CHARLES BIRD KING (Washington, D.C., 1785-1862). PORTRAIT OF STEPHEN DECATUR (JANUARY 5, 1779 - MARCH 22, 1820), circa 1819- early 1820. Oil on canvas, mounted on panel.
Click here to view supplemental information for this lot.
THE COLLECTOR MAINTAINS THAT AN APPROPRIATE AUCTION ESTIMATE, BASED ON PRICES REALIZED FOR RECENTLY SOLD WORKS BY CHARLES BIRD KING, IS $1,000,000-2,000,000 - Framed, 14 in. x 12 ½ in.
The last known life portrait of Decatur, executed circa 1819-20 shortly before he died from wounds at age 41, which he incurred while fighting a duel with James Barron, a U.S. Naval officer, who Decatur had fairly criticized for his bad performance.
Provenance: William Randolph Hearst collection Hammer Galleries, NY City, NY, c. 1939-1940 The estate of Benjamin Buerk, Buffalo, NY
In a covering letter to Mr. Benjamin Buerk, Hammer Galleries stated that this Stephen Decatur portrait came from part of the collection of William Randolph Hearst, and observed that "Mr. Hearst was assisted by the world's leading experts and art dealers who combed the earth to add new treasures to this vast collection which is considered the world's greatest private collection of art treasures. While many of the magnificent works from the William Randolph Hearst collection were acquired by museums of this country, the same selectiveness which guided Mr. Hearst in the choice of these works of art, is evident in the present collection of antiques and art objects, and their intrinsic value is enhanced by the fact that they represent almost fifty years of collecting."
