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[Washington, George] Miniature Portrait on Ivory by Edward Savage, c. 1793

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Historical Memorabilia Start Price:7,500.00 USD Estimated At:NA
[Washington, George] Miniature Portrait on Ivory by Edward Savage, c. 1793
DEMO LOT
[washington, George] Miniature Portrait on Ivory By Edward Savage, C. 1793. Three-quarter portrait of Washington seated at a table and holding a map of Washington, D.C. by Pierre L'Enfant, 4 x 5� in. Signed vertically at lower right. In 6� x 8� in. frame.

Savage (1761-1817) was a Massachusetts-born goldsmith, engraver, and painter. In 1789, Harvard University sent him to paint a portrait of President George Washington; Washington's diary records three sittings for this painting. A 1792 print made from the painting was used as a frontispiece for numerous books published in the 1790s. In 1791 Savage traveled to London and studied under Benjamin West; he also learned how to engrave in mezzotint and stipple. He returned to America in 1794 and after marrying in Boston, subsequently lived in Philadelphia, New York, and Princeton. Savage painted at least seven portraits of George Washington and two of Martha Washington, the most famous of his paintings being "The Washington Family," finished in 1796 and now at the National Gallery; this was the only contemporary painting depicting Washington at Mount Vernon.

This miniature on ivory is modeled after Savage's 1793 painting of Washington, which is now in the Art Institute of Chicago. Washington is presented as a statesman dressed in velvet and not as a military man in uniform. He holds the plan for the new seat of government in Washington and looks before him. Dr. Joseph Fields, Hendershott Museum Consultants, Claude Harkins.
Estimated Value $15,000 - 25,000.