W. H. Browne American, 19th Century Family Group with a Parrot, 1838 Oil on canvas 39 1/4 x 53 inches Provenance: [With] Burchard, Hyannis, MA Sally Turner, Plainfield, NJ, until 1964 Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, Cambridge, MD, until 1973 Gift of the above to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1973 Literature: John Caldwell and Oswaldo Rodriguez Roque, American Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Volume I, A Catalogue of Works by Artists Born by 1815, New York, 1994, pp. 485-486, illus. p. 486 Little is known of the life and work of W. H. Browne. The two extant works by him, both dated 1838, appear to have been painted in the vicinity of Providence, Rhode Island. It is possible that that he attempted portraits for a finite period of a year or less, and that he pursued another career such as sign painting. At the time the present work was donated to The Metropolitan Museum of Art by the esteemed collectors Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, it was thought that the family depicted lived in Dorchester, Massachusetts, but this has not been confirmed. The parrot positioned at the center of the composition has led to speculation that the father was a sea captain, and the bird a souvenir from one of his voyages. In any event, the family seen here is fashionably dressed, and the furniture and room trappings seem to suggest that they enjoyed a comfortable middle-class lifestyle. C Property of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Not examined out of frame. Wax relined; stretchers not original. Flattened craquelure. Dense old varnish layer; difficult to distinguish possible earlier restoration under UV exam - i.e. possible earlier restoration/reinforcement in background to the right of the hair and brow of the mother. Possible repaired tear about three inches long in drapery; and another 1 inch tear below the book held by the father. Scattered inpaint. Some inpaint into craquelure in the rear wall area above the books, and touches of inpaint in the forehead of the older child, as well as the cheek and mouth of the mother. Heydenryk frame.
W. H. Browne American, 19th Century Family Group with a Parrot, 1838 Oil on canvas 39 1/4 x 53 inches Provenance: [With] Burchard, Hyannis, MA Sally Turner, Plainfield, NJ, until 1964 Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, Cambridge, MD, until 1973 Gift of the above to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1973 Literature: John Caldwell and Oswaldo Rodriguez Roque, American Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Volume I, A Catalogue of Works by Artists Born by 1815, New York, 1994, pp. 485-486, illus. p. 486 Little is known of the life and work of W. H. Browne. The two extant works by him, both dated 1838, appear to have been painted in the vicinity of Providence, Rhode Island. It is possible that that he attempted portraits for a finite period of a year or less, and that he pursued another career such as sign painting. At the time the present work was donated to The Metropolitan Museum of Art by the esteemed collectors Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, it was thought that the family depicted lived in Dorchester, Massachusetts, but this has not been confirmed. The parrot positioned at the center of the composition has led to speculation that the father was a sea captain, and the bird a souvenir from one of his voyages. In any event, the family seen here is fashionably dressed, and the furniture and room trappings seem to suggest that they enjoyed a comfortable middle-class lifestyle. C Property of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Not examined out of frame. Wax relined; stretchers not original. Flattened craquelure. Dense old varnish layer; difficult to distinguish possible earlier restoration under UV exam - i.e. possible earlier restoration/reinforcement in background to the right of the hair and brow of the mother. Possible repaired tear about three inches long in drapery; and another 1 inch tear below the book held by the father. Scattered inpaint. Some inpaint into craquelure in the rear wall area above the books, and touches of inpaint in the forehead of the older child, as well as the cheek and mouth of the mother. Heydenryk frame.
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
