Lot 124

Charles Peale 1741-1827 Portrait Elias Boudinot IV

Estimate: $10,000 - $50,000

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
This is a very important and historic Portrait of Elias Boudinot IV in circa 1776-1778 attributed to Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827). The piece is from the Anne Burnham Moore Estate collection with documentation as to her direct relation to Elias Boudinot IV and is signed on the reverse with what appears to be Charles Peale. The piece was professionally restored by Philip Rosenfeld, Director at the Pennsylvania Art Conservatory. Elias Boudinot IV (B.1740-1821) was the fourth President of the United States Continental Congress from 1782 to 1783. Boudinot was a Member of the Continental Congress (1777-1788; 1781-1784), served in the First Congress of 1789, he signed the “Treaty of Paris” with Great Britain ending the Revolutionary War as at the time he was the acting President. Boudinot was also the Commissary-General of Prisoners and in 1795 was appointed as Third Director of the United States Mint by George Washington. The painting is attributed to Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827) along with the other available portrait of Boudinot in the Princeton University Collection by Peale. The painting is said to be done in circa 1776 when Boudinot would have been 36 years of old. The piece is from the Anne Burnham Moore Estate collection, a direct relative of Elias Boudinot IV. Included is the documentation of Anne Burnham Moore’s direct lineage to Elias Boudinot IV (from 1952-1953), note written by Anne explaining the pieces origin, The Boudinot Mansion Commemoration Pamphlet from 1943, news clipping from the Boudinot Mansion Commemoration, and Elias Boudinot by Donald W. Whisenhunt a New Jersey Historical Commission book from 1975. The Anne Burnham Moore family lineage aligns with the official The Boudinot Mansion 1943 pamphlet which shows a George R. Chetwood as being Boudinot Mansion owners circa 1835. This is the earliest portrait of Elias Boudinot IV and the only known portrait from a private collection to be available for sale. At the time of the painting Boudinot would have been serving as the Commissary-General for Prisoners as appointed by General George Washington, his close friend, was commissioned as a Colonel in the Continental Army and appointed the New Jersey delegate in the 2nd Continental Congress. The piece was previously sold by North American Auction Company in August 2016 and was sent to Philip Rosenfeld of Pennsylvania Art Conservatory where it was professionally preserved and restored and was images sent and submitted for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery Museum collection. Frame is 33.25”x30.25” and artwork is 29"x26”. Believed to be marked on the back, "Charles (possibly) Peale" and "Boudinot" in very light signature as shown. The collection from Anne Burnham Moore also included a portrait by Thomas Sully circa 1839 of Elisha Mann Warner (son of Captain Samuel Warner of the Providence Marine Society and direct relative of Anne Burnham Moore and Boudinot), circa 1815 Providence Marine Society Member Certificate from Captain Samuel Warner the aforementioned and relative of Boudinot, State of Rhode Island Civil War Recognition circa 1869 for George Henry Burnham (1832-1907) direct relative to Anne Burnham and Boudinot, as well as 18th Century silverwork, cameo jewelry, and furniture. The lot includes the following documents: The Boudinot Mansion circa 1943 Opening Ceremony booklet, original index card from Anne Burnham Moore stating direct relation and the portrait dating to circa 1776, photocopy of family lineage, original circa 1953 memorandum to Anne and here sisters stating and documenting family history, including Edwards Direct Line from Elias Boudinot #1 list and second Boudinot-Edwards lineage all from a typewriter, Boudinot Mansion news clippings from the 1943 dedication, and photocopies of most the papers. The family lineage photocopy was taken by our company of the original hand written example as the family wanted to keep it. Original consigned directly from the Anne Burnham Moore estate. For other examples of similar Charles Wilson Peale paintings of the same era see the portrait of John Beale Bordley miniature, Portrait of Colonel John Laurens, portrait of Dr. William Schaffer clergyman, portrait of Edward Burd, and Portrait of Senator Barbour all of which show the men wearing the same if not strikingly similar clothing, the same manner and style, and being signed on the verso.