A Graduate of Pomona
Not by William Henry Hunt, Portrait of a Young Lady
Portrait of a Young Lady
7.5 x 6 in., 19.05 x 15.24 cm.
Forged signature, lower left
Provenance:
Westbridge Fine Art Auction House, Vancouver, B.C., Canada (S) 13 Dec 2009, Lot 51 (P) Unsold;
Westbridge Fine Art Auction House, Vancouver, B.C., Canada (S) 28 March 2010, Lot 66 (P) Unsold
This and two related watercolors depicting bust length images of young women all turned up in Canada in 2009, when they were all sold as being by William Henry Hunt. None of them, however, bear much resemblance to Hunt's work, neither in subject matter or technique. The auction house undoubtedly was strongly influenced in the cataloging of the works by the presence of forged signatures, but no signature can seriously result in an correct attribution to Hunt, who himself admitted that he was incapable of painting women of higher station when he unsuccessfully attempted to do a portrait of John Ruskin's wife, Effie, at the great art critic's request.
Not by William Henry Hunt, Portrait of a Young Lady
Portrait of a Young Lady
7.5 x 6 in., 19.05 x 15.24 cm.
Forged signature, lower left
Provenance:
Westbridge Fine Art Auction House, Vancouver, B.C., Canada (S) 13 Dec 2009, Lot 51 (P) Unsold;
Westbridge Fine Art Auction House, Vancouver, B.C., Canada (S) 28 March 2010, Lot 66 (P) Unsold
This and two related watercolors depicting bust length images of young women all turned up in Canada in 2009, when they were all sold as being by William Henry Hunt. None of them, however, bear much resemblance to Hunt's work, neither in subject matter or technique. The auction house undoubtedly was strongly influenced in the cataloging of the works by the presence of forged signatures, but no signature can seriously result in an correct attribution to Hunt, who himself admitted that he was incapable of painting women of higher station when he unsuccessfully attempted to do a portrait of John Ruskin's wife, Effie, at the great art critic's request.