- 916
Robert Feke (1707 - 1752)
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
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Description
- ROBERT FEKE
- Mr. Tench Francis and his wife Elizabeth Turbutt Francis: A Pair of Portraits
- oil on canvas
- Mrs. Tench Francis: height 33 1/2 in. by width 26 1/2 in.; Mr. Tench Francis: height 33 3/4 in. by width 25 3/4 in.
This pair of portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Tench Francis have descended in the family of Anne Francis Tilghman (daughter of Tench and Elizabeth Francis). The line of descent in the Francis and Tilghman families will accompany this lot.
Provenance
Tench Francis Francis;
Anne Francis Tilghman;
Henrietta Tilghman;
Lloyd Tilghman (I);
Lloyd Tilghman (II);
Mr. Sidell Tilghman, Madison, New Jersey, 1924;
Mrs. Bayard Walker, New York.
Anne Francis Tilghman;
Henrietta Tilghman;
Lloyd Tilghman (I);
Lloyd Tilghman (II);
Mr. Sidell Tilghman, Madison, New Jersey, 1924;
Mrs. Bayard Walker, New York.
Literature
Lloyd Tilghman, Memoir of Lieutenant-Colonel Tilghman, 1876;
Hanson, Old Kent, 1876 p.292;
T. Bolton and H.L. Binsee, Antiquarian, October 1930, V. 15, p. 82;
James Thomas Flexner, "Robert Feke," Art Bulletin, 1946, V. 28, p. 199;
Henry Wilder Foote, "Robert Feke," Art Bulletin, September, 1946, V. 28, pp. 199 – 200.
Hanson, Old Kent, 1876 p.292;
T. Bolton and H.L. Binsee, Antiquarian, October 1930, V. 15, p. 82;
James Thomas Flexner, "Robert Feke," Art Bulletin, 1946, V. 28, p. 199;
Henry Wilder Foote, "Robert Feke," Art Bulletin, September, 1946, V. 28, pp. 199 – 200.
Condition
Wax relined, cleaned, and re-stretched; new frame and stretchers; scattered in-painting throughout
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
Tench Francis was probably born in Ireland. He was a prominent lawyer and jurist in Colonial Maryland and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sometime before 1720, after studying law in London, he moved to America as an attorney for Lord Baltimore. In Kent County, Maryland, he opened a law office. From 1726 to 1734 he was clerk of Talbot County Court before being elected for a three-year term as legislative representative for Talbot County. He later settled in Philadelphia, where he was attorney-general of Pennsylvania, and recorder of Philadelphia from 1750 to 1755. In 1724, he married Elizabeth Turbutt (1708 – 1800). His daughter Margaret married Chief Justice Edward Shippen and was mother-in-law of Benedict Arnold. His daughter Anne married James Tilgham and a grandson, Tench Tilghman, became an aide-de-camp to George Washington. Tench Francis died in Philadelphia in 1758.
Feke painted Tench Francis twice. The present examples are thought to be earlier, painted circa 1740. The second portrait of Mrs. Tench Francis, descended in the family of Margaret Francis Shippen, sold in these rooms on January 21, 2012, Important Americana, sale 8823, lot 167. It had been on long-term loan at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The companion portrait of Tench Francis is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, acquired in 1934.