Rare Asa Ames portrait acquired by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, October 11, 2024


Rare Asa Ames portrait acquired by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Millard Fillmore Dewey (1845-1916), Asa Ames (1823-1851), Evans, New York, 1847, paint on tulip poplar (est), Bequest of Vivian F. Greene (2022.701.1)



WILLIAMSBURG, VA.- When the young sculptor Asa Ames (1823-1851) died shortly after his 27th birthday, he left behind nearly a dozen carved portraits, many of which are signed. Most of his sculptures portray family and friends, including a wooden bust of the artist’s nephew Millard Fillmore Dewey (1845-1916) at the age of two. This likeness descended from the subject through his son and was recently given by bequest to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. The bust of Millard Dewey is the third Ames portrait to join the Foundation’s esteemed American folk art collection.

“This documented and well-preserved example of Ames’ work is a particularly welcome addition to Colonial Williamsburg’s outstanding collection of American folk art,” said Ronald L. Hurst, the Foundation’s Carlisle Humelsine chief curator and senior vice president for education and historic resources. “In addition to its obvious aesthetic appeal, the sculpture provides an important opportunity to better understand the artist’s carving, painting, and construction techniques.”

Ames’s carvings are among the most celebrated in American folk sculpture, despite the artist’s desire to align his work with fine art. Use of the word “sculpturing” to describe his occupation on the 1850 Federal Census suggests Ames considered himself more akin to a sculptor working in marble or stone. His familiarity with academic principles and formal artistic conventions can be seen in several of his figures. Ames’s carved portraits are life-like in their simplicity and serve as poignant portrayals of the artist’s subjects, residents of his Evans, New York, community. Examples of Ames’s work include carved full-length, half-length, and bust- length portraits of his extended family, the children of his physicians, and a few yet-unidentified subjects. Sadly, his death just four years into his budding career did not allow him time for further artistic output.

Millard Fillmore Dewey (1845-1916), painted on what appears to be tulip poplar, shows the toddler with short brown hair, brown eyes and rosy cheeks wearing a white shirt with blue belt. It stands 14-1/2 inches tall, 14-5/16 inches wide and is 6-11/16 inches deep. Inscribed into the base of the sculpture is “A. Ames” and “Jan. 1847.” At least two other sculptures of Millard’s siblings were carved by the children’s uncle at this same time suggesting the artist was living with the family when they were created.

Either at the subject’s death in 1916 or during his lifetime, Millard’s carved likeness descended to his son, George Mosher Dewey (d. 1917) and daughter-in-law Nellie Greene Dewey (d. 1919). After the couple died, their niece, Vivian F. Green (daughter of Nellie’s step-brother Daniel B. Greene), found the bust in the attic of the Dewey’s home. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation received the object as a bequest of Mrs. Greene.

“In part because Millard’s ownership extended to only two generations, the bust survived in a remarkable untouched condition, requiring only a minor cleaning to remove age-old dirt and grime,” commented Laura Pass Barry, Colonial Williamsburg’s Juli Grainger curator of paintings, drawings, and sculpture.

Millard Fillmore Dewey (1845-1916) is now on view in We the People: American Folk Portraits in the Gladys and Franklin Clark Foundation Gallery at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, one of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, where it is a focal point of the exhibition. A full-length carved portrayal of three-year-old Amanda Armstrong, also by Ames and owned by the Foundation, can be seen in the Art Museum’s Wilson Family Gallery.










Today's News

March 16, 2023

Asia Week New York opens with an abundance of treasures and stories to tell

Georgia Museum of Art receives awards for patron and exhibition

National Gallery of Art acquires works by Fede Galizia and Caterina Angela Pierozzi

Who was Leonardo's mother? A novelist has evidence she was enslaved.

Pace Gallery and PKM Gallery announce joint representation of the Yoo Youngkuk Estate

Thaddaeus Ropac opens Wolfgang Laib's 'City of Silence'

'Dressed for History: Why Costume Collections Matter' opens at the Museum of Vancouver

Rare Asa Ames portrait acquired by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

The Lucas Museum finds your lack of faith disturbing

Galerie Nathalie Obadia opens a group exhibition of sculptures

ADA, Rome opens an exhibition of works by Jacopo Belloni

'Tomas Lundgren: Bildertalas' opens today at Galerie Leu

Tiwani Contemporary opens an exhibition of works by Umar Rashid

Goldin's Winter Comics, Video Games & TCG Elite Auction smashes records for rare comic books, original art & more

Amy Schwartz, who captured life as viewed by a child, dies at 68

Spy Museum receives $3 million gift from Verstandig Family Foundation

Mimosa House opens Italian artist Adelaide Cioni's first solo show in the UK

'Pericles' Review: Shakespeare in the blender

Regulating the global art logistics sector from facilities and equipment to data security

Morphy's returns to Las Vegas for annual fall auction of coin-ops, gambling machines & antique advertising

National Audubon Society will keep its name despite ties to slavery

Rudd Trowbridge's mechanical banks & bell toys, and Phil and Joan Steel's tin windups headline auction

What Is An NFT? Non-Fungible Tokens Explained

Tubidy vs YouTube Music Download: Which is the Better Choice for Music Lovers?

How Can Restaurant Patio Furniture Enhance Your Outdoor Space?




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful