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Nehemiah Partridge
(1683-1737)
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| Think that you may own a painting by Nehemiah Partridge? We authenticate, appraise and research all paintings by this great artist.
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| Nehemiah Partridge was an early American Colonial painter, famous for his portraits of New England aristocrats. Partridge was said to have created the first ever full-length, large scale American portrait of a woman, which is this one, attributed to Partridge of Mrs. David Verplanck.
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Portrait of Mrs. David Verplanck 1722
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Partridge lived and worked in New York for most of his career, alternating between the Albany and Schenectady areas from 1718-1725. It is said that Partridge was an itinerant, and was most likely from New Hampshire, and didn’t truly begin to paint until 1713. Before then he worked in Boston selling art supplies. It is known that during his time in Albany from 1718-1721 he created some 50 portraits of wealthy Americans. Some of the families that he has been attributed to painting were the Livingstons, the Sanders, the Schuylers, the Ten Broecks and the Wendells.
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Catherine Ten Broeck 1719
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| One particularly interesting thing about Partridge’s work is the way that he signed some of his portraits. He would add a red inscription which would catalog the age of the sitter as well as the date. These “Aetats Sua’s” typically were inscribed “Aetats Sua/21 years/1720” on the bottom right hand corner of the painting.
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Gerrit Symonse Veeder
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| Partridge’s work can easily be distinguished from other painters of the time by his use of quick brush strokes and a dark color palette. It is not unusual for Partridge’s backgrounds to appear as though they were created in a hurry. Many of Partridge’s sitters also seem to have a very rigid and stiff appearance, with almost pained and squinting features.
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Mr. Willson 1720 attributed to Partridge
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| As with many other early American artists, the details of Partridge’s life are little known today by art historians. There were a number of “limner” painters during this time who would be commissioned by wealthy families to be their appointed portrait painters. These limners often went unnamed, and today pose a mystery for art historians as to which artists created what painting. However, through research and authentication methods, many art experts have been able to attribute otherwise unknown “limner” paintings to specific artists, such as Partridge. Could you own one of these family portrait “limner” paintings?
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Still wondering about an early American portrait, perhaps passed on through generations in your family? Contact us…it could be by Nehemiah Partridge.
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