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Portrait of a Man

Artist Unknown
Formerly attributed to William M. S. Doyle (American, 1769 - 1828)
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1830
MediumWatercolor on paper; Pressed and gilded tin case with repoussé relief on the back; empty hair reserve
DimensionsSight: 2 1/8 × 1 13/16 inches (5.4 × 4.6 cm)
Framed: 2 3/8 × 1 15/16 inches (6.03 × 4.92 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. John W. Starr through the Starr Foundation, Inc.
Object numberF92-27
InscribedNone
On View
Not on view
Collections
DescriptionThe sitter is seen bust length, with his body turned three-quarters to the right, and his face seen almost straight on, save for light sideburns, and wears a white upturned color and stock, over which is worn a vest with horizontal stripes, which is only partially visible, under a coat with straight lapels.Provenance

Mr. John W. (1905–2000) and Mrs. Martha Jane (1906–2011) Starr, Kansas City, MO, by July 16, 1992 [1];

Their gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1992.

[1] In a memorandum from museum director Marc Wilson to curator Eliot Rowlands dated July 16, 1992, Wilson writes, “I am pleased to learn that Mrs. Starr would like to make a gift of the miniature which Robin Bolton-Smith of the National Museum of American Art has attributed to William M.S. Doyle (1769–1828).” Note that the miniature has since been de-attributed. See NAMA curatorial files.

Published References
Blythe Sobol, “Unknown, Portrait of a Man, ca. 1830,” 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. 1, ed. Aimee Marcereau DeGalan (Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2024), https://doi.org/10.37764/8322.5.3228.)
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.


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