Lot Essay
As one of the more prolific and under-catalogued itinerant artists working in colonial America, John Durand's career and the full scope of his work remains distinctive yet unknown. His portraits documented the elite of Virginia and New York, and evidence of his presence in these two areas appears in local newspapers and public records throughout the third quarter of the 18th century.
Durand's first portrait, executed in Virginia and dated 1765 is presently in a private collection. He subsequently appeared in New York City with his dated portraits in 1766 of the six children of James Beekman, presently in the collection of the New-York Historical Society, and with his advertisement on 26 November 1767 in the New York Journal for his drawing school. The portraits of the Beekman children were quickly followed by other local commissions including the likenesses of the Rapalje and Bancker families, also in the collection of the New-York Historical Society, and members of the Rays family, now in the collection of the Museum of the City of New York. In addition to the portraits executed by Durand in New York City in the mid-1760s, he is also known to have worked in Connecticut, where he painted the likeness of Sarah Whitehead Hubbard, presently in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1768. Also painted during this brief but productive period in Connecticut were Mr. and Mrs. James Rice, now in the collection of New Haven Colony Historical Society; Mary B. Lathrop, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and Mr. and Mrs. John Lathrop, now in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Durand returned to Connecticut in 1772 when he painted Benjamin Douglas, also in the collection of the New Haven Colony Historical Society and Rufus and Hannah Choate Lathrop, formerly in the collection of Bertram K. and Nina Fletcher Little.
By 1769, Durand was working in Virginia where he signed and dated a portrait of Elizabeth Boush1 and advertised on 21 June 1770 in the Virginia Gazette. Durand's notice claimed that he was willing to travel into the country for portrait commissions, and that in addition to portraits, he would undertake to "paint, gild, and varnish wheel carriages; and put coats of arms, or ciphers, on them..." Recent scholarship on Durand's career has suggested that his inclusion of decorative painting in his advertisement may be an allusion to his own training.2 Several portaits from Durand's two southern periods include those of Thomas Newton, Jr. and Martha Tucker Newton, painted circa 1770 and now in the collection of Colonial Williamsburg. Upon Durand's return to Virginia from Connecticut, he painted Gray and Dorothy Pleasants Briggs of Dinwiddie County, Virginia, circa 1775, also in a private collection; and Lucy Skelton Gilliam, dated 1781, also in a private collection. Gray Briggs was a local burgess and lawyer in Dinwiddie County; by 1782, Durand appears in Dinwiddie County tax records suggesting he may have chosen to settle there at that point in his career. To date, no portraits painted later than 1782 by Durand are known.
With Durand's skill as a portrait artist evolving from a more flattened, linear execution to a more dimensional quality, the modeled nature of this portrait may suggest that it was executed later in Durand's career. For further information, see Franklin W. Kelly, "The Portraits of John Durand," Antiques (November 1982), pp. 1080-1087.
1 Carolyn Weekley, "Artists Working in the South, 1750-1820" Antiques (November 1976), pp. 1046-1055, p. 1047
2 F.W. Kelly, "The Portraits of John Durand," Antiques (November 1982), pp. 1080-1087, p. 1081.
Durand's first portrait, executed in Virginia and dated 1765 is presently in a private collection. He subsequently appeared in New York City with his dated portraits in 1766 of the six children of James Beekman, presently in the collection of the New-York Historical Society, and with his advertisement on 26 November 1767 in the New York Journal for his drawing school. The portraits of the Beekman children were quickly followed by other local commissions including the likenesses of the Rapalje and Bancker families, also in the collection of the New-York Historical Society, and members of the Rays family, now in the collection of the Museum of the City of New York. In addition to the portraits executed by Durand in New York City in the mid-1760s, he is also known to have worked in Connecticut, where he painted the likeness of Sarah Whitehead Hubbard, presently in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1768. Also painted during this brief but productive period in Connecticut were Mr. and Mrs. James Rice, now in the collection of New Haven Colony Historical Society; Mary B. Lathrop, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and Mr. and Mrs. John Lathrop, now in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Durand returned to Connecticut in 1772 when he painted Benjamin Douglas, also in the collection of the New Haven Colony Historical Society and Rufus and Hannah Choate Lathrop, formerly in the collection of Bertram K. and Nina Fletcher Little.
By 1769, Durand was working in Virginia where he signed and dated a portrait of Elizabeth Boush1 and advertised on 21 June 1770 in the Virginia Gazette. Durand's notice claimed that he was willing to travel into the country for portrait commissions, and that in addition to portraits, he would undertake to "paint, gild, and varnish wheel carriages; and put coats of arms, or ciphers, on them..." Recent scholarship on Durand's career has suggested that his inclusion of decorative painting in his advertisement may be an allusion to his own training.2 Several portaits from Durand's two southern periods include those of Thomas Newton, Jr. and Martha Tucker Newton, painted circa 1770 and now in the collection of Colonial Williamsburg. Upon Durand's return to Virginia from Connecticut, he painted Gray and Dorothy Pleasants Briggs of Dinwiddie County, Virginia, circa 1775, also in a private collection; and Lucy Skelton Gilliam, dated 1781, also in a private collection. Gray Briggs was a local burgess and lawyer in Dinwiddie County; by 1782, Durand appears in Dinwiddie County tax records suggesting he may have chosen to settle there at that point in his career. To date, no portraits painted later than 1782 by Durand are known.
With Durand's skill as a portrait artist evolving from a more flattened, linear execution to a more dimensional quality, the modeled nature of this portrait may suggest that it was executed later in Durand's career. For further information, see Franklin W. Kelly, "The Portraits of John Durand," Antiques (November 1982), pp. 1080-1087.
1 Carolyn Weekley, "Artists Working in the South, 1750-1820" Antiques (November 1976), pp. 1046-1055, p. 1047
2 F.W. Kelly, "The Portraits of John Durand," Antiques (November 1982), pp. 1080-1087, p. 1081.