The Artist “V,” Portrait of a Man, ca. 1775

Chicago:

Aimee Marcereau DeGalan, “The Artist ‘V,’ Portrait of a Man, ca. 1775,” catalogue entry in Aimee Marcereau DeGalan, Blythe Sobol, and Maggie Keenan, The Starr Collection of Portrait Miniatures, 1500–1850: The Collections of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, vol. 3, ed. Aimee Marcereau DeGalan (Kansas City: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2024), https://doi.org/10.37764/8322.5.1720.

MLA:

Marcereau DeGalan, Aimee. “The Artist ‘V,’ Portrait of a Man, ca. 1775,” catalogue entry. Aimee Marcereau DeGalan, Blythe Sobol, and Maggie Keenan. The Starr Collection of Portrait Miniatures, 1500–1850: The Collections of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, edited by Aimee Marcereau DeGalan, vol. 3, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2024. doi: 10.37764/8322.5.1720.

See the artist’s biography in volume 4.

This intriguing portrait, previously attributed to Lewis Vaslet (1742–1808) of Bath, has been reassigned to the enigmatic artist known solely by the initial “V.”¹ The misattribution to Vaslet may have arisen due to the inclusion of a cursive “V.” in the lower right corner. Because Vaslet did not sign his miniatures, the presence of this distinctive initial instead points to a different hand at work.

The technique employed in this portrait is of particular interest, as it displays a remarkably thin and scraped application of paint. Rather than traditional watercolor, the method bears a striking resemblance to oil painting, suggesting perhaps the artist was a painter in this medium as well. However, it should be noted that the craftsmanship of this piece falls short of the finesse found in some of the other works attributed to “V.”²

This unidentified gentleman is set against a plain, mottled gray-brown backdrop and is dressed in a blue double-breasted coat with yellow facings, with a white jabot around his neck. The sitter’s dark eyebrows reveal the natural color of his hair, which has been powdered in accordance with the fashion of the era. The artist employs a saturated palette and approaches the hair in a very linear fashion. The understated presence of the sitter suggests that he may belong to the merchant class or hail from a rural background; the portrait is a sober representation of an unassuming man.

Although examples of work by the artist “V” have surfaced in public collections and sales, the true identity and full body of work by this artist remain elusive. This portrait offers a captivating glimpse into the talent and style of this mysterious figure.

Notes

1. Elle Shushan first suggested the attribution of the Artist “V” during her 2017 visit. Notes in NAMA curatorial files.

2. See, in particular, the example in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art: The Artist “V,” Portrait of a Woman, ca. 1775, watercolor on ivory in a gold locket, 1 5/8 x 1 3/8 in. (4.1 x 3.5 cm), 2011.39, https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2011.39.

Elsie Gertrude Kehoe (1888–1967), Sussex, England, by 1950;

Purchased from her sale, Objects of Vertu, Fine Watches, Etc., Including The Property of Mrs. W. D. Dickson; also Fine Portrait Miniatures Comprising The Property of Mrs. Kehoe, Sotheby’s, London, June 15, 1950, lot 141, as by Lewis Vaslet, A Miniature of a Man, by H. P. Reynolds, 1950 [1];

Mr. John W. (1905–2000) and Mrs. Martha Jane (1906–2011) Starr, Kansas City, MO, by 1958;

Their gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1958.

Notes

[1] Described in the catalogue as “A Miniature of a Man, by Lewis Vaslet, signed with initial, nearly full face, half-length, powdered hair, white cravat, yellow vest and blue coat, oval, 2 1/2 in.; in fitted case. This is believed to be one of the very few signed miniatures by Vaslet, it was recorded by Long too late for insertion in his great work, but is by the same hand as those mentioned under the initial ‘V.’, p. 445.” H. P. Reynolds bought lot 141 for 10 pounds.

Catalogue of Objects of Vertu, Fine Watches, Etc., Including The Property of Mrs. W. D. Dickson; also Fine Portrait Miniatures Comprising The Property of Mrs. Kehoe (London: Sotheby’s, June 15, 1950), 18, as by Lewis Vaslet, A Miniature of a Man.

Ross E. Taggart, The Starr Collection of Miniatures in the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery (Kansas City, MO: Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum, 1971), no. 198, p. 67, (repro.), as Unknown Man.