premium will be added to your successful bid at the rate of 25% on the first 100,000, 20 % between 100,001 and 2,000,000, and 12% thereafter. Be sure to factor in the buyer's premium when determining your maximum bid.

Please note that Invaluable charges an additional 5% onto the Buyer's Premium for their services.

Taxes on your purchase

Unless exempted by law, from the payment thereof, the purchaser will be required to pay any and all applicable state and/or local sales taxes. Deliveries to be made outside the state where a sale is conducted may therefore be subject to a corresponding or compensating tax in another state.

Condition Statement

Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalog formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by Freeman's Conditions of Sale. Samuel T. Freeman & Co. has made every effort to catalogue and describe accurately property to be sold. The Company, however, assumes no risk, liability or responsibility for the identification or authenticity or authorship, or weight, count, or measure of any property identified in its catalogue or lists of sale. This shall include, among others, the identity of the creator, the period, culture, source of origin, as the case may be, with which the creation of any property is identified in any publication.