Beschreibung:

Title: Nine eighteenth or early nineteenth century American ink and wash Physiognomy studies after Charles Le Brun depicting human emotions Author: Place: No place [America] Publisher: Date: [c. 1780-1812] Description: Nine drawings, each about 24x20 cm (10x7½") laid paper with watermark of Samuel Thurber, Jr. & Company, Providence Rhode island, all housed in mylar sleeves, four are additionally matted for display. With matting: 32x27 cm (12½x10½"). Your current temperament may be reflected within one of these nine American physiognomy studies of human faces. These original drawings represent varied emotions, all uniformly accomplished on late 18th or early 19th century watermarked Rhode Island paper. The drawings, done in exuberant Baroque style, were done after the drawings of 17th century French Artist Charles Le Brun whose physiognometric caricatures were first published in 1698 in Méthode pour Apprendre à Dessiner les Passions. The drawings are captioned in English in a flowing script, but, interestingly, there also appear to be palimpsests of an earlier captioning done with block letters. Perhaps the source from which the anonymous American artist copied Le Brun's drawings was Bowles's Passions of the Soul (London, ca. 1785) in which the French captions to Le Brun's illustrations are in script and the English in block letters. Purchased in Rhode Island, these drawings are anecdotally possibly associated with a school for girls within the state. Lot Amendments Condition: Some leaves with small losses, one with a closed tear, some miniscule chips at edges, spots of foxing; very good. Item number: 281072