IMPORTANT 19th c FOLK ART PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG GENTLEMAN POSSIBLE HORACE BUNDY..A MASTERPIECE OF 19th c FOLK ART Start Price USD 9.99 Current Price USD 1,701.16 Time Left - Bid Count 19 Buy It Now Price USD 3,000.00 Reserve Price - Start Time Sunday, May 11, 2008 End Time Wednesday, May 21, 2008 Location catskill mountian foothills See more about 'IMPORTANT 19th c FOLK ART PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG GENTLEMAN' Description ~IMPORTANT 19th c FOLK ART PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG GENTLEMAN~ When you think of the quintessential folk art portrait of a man...THIS is the style of portrait you think of. This piece is simply INCREDIBLE!! This piece is of a stunningly handsome young man...perhaps a doctor or a lawyer of the time...he is dashing in every way...and painted with such expertise that he is most certainly the work of one of the GREAT folk art portrait painters of the mid 19th century.  His  eyes are simply AMAZING..and he even has a hint of a 5 o'clock shadow! He sits in front of a bookcase and a silver silk curtain. He holds a book in one hand and wears a red ring on his index finger. You will search for a very, very long time to find a more handsome folk art portrait of a man. I doubt one exists! This piece has many charactoristics of pieces by HORACE BUNDY...an IMPORTANT AMERICAN FOLK ART PORTRAIT PAINTER from NEW HAMPSHIRE.  I have included a photograph of a known Horace Bundy portrait to compare this piece with.  Both subjects sit in a stiff upright pose..in front of a shelf of books..both sit in front of silver silk curtains. The hands..especially the joints of the fingers look identical...as well as the style of clothes are similar which date these two portraits around the same time..1840's.  The piece is UNSIGNED however.   ~~~~~CONDITION~~~~~ The condition of this piece is EXCELLENT. It does have a couple issues...most notibly a 2" z shaped tear to the canvas at the top of the mans head. It has been stabelized with duct tape to discourage further tearing. This is a very easy and fairly inexpensive fix by a professional conservator. There is also a few areas of paint "rubbing" on the elbow and sleeve of the jacket...and 1 pinprick size hole in one of the books..only seen when held up to backlighting. There is also one small old repair to the arm of the jacket. All these issues are EASILY resolved by a professional. Under BLACK LIGHT..I see NO INPAINTING. The piece is NOT RELINED. The frame is a later 19th century frame that has been painted black. The frame is actually a bit too small for this piece and the piece has been nailed to and screwed to the frame through the stretcher. The frame has some splits where it was nailed and screwed to the stretcher and those areas need the black paint touched-up. The frame is sturdy..and ready to hang. VERY RARELY do you come across such an INCREDIBLE FOLK ART PORTRAIT of a man. This is without question the BEST FOLK ART PORTRAIT OF A MAN I HAVE EVER OWNED.  This is one of those rare pieces you just can't let get away! A TRUE MASTERPICE of 19th century FOLK ART! As an UNKNOWN ARTIST this piece would sell in a gallery for several thousand dollars. If this turns out to be a HORACE BUNDY it would sell for TENS OF THOUSANDS!   ~~CONDITIONS OF SALE~~ PLEASE ASK ALL QUESTIONS PRIOR TO BIDDING AS ALL SALES ARE FINAL. I 100% GUARANTEE THIS PIECE TO BE an ORIGINAL 19th century PIECE and NOT a MODERN REPRODUCTION! Bidders with 0 feedback or excessive negative feedback or with stagnet accounts please contact me PRIOR to bidding or you bid may be cancelled.  Thanks!   ~~~~~~~~~SHIPPING~~~~~~~~~~ Shipping in the U.S. will be $35.00 UPS or FEDEX. I ship within 24 hours of CLEARED payment. OVERSEAS shipping will be EXACT shipping charges and will be determined AFTER the sale.   In the next several weeks I will be listing some TRULY INCREDIBLE FOLK ART PIECES...a AMMI PHILLIPS...a SIGNED MOSES CONNER family register...and more..so keep looking!On May-11-08 at 03:00:07 PDT, seller added the following information:****SIZE**** 23" x 20" SIGHT 26" x 21 1/2 " FRAMED Place a Bid!