Anonymous (American, active mid-19th century). Pair of Portraits. Oil on canvas, 1840. Month and year of portrait and age of subject inscribed on verso of each. A striking pair of American portrait paintings featuring a seated lady of age 21 and a gentleman of age 26 from August 1840, each inscribed on the verso with their age and the year and the woman bearing the haunting phrase: "Beauty is lost in the grasp of death" - suggesting these were perhaps posthumous portraits. Dressed in black with somber expressions, the subjects gaze outward, addressing their viewers with dark, solemn stares. Holding a book, the lady wears a shoulder-bearing dress with lace trim and long-flared sleeves, highlighting her milky white complexion. Pairs of ringlets fall from her upswept coiffure, framing her sweet visage as a necklace of beads lies across her clavicle just beneath drop earrings. Alternatively, the male poses in a Napoleonic stance with his left hand reaching behind the right lapel of his suit. Size (both about the same): 24.5" W x 27.5" H (62.2 cm x 69.8 cm)

His ear-length coiffure is parted to the side as a high collar envelops his noble visage, which shows the faintest shadow of a beard around his full lips. Note how neither figure wears a wedding or engagement ring, inviting us to ponder just how these two figures were related. Even more, who were they and how did they each meet such an untimely demise? It appears, in this case, not only beauty but also narrative has been lost in the grasp of death.

The posthumous portrait was adopted from European traditions of portraying the dead as alive. Though posthumous portraiture was not invented in America, the style was adapted to suit the American patron's preferences. These mourning portraits were often painted in a distinguishable manner with easily recognizable symbolism. For the large-scale portraits, the "sitter" is often shown as seated or standing and looks very much alive and well.

Most popular during the nineteenth century, the drive behind the patronage of posthumous portraiture came from complex mourning rituals that are quite different from modern funerals. As access to funeral homes was not always possible close contact with the deceased was the norm. Portraits completed after a death were most often commissioned during the mourning period. Sketching straight from the corpse was done when an artist was readily available, even taking measurements straight from the corpse. If the commission was filled after the burial, the artist would be adapted from pre-existing daguerreotypes, sketched from an earlier portrait, or potentially even modeled from family members with similar features. (Phoebe Lloyd, "Posthumous Portraits of Children in Nineteenth-century America" Social Science: 1986, 32-38.)

Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection, acquired before 2000

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#186114

Month and year of portrait and age of subject inscribed on verso of each. Verso of lady's portrait additionally inscribed: "Beauty is lost in the grasp of death." Top and left peripheries of lady's portrait have been unadhered from wooden frame. Both have significant wear with areas of tearing and creases to canvas as shown. Darkening and some patina to canvases, as well as some fraying and tearing to peripheries; all could be helped by a professional cleaning and preservation service. Imagery very clear with good remaining details.