CHARMING BUCOLIC VILLAGE PAINTING
POSSIBLE RARE PAINTING
OF A SHAKER VILLAGE.  

American, ca. early 19th century. Watercolor on paper.

A soft quiet scarcely found two-century old country village painting. Note the subtle folk-art qualities, such as the rightward slope of the buildings, lack of shadowing, and trees in profile just rimming the hills in a manner similar to the iconic folk art painting on the cover of Folk Art in American Life by Robert Bishop.

The artist took care to delineate features like the mullions in windows, fencing, chimneys, and newly planted small trees. Note the blue willow next to the lower-left home. The largest building lower right on close examination has a bell in the tower, so likely a school building. The dramatic hill in the background is a strong clue as to location, yet it may be exaggerated by the artist to help tell the story.

The cluster and architectural of the buildings suggest that the painting could be of a Shaker village, possibly Pleasant Hill, Kentucky. Good condition with unobtrusive staining or toning.

The fine period giltwood frame is about 19 ¼ inches x 16 ¼. Provenance: 40 years ago the collection of Elizabeth Babcock, the last number of years a private historic Massachusetts collection.