2. Attributed to Christian Gullager (Guldager)(Danish/American, 1759-1826)

Companion Portraits of a Gentleman and Gentlewoman.
oil on canvas, c. 1792, framed.
29 1/2" x 24 1/2" each.

4,000/6,000     

These attractive Federal period portraits are consistent with the style of Christian Gullager, a painter born in Copenhagen who emigrated to Massachusetts in 1786, and quickly distinguished himself as a major portraitist as well as a theatrical painter and modeller in plaster. He worked initially in Newburyport, then in Boston from 1789 to 1797, where he was recognized as "one of the best painters in the metropolis." From the fall of 1797 to the spring of 1798 he worked in New York City as a theatrical painter, then moved to Philadelphia where he remained from 1798 to 1805. He returned to New York again in 1806-7, when he left his family and disappeared entirely until shortly before his death, which occurred in Philadelphia in 1826, in the home of his son-in-law.

The present works date from Gullager's Boston period, which was the most productive phase of his career. In these works, the strong influence of Gilbert Stuart's highly romantic style can be felt. Gullager emulated Stuart's fashionable poses and painterly brushwork which set the new standard for American portraiture in the 1790s. Like Stuart, Gullager constructed his compostions which the emphasis placed clearly on the centrally placed head. He also toned down his palette so that the chromatic shifts were subtler.

Approximately 60 portraits are attributed to Gullager. His best known work was a portrait of George Washington done from life in Boston in October 1789.

Note: Paper label on reverse of frame notes that "Christopher Gulager" painted these works. Additionally, handwritten framers' labels reading "B.H. Shelton, 66 Beacon St." are affixed to the stretchers of each painting.

Condition: soil and abrasion on surface, crazed pigment layer, heavy masking varnish, relined, evidence of multiple early restorations and inpainting.