Provenance:

Probable descent:

David Sears, Jr. (1787-1871) and wife Miriam Clarke Mason Sears (1789-1870) of Boston, Massachusetts;

to their daughter Ellen Sears Grand D'Hauteville (1819-1862), briefly married, 1837 to 1841, to Paul Daniel Gonzalve Grand D'Hauteville (1812-1889) Vaud, Switzerland and Boston;

to their son, Frederic Sears Grand D'Hauteville (1838-1918) and wife, Susan Watts Macomb (1849-1928), of Boston, Newport and Vaud, Switizerland, through the D'Hauteville family of Le Chateau D'Hauteville, Vaud, Switzerland;

Hotel Des Ventes, Geneva, Chateau D'Hauteville Vente Aux Echeres, September 11 & 12, 2015, Lot 1058.

Note:

Gilbert Stuart painted at least three portraits for the influential and well-to-do Sears family of Boston. A portrait of David Sears, Sr (1752-1816), a merchant, was completed about 1806, and portraits of Sear's son, David Jr. a financier and philanthropist, and his wife Miriam, completed in 1815. The first portrait remains with Sears descendants, the latter two may be viewed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (81.12) and Historic New England (3894-B), Boston, respectively.

This portrait was likely painted by Gilbert Stuart in the last decade of his life. The artist moved to Boston in 1805 and remained there until his death in 1828. During this Boston period the demand for Stuart portraits of the first president was steady, and the artist created numerous likenesses of Washington using an unfinished canvas of the founding father taken from life in Philadelphia in 1796 as reference. Jane Stuart, the artist's daughter sold this unfinished portrait to the Boston Athenaeum in 1831. The 'Athenaeum Portrait' is now jointly owned by the National Portrait Gallery and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Thenceforth, portraits of Washington by and after Stuart using this famous portrait as model are labeled "Athenaeum Type." Stuart is thought to have painted at least 75 "Athenaeum Type" portraits of our nation's first leader.

The present portrait illustrates another aspect of Stuart's work common to the last decade of his life. The artist habitually painted the face of his subject and left the clothing and background to be completed by others in his studio. Therefore, variations in background and costume are typical to his late "Athenaeum Type" works.

Framed: 40 x 35 x 2 1/2 in.

Canvas has been relined. stretcher replaced. Minor deposits of surface dirt and dust. Fine craquelure present throughout, with some associated minor losses at lower center in lapel. Small abrasion to right side in shoulder. Spots of white soiling present at lower center over chest. Small dot of tan accretion present at center to left of collar. Small accretion to canvas at right in hair.

Under UV: The work has been selectively cleaned, the background and jacket fluoresce green indicating old varnish with scattered strokes of inpainting- throughout-especially along edges of canvas at frame, The face has a vertical area of inpainting to proper left cheek. Some retouch under chin and to lapel. Traces of old varnish fluoresce on nose, ;lower proper left cheek under chin. Minor scuffs- one diagonal under nose

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