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Lot Essay
Striking and elegant, this portrait of Catherine (van Keuren) Dubois (1802-1839) is an exemplary work by itinerant American portrait artist Ammi Phillips (1788-1865). Phillips portraited his sitters in a literal and immediate manner that is uniquely modern and captivating.
Here, Phillips creates a powerful composition with his genius application of color, use of space and attention to detail. The vivid red shawl that drapes around Catherine’s elbow immediately captures the viewer’s attention. Phillips expertly balances his use of the color as a focal point that then highlights a more subtle application of red throughout the composition. As one’s eye drifts from Catherine’s shawl, it finds hints of red in the wood of the Federal brass tacked sofa which she sits on, in the book that rests between her hands, in the tortoiseshell clip that holds her neat bun atop her head, and in her rosy cheeks and lips. Phillips’s purposeful use of red creates a dynamic picture and is also reflective of his “Realistic” period which includes works painted in the mid-to-late 1820’s. As the name suggests, Phillips’s portraits created at this time became more realistic. Specifically, as seen in the present portrait, Phillips continued to employ the shawl as a prop for his female sitters and his use of color became more refined. The bright and arresting red color, which has become synonymous with Phillips, is an integral and interwoven element of the composition.
Ammi Phillips, born in Colebrook, Connecticut, was a mysterious figure for almost five decades. 800 or so works now attributed to him were once thought to have been by the hand of several artists on the basis of the disparate styles observed. Some speculate that upwards of 2,000 works were produced by Phillips. The characteristics of his portraits are now understood in periods related to his development as an artist; most recognized are those of the “Border Limner” period (1812-1819) and the “Kent Limner” period (1829-1838). The names, which were previously used to identify distinct artists, are associated to the places where Phillips was creating.
Phillips paints Catherine as an elegant and beautiful young woman, and with details characteristic of his “Realistic” period. Her polka dot patterned white chemise dress offers an visually interesting focal point. Its translucent sleeves, tabbed-puff shoulders and delicate collar show off Phillips’s painterly skills in his ability to convey the fabric’s translucency. Seemingly subtle, yet bold in its restraint, is the choice of white; extremely impractical and expensive for the time, it was a thoughtful decision which communicates the sitter’s stature and would have been noticed by her peers. The present portrait is from a group of women in white by Phillips. All of the sitters were from the same region to the west of the Hudson River and came from prominent families. Catherine’s dress is designed with a inset band below the bust which followed the previously popular drawstring. For an example of a woman dressed in the earlier fashion, see Mrs. Ruth (Haynes) Palmer, c. 1818, sold Christie’s, New York, 19 January 2024, lot 442. For women similarly dressed to Catherine, see Sarah Maria Dubois, c. 1824 (Locust Grove, Poughkeepsie, NY) and Maria Eliza Hasbrouck, c. 1824 (Locust Grove). The evolution of this fashion trend in the early to mid-1820s can be directly followed in Phillips’ women in white portraits. For a further discussion on this topic, see Brownstein and Terkowitz, 'Ammi Phillips’s Women in White: A Brilliant Formula', The Magazine Antiques (November 2007), pp. 154-161.
Mrs. Catherine (van Keuren) Dubois (1802-1839) was born in Kingston, New York to Hezekiah van Keuren (1765-1832) and Sally (Meyer) van Keuren (1784-1841). Little is known about her life or of her family history. Catherine married Peter W. Dubois (1784-1841) in 1819 and together they had 5 children. Catherine died in 1839 at the age of 36 and is buried in Sawkill, Ulster County, New York.
Here, Phillips creates a powerful composition with his genius application of color, use of space and attention to detail. The vivid red shawl that drapes around Catherine’s elbow immediately captures the viewer’s attention. Phillips expertly balances his use of the color as a focal point that then highlights a more subtle application of red throughout the composition. As one’s eye drifts from Catherine’s shawl, it finds hints of red in the wood of the Federal brass tacked sofa which she sits on, in the book that rests between her hands, in the tortoiseshell clip that holds her neat bun atop her head, and in her rosy cheeks and lips. Phillips’s purposeful use of red creates a dynamic picture and is also reflective of his “Realistic” period which includes works painted in the mid-to-late 1820’s. As the name suggests, Phillips’s portraits created at this time became more realistic. Specifically, as seen in the present portrait, Phillips continued to employ the shawl as a prop for his female sitters and his use of color became more refined. The bright and arresting red color, which has become synonymous with Phillips, is an integral and interwoven element of the composition.
Ammi Phillips, born in Colebrook, Connecticut, was a mysterious figure for almost five decades. 800 or so works now attributed to him were once thought to have been by the hand of several artists on the basis of the disparate styles observed. Some speculate that upwards of 2,000 works were produced by Phillips. The characteristics of his portraits are now understood in periods related to his development as an artist; most recognized are those of the “Border Limner” period (1812-1819) and the “Kent Limner” period (1829-1838). The names, which were previously used to identify distinct artists, are associated to the places where Phillips was creating.
Phillips paints Catherine as an elegant and beautiful young woman, and with details characteristic of his “Realistic” period. Her polka dot patterned white chemise dress offers an visually interesting focal point. Its translucent sleeves, tabbed-puff shoulders and delicate collar show off Phillips’s painterly skills in his ability to convey the fabric’s translucency. Seemingly subtle, yet bold in its restraint, is the choice of white; extremely impractical and expensive for the time, it was a thoughtful decision which communicates the sitter’s stature and would have been noticed by her peers. The present portrait is from a group of women in white by Phillips. All of the sitters were from the same region to the west of the Hudson River and came from prominent families. Catherine’s dress is designed with a inset band below the bust which followed the previously popular drawstring. For an example of a woman dressed in the earlier fashion, see Mrs. Ruth (Haynes) Palmer, c. 1818, sold Christie’s, New York, 19 January 2024, lot 442. For women similarly dressed to Catherine, see Sarah Maria Dubois, c. 1824 (Locust Grove, Poughkeepsie, NY) and Maria Eliza Hasbrouck, c. 1824 (Locust Grove). The evolution of this fashion trend in the early to mid-1820s can be directly followed in Phillips’ women in white portraits. For a further discussion on this topic, see Brownstein and Terkowitz, 'Ammi Phillips’s Women in White: A Brilliant Formula', The Magazine Antiques (November 2007), pp. 154-161.
Mrs. Catherine (van Keuren) Dubois (1802-1839) was born in Kingston, New York to Hezekiah van Keuren (1765-1832) and Sally (Meyer) van Keuren (1784-1841). Little is known about her life or of her family history. Catherine married Peter W. Dubois (1784-1841) in 1819 and together they had 5 children. Catherine died in 1839 at the age of 36 and is buried in Sawkill, Ulster County, New York.