Lot 250: Henry Pelham, After John Singleton Copley (American, 1749-1806) Portrait Miniature of Adam Babcock. Signed "HP" l.r. Watercolor on i...

Henry Pelham, After John Singleton Copley (American, 1749-1806)

Portrait Miniature of Adam Babcock. Signed "HP" l.r. Watercolor on ivory, c. 1774, oval bust-length portrait of the gentleman wearing a blue jacket with brass buttons, 2 x 1 1/4 in., in an oval 18 kt gold case with beaded edge, and bright-cut swag border on the reverse. Condition: Small paint loss on stock.

Provenance: Family descent from the original owners.


Note: Adam Babcock, son of Declaration of Independence signer Joshua Babcock, was a wealthy Boston merchant. John Singleton Copley painted portraits of Babcock and his wife Abigail which are displayed at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Henry Pelham, the artist of the present lot and Copley's half brother, copied at least this portrait to miniatiure.
The portrait of Babcock is set in an gold case identical to one attributed to Paul Revere, Jr., in the collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which frames the portrait miniature of Mrs. Paul Revere, painted by Joseph Dunkerley (American, ac. 1784–1788).

Exhibited: On loan with the United States Department of State, Washington, D.C.; and in the traveling exhibition and associated book: Becoming a Nation: Americana from the Diplomatic Receptions Rooms U.S. Department of State, which ran from March, 2003-January, 2005.