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Lot 7: Washington Silhouette, signed "S Folwell 1791"

Est: $2,000 USD - $4,000 USDPassed
Auction New EnglandManchester, NH, USMay 20, 2017

Item Overview

Description

Attributed to Samuel Folwell (American, 1765-1813), watercolor and ink on paper, signed lower left. Folwell was working in Charleston, South Carolina in 1791, when Washington visited there in May of that year. Samuel Folwell and his work is described in A Basic Guide To Identifying & Evaluating American Silhouettes by Guyton & Koenig (1980): "Samuel Folwell, a New Englander, was born in 1765. He arrived in Philadelphia and advertised himself as a miniature painter, cutter of profiles and maker of hair pictures, the latter very popular in that era. In 1791 George Washington visited Philadelphia and Samuel Folwell painted his silhouette in India ink, adding delicate highlights of opaque white. Washington was unaware that it was being made and at the time it was said to be "a most spirited and correct likeness". Folwell's silhouettes, mostly all painted, are rare and are treasured collector's items. They are executed with great delicacy...." It is notable that the eighteenth century newspaper sealing the back mentions Admiral Vernon, for whom Mount Vernon was named by Washingtons half brother. The clipping refers to Admiral Vernon being made freeman of the City Of London in 1740, so it is possible the newspaper dates to that year, obviously far earlier than the date, 1791, written on the silhouette.

Dimensions

5 1/4" x 4 1/4"

Artist or Maker

Date

dated 1791

Condition Report

Stain to right of silhouette, foxing, losses to frame, entire frame has been painted brown over original gilding; Not examined out of frame.

Provenance

This miniature has come down in a family from Great Britain. The consignor did not know of its significance until recently. The consignor writes that he inherited the miniature from his mother, maiden name Patricia Brownbill, when she passed away in July, 2014. She had inherited it from her father, William John Brownbill (1887 -1950). William, a lawyer, moved to Japan in 1910 to work for the American Trading Company and later for the George Washington Company, which was a joint American-Japanese company that manufactured silk banners, especially for the Masons, which Brownbill had joined in 1913. In 1918, when he left Japan to return to England to get married, as an expression of their gratitude for his work on their behalf, The George Washington Company presented William with the Folwell miniature as "a Symbol of America and the True Spirit of Masonry". There is no record of how the miniature had originally reached Japan, or who had brought it there, but it seems likely the Company had several artifacts relating to their namesake dating back to its founding in the 1880s."

Payment & Shipping

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

Shipping

The Auctioneer and the Consignor assume no risk, liability or responsibility for the authenticity or the authorship of any property identified in the catalogue (that is, the identity of the creator or the period, culture, source or origin as the case may be, with which the creation of any property is identified herein). All property is sold "As Is" and neither the Auctioneer nor the Consignor makes any warranties or representations of any kind or nature with respect to the property, and in no event shall be responsible for the correctness or any implied warranty or merchant ability or any implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose as it relates to description, genuineness, attribution, provenance, safety, reliability or condition of the property.

Auction Details

Auction New England - May

by
Auction New England
May 20, 2017, 01:00 PM EST

Falls Event Center 21 Front Street, Manchester, NH, 03102, US

Terms

Buyer's Premium

23.0%

Bidding Increments

From:To:Increment:
$0$49$5
$50$199$10
$200$499$25
$500+$50

Conditions of Sale

1. All property is sold in "as-is" condition, with neither the auctioneer nor consignor making a warranty as to genuineness, attribution, provenance, size, age, and condition of the item being sold. It is up to the buyer to examine the item being sold to determine its genuineness, origin, attribution, provenance, size, age, and condition. Statements, either in writing or verbally, regarding the items by Auction New England are "opinions" only, and should not be construed as warrantees as to the seven factors listed above.
2. All merchandise must be paid for and removed from the premises by the end of the sale. All phone and Invaluable bidders must pay for their items within seven (7) days of the sale. A fee of 1.5% of the hammer price of each item will be assessed monthly on any item not paid for within thirty-five (35) days of the sale.
3. After an item is sold ("hammered down"), title will pass to the successful bidder, and the bidder assumes full risk and responsibility for the property from the point the lot is "hammered down".
4. A buyer's premium of 15% will be added to the hammer price of each lot for cash or check payments. Purchases made through Invaluable are subject to a 23% buyers premium.
5. Auction New England accepts cash or check for payment. Personal checks will be accepted if credit has been established or if the bank acts as a guarantor. We will hold an item until a personal check clears. Credit cards are not accepted at this time.
6. Shipping is the responsibility of the purchaser. We can provide names of shippers and movers, but the use of these packers and shippers or any other party for packing or shipping is solely at the risk of the buyer. There may be charges for storage for items that are not removed at the end of the sale. Import and export regulations is the sole responsibility of the buyer, as are any restrictions on items that may contain materials made with endangered species.
7. Some items have reserve prices that are a confidential minimum price to which the seller and the auctioneer have agreed that items shall not be sold below. Reserves are sometimes lower that the estimate range, but no cases will be above the estimate range. The auctioneer will execute reserve bids on behalf of the consignors.
8. Estimates can be changed in writing or verbally by the auctioneer at any point before an item is sold, and lots can be removed from the sale prior to a lot being sold.
9. The auctioneer can reject a bid he/she determines is too low for the item being sold.
10. The auctioneer has the sole right to re-offer a lot or settle disputed bids. The auctioneer's records of who won a lot are the final authority in any disagreement.
11. Phone bidding and absentee bidding are a service, and the auction house will do its best to execute phone and absentee bids as it they can, but the auction house is not responsible for any problems during phone bidding or absentee bidding.
12. If the buyer does not meet any of the conditions of sale, the auction house can 1. cancel the sale and/or 2. Offer the lot at public auction, without reserve, the lot for which the buyer has failed to meet the conditions of sale.
13. Bidding on any item indicates your acceptable of these terms and any terms announced before or at the time of the sale in person, by phone, on Invaluable, or by absentee bid.

All items sold

All property is sold in "as-is" condition, with neither the auctioneer nor consignor making a warranty as to genuineness, attribution, provenance, size, age, and condition of the item being sold. It is up to the buyer to examine the item being sold to determine its genuineness, origin, attribution, provenance, size, age, and condition. Statements, either in writing or verbally, regarding the items by Auction New England are "opinions" only, and should not be construed as warrantees as to the seven factors listed above.

Shipping Terms

The Auctioneer and the Consignor assume no risk, liability or responsibility for the authenticity or the authorship of any property identified in the catalogue (that is, the identity of the creator or the period, culture, source or origin as the case may be, with which the creation of any property is identified herein). All property is sold "As Is" and neither the Auctioneer nor the Consignor makes any warranties or representations of any kind or nature with respect to the property, and in no event shall be responsible for the correctness or any implied warranty or merchant ability or any implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose as it relates to description, genuineness, attribution, provenance, safety, reliability or condition of the property.

Payment

All merchandise must be paid for and removed from the premises by the end of the sale. All phone and Invaluable bidders must pay for their items within seven (7) days of the sale. A fee of 1.5% of the hammer price of each item will be assessed monthly on any item not paid for within thirty-five (35) days of the sale.