Matthew Henry Wilson Antique 19th C Woman Portrait Oil Painting Old Realism 1886

  

MASTERFUL 19TH CENTURY ANTIQUE PORTRAIT IMPRESSIONIST OIL PAINTING ON CANVAS BY RENOWNED BRITISH PORTRAIT PAINTER MATTHEW HENRY WILSON. THIS PAINTING PORTRAYS A FAMOUS FAIR-SKINNED WOMAN WITH BLUE EYES AND RED HAIR ELEGANTLY PULLED BACK INTO A BUN, FRAMING HER DELICATE FEATURES. SHE IS WEARING A SUMPTUOUS, LOW-CUT GREEN DRESS THAT ACCENTUATES HER PORCELAIN COMPLEXION AND ENHANCES THE INTENSITY OF HER GAZE.

MATTHEW HENRY WILSON'S SKILLFUL USE OF LIGHT AND SHADOW HIGHLIGHTS THE WOMAN'S FACIAL CONTOURS, LENDING A SENSE OF DEPTH AND REALISM TO THE PORTRAIT. SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING WORK BY ONE OF GREAT BRITAINS REVERED PORTRAIT PAINTERS, MATTHEW HENRY WILSON. WILSON IS WELL KNOWN FOR PAINTING MASTERFUL PORTRAITS OF FAMOUS DIPLOMATS AND POLITICIANS SUCH AS PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN JUST TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO HIS ASSASSINATION. THIS WORK IS SIGNED AND DATED 1886 BY MATTHEW HENRY WILSON.

EXCELLENT OVERALL CONDITION CONSIDERING ITS AGE. THERE'S WEAR AND TEAR TO THE OLD FRAME AS SHOWN. DIMENSIONS INCLUDING THE FRAME: 33"H x 29"W. Matthew Henry Wilson (1814 - 1892) was active/lived in New York, Delaware / United Kingdom.

Matthew Wilson is known for Portrait, miniature, interiors. Born: 1814 - London, England. Died: 1892 - Brooklyn, New York.

Born in England, the nephew of Samuel Wilson, who served as Lord Mayor of London, England, Matthew Wilson came to the United States at age 18, settling in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After establishing a business painting miniature portraits, he went to study under prominent early 19th Century American artist Henry Inman.

Later, he went to Paris, France, studying under European masters before returning to the United States. In addition to foreign travel, Wilson traveled widely in American including a visit to New Orleans in 1845 where he completed several portrait commissions. He was then commissioned by the legislature of Georgia to paint a copy of John Vanderlyn's portrait of President Andrew Jackson in Charleston, South Carolina.

He then established a studio in Washington, DC, and came to painted many prominent political figures of his day. He painted portraits of many of the Lincoln Cabinet, with his most famous work being the last living portrait of President Abraham Lincoln, completed only two weeks before his assassination. Wilson was elected as Associate of the National Academy in New York in 1843.

He died in Brooklyn on February 23, 1892.