Of American or Dutch origin, the primitive and naive depiction in oils on canvas of a young boy, possibly a member of the Livingston family, standing in a landscape with a country house in the background to parkland, the boy holding a hat in one hand and a book in the other, the whole surviving from the middle of the eighteenth century.
Unknown.
Pieter Vanderlyn (c. 1687–1778) was a Dutch-American limner, or portrait painter, active in the Hudson Valley region of New York during the early to mid-18th century. He is known for his straightforward, somewhat naive style, characteristic of American folk art of the period. Unlike his more famous grandson, John Vanderlyn, Pieter did not sign his works, making attribution challenging.
The painting’s style and subject matter are consistent with Pieter Vanderlyn’s known works. The figure’s stiff pose, the somewhat flat perspective, and the attention to detail in the clothing are all typical of his style. The presence of a house in the background is also a recurring motif in Vanderlyn’s portraits. Given the time period and location, it is plausible that the painting depicts a member of the Livingston family, a prominent family in the Hudson Valley during the 18th century.
An intriguing sleepy picture that would benefit from further research and restoration.
The painting remains uncleaned for the most part, one can see the sky blue to the upper part of the picture where a test area has been cleaned. It would be an entirely different proposition if cleaned well and at present is in desirable un-meddled with order with no holes or tears. There doesn’t appear to be any signature or date marking. The reverse is very interesting with pasted nineteenth century period newspapers.
By appointment only.
