Lot 230 Dα

Edgar Allan Poe described a work at the centre of his famous story “The Oval Portrait” - a highly lifelike depiction of a young woman - as being “much in the style of the favourite heads of Sully”.
Sully began to paint at the age of 12. He studied under the renowned portrait painter Gilbert Stuart in Boston. In 1799 he returned to his childhood home of Richmond, Virginia, where he worked in a painter's studio together with his older brother Lawrence. In circa 1806, around two years after his brother's death, he returned to Philadelphia. This was followed by a trip to the UK in 1809, where he worked and studied under Benjamin West at the Royal Academy in London. Following his return to Philadelphia he painted the portraits of numerous well-known personalities from politics and high society, including Thomas Jefferson. The present work is thought to depict Alwina Agnes Clementina Bohlen (1809-1893), daughter of Bohl Bohlen and Anna Nancy Schimmel, and was probably painted in Philadelphia in around 1830.
Sully painted a particularly famous portrait of the young Queen Victoria in 1837 - 1838. This work is now housed in the Wallace Collection in London. His portraits are characterised by their clearly and finely modelled faces, which he often depicts against comparatively bright and colourful backgrounds and skies. Whilst he uses almost draughtsmanlike brushwork to depict the sitter's features, the clothing and background display a confident, dynamic air. This style is heavily influenced by the work of Thomas Lawrence and Benjamin West.