Portrait of a Gentleman Hunter
American or British, 19th century
Oil on canvas laid on masonite, 29 ¼ x 24 ½, in gilt frame, 37 ¼ x 22 ¼ inches

A charming, naive portrait of a gentleman with two hounds. The sitter wears a hunting outfit and holds a rifle in his left hand. His hunting outfit consists of a buttoned jacket, a waistcoat, and a neckerchief. He wears a gunpowder flask around his neck, tucked into his vest.

According to family tradition, the sitter is John Shreve of Upper Marlborough, Maryland, a wastrel who pursued older women, actresses, and generally lived an unwholesome life. For these reasons, the portrait is said to have been put away in an attic, where it suffered from water damage, later repaired in the 1950s. The painting descended in the family until it was sold in 2017.

$1,800