Charles Bird King 1785 - 1862

Kennedy Galleries, Inc., New York
Private Collection, Tuscaloosa, Alabama (sold: Sotheby's New York, May 25, 1988, lot 88, illustrated in color)
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale

The painting has been recently cleaned; two cracks in the panel appear in and above the left side of the face, at lower left and upper right. Under UV, inpainting is visible within these cracks, and there are a various spots of inpainting in the background and in the figure. Please see the below report, provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. This oil on panel has been recently restored and should be hung in its current state. The panel is made from two pieces of wood joined vertically through the left side of the face. There is another old crack in the panel running vertically in the upper right background. In addition, there is a further crack in the lower right in the tunic of the figure and a small loss in the hair on the right side of the head. When the panel was rejoined at some point in the past, the join was secured but the levels are slightly askew. As there is an elaborate and important inscription on most of the reverse of the panel a readdressing of the joins is not necessarily recommended. Since these restorations run vertically they will not interfere with a visual appreciation of the image itself, under most normal lighting from above. The retouches are confined to these vertical cracks in the panel. There are only a few isolated spots of retouching in the background. Apart from the crack on the left side of the face, there are no other retouches in the face, and, similarly, very few in the figure. The condition of the paint layer itself is remarkably good. The panel is flat and the paint layer is stable. The cracking in the panel is not unexpected in works on panel from this period.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

A significant early American portraitist, Charles Bird King is best known for his portrayals of important Native American leaders and tribesmen. In 1821, King received a commission from his friend, Thomas L. McKenney, the Superintendent of Indian trade, to create oil portraits of important tribesmen from the Michigan territory, copied from watercolor sketches made by Detroit artist James Otto Lewis. King ultimately executed approximately 25 of these works, which were displayed in McKenney’s Indian Gallery in Washington, D.C. Painted in 1826, Portrait of Big Buffalo, a Chippewa exhibits the sense of stately dignity with which King depicted these historical figures.