Joseph Whiting Stock, Attrib., Boy with Cheetah, USA, 19th C.

Joseph Whiting Stock, Attrib., Boy with Cheetah, USA, 19th C.

Oil on canvas

USA, 1st half of the 19th century

Attributed to Joseph Whiting Stock (1815-1855) – American marine, portrait, landscape and miniature painter

Dimensions: 69 x 55.3 cm

Frame: 88 x 73.5 cm

Provenance: Private collection, South Germany

The detailed reproduction of the boy's clothes make the painting a historically valuable document of 19th century fashion

Estimate by Auctionata Expert: 8,000 Euro

Offered imaginative painting depicts in a meticulous manner the portrait of a boy, who holds a crossbow in his left hand, while his other hand is being fondled by a wild cat. Due to this naive style the painting can be allocated in the surrounding of the American folk art.

Condition:

The painting bears heavier signs of age and wear. Under UV-light several touch ups appear, e.g. in the area of the lion’s muzzle. The surface display heavy craquelure and in places color loss can be seen. Along the edges slight blemishes due to framing are partially visible. The dimensions of the canvas are 69 x 55.3 cm, the framed dimensions measure 88 x 73.5 cm.

Joseph Whiting Stock (1815-1855)

The painter was born on January 30th 1815 in Springfield, Massachusetts. When Stock was eleven years old, he had an accident and was paraplegic for the rest of his life. On advice of his physician, he began to study painting under Franklin White and was commissioned to do a series of anatomical drawings by Dr. James Swan in 1834. Thereupon Swan constructed a wheelchair, which enabled stock to paint large canvasses and to travel for commissions. Stock was thus able to create portraits around New England for the next two decades, e.g. in Warren, Bristol, Rhode Island and New York. His studios were located in his hometown throughout all his life. His works are owned by many public and private collections, such as by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. (nlu)