Untitled Document

Charles Willson Peale was the leading portrait painter in America for many years. He taught painting to several generations of his family and, in 1795, helped to establish a small art school in Philadelphia. The development of a science museum absorbed his middle years, but later in
life he returned to painting.

At age eighty-one he produced this affectionate portrait of his brother James, showing the retired miniaturist gazing fondly at a portrait miniature of Rembrandt Peale's oldest daughter, Rosalba. The miniature was painted painted by Charles's daughter, Anna.

This table, designed to be placed against a wall or pier, between two windows, is attributed to Charles-Honore Lannuier, a French cabinetmaker who emigrated to New York in 1805 and became one of the leading proponents of the late neoclassical style in America. From the styles of the Directoire, Consulat, and early Empire, he created a New York style, exceedingly light and delicate compared to French examples, and far closer in spirit to the fashionable furniture of his Anglo-American contemporaries. With a top only thirty-eight inches wide, the table is unusually light, and has some ravishing details that may be unique; the brass lyres on the apron are inlaid into the ebony panels with contrasting rosewood, and the curves of the platform above the dolphins have delicate carved acanthus leaves finished in verd-antique (a green patina).

Thomas Sully painted many of Philadelphia's most distinguished citizens, such as Dr. Hudson, a highly regarded dentist, and his wife. Ladies of society flocked to him because of his unparalleled ability to portray their feminine charm and beauty. These two portraits were completed when the artist was at the peak of his artistic maturity. They are excellent examples of Sully's unique ability to create flattering, graceful portraits which were highly prized during his lifetime.

Sully was born in England but the reputation he acquired in America earned him an important commission in 1838 to paint the young Queen Victoria, who had just recently ascended to the throne.