Pair of Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Richardson

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Pair of Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Richardson - SOLD
Zedekiah Belknap (1781-1858)
New England, dated 1829
Oil on panel
Each, 27 x 22.75 inches

Zedekiah Belknap was born in Auburn (formerly Ward), Massachusetts, in 1781. In 1807 he graduated from Dartmouth College, where he studied divin-ity. Belknap became an itinerant artist, painting portraits of residents of towns and villages in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. His crisp style, love of delicate ornament, and attentively posed sitters positioned at a slight angle to the picture surface and appearing to gaze directly at the viewer are trademarks of his work.

These portraits are exceptional examples of Belknap's ability and wonderful itinerant style. In particular, the lady, with her beautiful white dress and yellow waist draw and shawl, is among the best by this artist. The portrait of Jonathan Richardson is inscribed in the artist's hand on the reverse, "The portrait of Mr. Jonathan Richardson aged 47 years, weight 247 lb. / Z. Belknap pinxt/ AD. 1829."

Exhibitions
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, Williamsburg, May 8-June 26, 1977.
Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts, September 1-October 30, 1977.

References
Elizabeth R. Mankin, "Zedekiah Belknap, 1781-1851, Itinerant New England Portrait Painter," The Magazine Antiques (1981): 1056-70.
American Folk Portraits: paintings and Drawings from the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum (1981), pp. 57-60.

Provenance
R. H. Love Galleries, Chicago

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