Sotheby Parke-Bernet, January 30-February 1, 1986, lot 425
Garvin, Donna-Belle, and James L. Garvin, On the Road North of Boston: New Hampshire Taverns and Turnpikes, 1700-1900, Concord, NH: New Hampshire Historical Society, 1988, p. 13
American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 57, fig. 27
Some discoloration at extreme right border; above head. Repaired 1 inch tear above music stand.
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.
Captured as if in the midst of a recital, or perhaps just practicing for an impending concert, William B. Chamberlin plays the violoncello. The bass instrument of the violin family, the violoncello, or "cello," has deeper ribs and a shorter neck than the violin. Originating in the sixteenth century, the cello supplied the bass line to concerted works. The introduction of the endpin, or spike, in the late eighteenth century brought increased security and resonance to this instrument. This modification was not universally adopted until the late nineteenth century, and until then, performers sat and played the cello between their knees.
1 Joseph H. Davis has given almost equal status to the instrument his client plays, as if both were posing for portraits. He articulates the subject's fingers to solicit the viewer's attention. In this composition, the focus is on the musician's hands, the medium through which his musical aspirations are communicated to his instrument. The fingers of his left hand are positioned around the cello's neck, while the fingers of his right hand clasp the bow at an angle, as if bowing the strings to create music. The score on the stand at the right-lacking a fifth line in the staff, measure bars, a clef, or a key signature-is an imaginary graphic confection invented by the artist.
2 Efforts to link the subject of this portrait with individuals in the historic record have proved problematic partly because of the prevalence of the name in New Hampshire where this likeness is believed to have originated. Variation in the spelling of his last name, which either includes or omits a second letter
a, in the third syllable, raises speculation about who this individual could be. The subject probably is the William B. Chamberlain who in 1836 married Betsy Chamberlain Sanborn, another of the artist's clients (cat. no. 28).
3 Identified as a captain in sources of the period, he resided in Brookfield, New Hampshire, where he was born about 1813.
4 A member of the Freewill Baptist Church, Chamberlain died prematurely, at the age of twenty-nine, on March 26, 1842. All records found for this individual, however, include the second letter
a.5 Since Davis meticulously inscribed the sitter's name directly below the portrait, a characteristic of his work, it seems surprising that he would have misspelled his client's last name, especially if he had hoped to execute a pleasing likeness and secure additional work. -C.E.M.
1 Sibyl Marcuse, Musical Instruments: A Comprehensive Dictionary (New York: W.W. Norton, 1975), p. 578, and Stanley Sadie, ed., The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music (London: Macmillan Press, 1988), p. 808.
2 My thanks to George and Donna Butler, Enfield Shaker Museum, Enfield, N.H., for their comments.
3 V.C. Sanborn, Genealogy of the Family of Samborne or Sanborn in England and America, 1194-1898 (LaGrange, Ill.: privately printed, 1899), p. 338, entry 764. My thanks to Arthur B. Kern for this citation; see letter to the author, July 2, 2000 (AFAM files).
4 David C. Young and Robert L. Taylor, Death Notices from Freewill Baptist Publications, 1811-1851(Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1985), p. 61. Young and Taylor differentiated entries, based upon the spelling of the last name as either Chamberlain or Chamberlin. This individual's notice was contained in the Chamberlain section. Of note, according to Donna-Belle Garvin and James L. Garvin, the subject was "the son of Brookfield, NH tavernkeeper Trueworthy Chamberlin. This portrait shows the son playing a violoncello, or 'church bass,’ most likely in the father's tavern hall"; see Garvin and Garvin, On the Road North of Boston, p. 13.
5 See also 1840 federal census for Brookfield, N.H.
