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Lot 99: Samuel Finley Breese Morse (1791-1828), Portrait of Major General Thomas Pinckney (1750-1828) of Charleston, South Carolina, circa 1820

Est: $60,000 USD - $100,000 USDSold:
Freeman'sPhiladelphia, PA, USNovember 12, 2019

Item Overview

Description

Samuel Finley Breese Morse (1791-1828)

Portrait of Major General Thomas Pinckney (1750-1828) of Charleston, South Carolina, circa 1820

Oil on canvas, verso retains two printed exhibition labels from the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., framed.

43 in. x 38 in. (sight)



PROVENANCE:

By descent in the Pinckney family to the present owners.

Condition Report

oil on canvas mounted on Masonite with an unknown adhesive:

The original outer paint layers appear abraded overall. There is considerable retouching covering the clothing and background drapery as well as discrete areas in the face and other scattered areas of the image. There are some unretouched losses at the intersection of crackle in the background to the left of the head. The varnish is strongly discolored although the head appears to have been selectively cleaned. The varnish is matte and uneven and the colors lack saturation. There is a milky appearance (bloom) to some areas of the jacket. There is heavy grime on the surface. There is a hard horizontal lump at the left corner where the painting appears to have delaminated from the Masonite panel. The painting is in fair but stable condition.

The painting has been professionally cleaned recently: heavy surface grime was removed with dilute Vulpex Soap (potassium methyl cyclohexyl oleate) in mineral spirits. The cleaner was cleared from the surface with warm water. The painting was given a brush coat of Winsor & Newton Artists' Gloss Varnish, Ketone resin-N in an unknown petroleum distillate, to even the gloss and saturate the colors. Losses to the frame gilding were touched up with pigments bound in the PVA resin AYAB in ethanol.


Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Freeman's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Freeman''s is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Freeman's. For that reason, Freeman's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. All transactions are governed by Freeman's Conditions of Sale.

Notes

Though born in Charleston, Thomas Pinckney spent most of his youth in England. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church College and studied law at the Middle Temple. Pinckney returned to South Carolina in 1774 and was admitted to the Bar and began a law practice. A staunch supporter of American Independence, Pinckney joined the First South Carolina Regiment- as a Captain in 1775, was responsible for drilling and recruitment of soldiers and involved in fortification engineering. He served as an aide-de-camp to General Horatio Gates and was wounded and captured at the Battle of Camden. In 1781, Pinckney served under the Marquis de Lafayette in Virginia.
After the completion of the War of Independence, Pinckney returned to his legal practice and plantation management. He was elected Governor of South Carolina in 1787, and presided over the South Carolina State convention to ratify the Constitution. Pinckney later served in the South Carolina House of Representatives. From 1792 to 1796, Pinckney held the position of Minister to Britain under President George Washington and in 1795 was asked to serve as a Special Envoy to Spain. In that role Pinckney negotiated the Treaty of San Lorenzo which granted Americans the privilege to use the Port of New Orleans with access to the Mississippi River. It also established a clear boundary between Spanish Florida and the United States.
Upon return to the United States Pinckney was nominated as the Federalist candidate for President in the election of 1796. He came in third place after, Adams and Jefferson. Pinckney served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1797-1801.
Pinckney returned to military service at the request of President James Madison during the War of 1812, with the rank of Major General in charge of the Southern Division of the U.S. Army. A founding member of the Society of Cincinnati, Pinckney became its 4th President General, succeeding his brother, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney.

The brilliant inventor-artist Samuel Finley Breese Morse of Boston spent the winters of 1817 through 1821 working in Charleston, painting portraits of the city''s elite. His father, a Congregationalist minister, Jebediah Morse, was a friend of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Thomas''s brother, and his maternal uncle, James E.B. Finley, was a well-known Charleston physician. The latter wrote to his nephew June 16, 1818, "I saw old General C.C. Pinckney yesterday, and he told me in his laughing, humourous way, that he had requested you to draw his brother Thomas twenty years younger than he really was, so as to be a companion to his own when he was twenty years older that at this time, and to flatter him, as he had directed Stuart to do." Morse painted both Pinckney brothers.





Exhibition History:

"If Elected. Unsuccessful Candidates for the Presidency, 1796-1968,"National portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., May 3 to September 4, 1972.


"Old Hickory: A Life Sketch of Jackson," National Portrait Gallery,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., November 9., 1990-January 13 1991 and Tennessee State Museum , February 18,1991 - April 29, 1991.

Columbia Museum of Art. Columbia, South Carolina.
Greenville County Museum of Art , Greenville, South Carolina.

Literature:

Nina G. Parris, "South Carolina Collection, 1779-1985," (1986) Columbia Museum of Art, 24.

Lillian B. Miller, If Elected. Unsuccessful Candidates for the Presidency, 1796-1968, (1972) 24.

Harry B. Wehle, Samuel F. B. Morse American Painter - A Study Occasioned by an Exhibition of his Paintings , February 16 through March 27, 1932, (1932) ,41.




Payment & Shipping

Accepted forms of payment: Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Freeman's does not offer packing, shipping or freighting service. ALL shipping is the sole responsibility of the buyer. Upon completion of the transaction, please call or email a shipper of your choice; you may call one shipper to do the job but are also welcome to call several in order to get quotes (please make sure this is clear to those you are calling)

Auction Details

American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts

by
Freeman's
November 12, 2019, 10:00 AM EST

2400 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, US

Terms

Live bidding may start higher or lower

Buyer's Premium

$0 - 200,000:30.0%
$200,001 - 3,000,000:25.0%
$3,000,001+:17.0%

Bidding Increments

From:To:Increment:
$0$199$10
$200$499$25
$500$999$50
$1,000$2,999$100
$3,000$4,999$250
$5,000$9,999$500
$10,000$29,999$1,000
$30,000$49,999$2,500
$50,000$99,999$5,000
$100,000+$10,000

Terms & Conditions

All property offered and sold through Freeman's, ("Auctioneer", or "Broker", or the "Company") shall be offered and sold on the terms and conditions set forth in these Conditions of Sale. By participating in any sale, you acknowledge that you are bound by these terms and conditions.

Freeman's has made every effort to catalogue and describe accurately property to be sold. The Company, however, assumes no risk, liability or responsibility for the identification or authenticity or authorship, or weight, count, or measure of any property identified in its catalogue or lists of sale. This shall include, among others, the identity of the creator, the period, culture, source of origin, as the case may be, with which the creation of any property is identified in any publication.

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A buyer's premium will be added to the successful bid price and is payable by the purchaser as part of the total purchase price. The buyer's premium is 25% of the successful bid price up to and including $200,000, 20% between $200,001 and $3,000,000, and 12% on any amount in excess of $3,000,001. Please note that Invaluable charges an additional 5% to the Buyer's Premium for their services

Unless exempted by law from the payment thereof, the purchaser will be required to pay any and all applicable state and/or local sales taxes. Deliveries to be made outside the state where a sale is conducted may therefore be subject to a corresponding or compensating tax in another state.

Contract Information

All property offered and sold through Samuel T. Freeman & Co., ("Auctioneer", or "Broker", or the "Company") shall be offered and sold on the terms and conditions set forth in these Conditions of Sale. By participating in any sale, you acknowledge that you are bound by these terms and conditions.

Payment Information

An invoice representing the total due of hammer + buyer's premium + sales tax (if applicable) will be issued and is due within 10 days of the sale. Acceptable forms of payment include cash, checks payable in US dollars, and bank transfers. Freeman's does not accept credit cards. Lots purchased will not be released until funds have cleared the bank.

Shipping Information

Freeman's does not offer packing, shipping or freighting service. ALL shipping is the sole responsibility of the buyer. Upon completion of the transaction, please call or email a shipper of your choice; you may call one shipper to do the job but are also welcome to call several in order to get quotes (please make sure this is clear to those you are calling)

Buyer's Premium

A buyer's premium will be added to your successful bid at the rate of 25% on the first 200,000, 20% between 200,001 and 3,000,000, and 12% thereafter. Be sure to factor in the buyer's premium when determining your maximum bid. Invaluable/eBay charges an additional 5% fee that will be added to your buyer's premium.

Taxes on your purchase

Unless exempted by law, from the payment thereof, the purchaser will be required to pay any and all applicable state and/or local sales taxes. Deliveries to be made outside the state where a sale is conducted may therefore be subject to a corresponding or compensating tax in another state.

Condition Statement

Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by Freeman's Conditions of Sale. Samuel T. Freeman & Co. has made every effort to catalogue and describe accurately property to be sold. The Company, however, assumes no risk, liability or responsibility for the identification or authenticity or authorship, or weight, count, or measure of any property identified in its catalogue or lists of sale. This shall include, among others, the identity of the creator, the period, culture, source of origin, as the case may be, with which the creation of any property is identified in any publication.