Lot 748
  • 748

Henry Benbridge 1743 - 1812

Estimate
20,000 - 40,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Henry Benbridge
  • MR. AND MRS. ROSTI ROLLA GENT
  • oil on canvas
  • 12 in. by 9 1/8 in.

Provenance

M. Knoedler & Co., New York, New York;
Philip H. Bradley Co., Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

Exhibited

Washington, D.C., National Portrait Gallery, April-May, 1961.

Condition

Both with old re-lining. The gentleman has in-painting and abrasions around the lower jaw and chin and around the right eye. The lady has both new stretchers and drams. Series of vertical flakes along left side of face.
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

Henry Benbridge (1742-1812) was born in Philadelphia where he started his early career studying under John Wollaston. Between 1765 to 1769, Benbridge traveled to Italy to further his artistic training, followed by a trip to London where he visited and studied with Benjamin West (a relative by marriage). He returned to Philadelphia and Charleston in 1770, employing his European training and experience to supplant Jeremiah Theus as the leading portraitist in Charleston. He was cultivated and well-educated, connected to the prominent artists and thinkers of his day and one of the most capable and successful portraitist of his time. He executed both miniatures and full-scale portraits of the elite in Charleston. When the British occupied Charleston in 1780, Benbridge was captured and banished St. Augustine, Florida until 1783. 

Anita Schorsch's files on these portraits note that they are of "Mr. and Mrs. Rosti Rolla Gent." She wrote that it was possible they were painted while he was in Italy.