Description 

The artist Aaron Dean Fletcher was, by all measures, a prodigy. Gifted in both music and the arts, he had an unusual aptitude for creative pursuits and lived a most exemplary life. His artistic ability grew and evolved each decade, morphing from Primitive Modernist flair in the 1830s, to quasi-Realism in the 1840s, to hyper-detailed works bordering on the academic in the 1850s. This portrait of Mr. Sanford of Willsboro, New York, matches the very best examples of Fletcher’s 1840s style.

A stylish, handsome gentleman, the sitter rests his arm on a carved sofa, striking a casual pose. Fletcher has indicated the sofa with only a few dashes of his paintbrush, wasting no time; most of his attention is spent on capturing Mr. Sanford’s pleasant face and fashionable hair. In the characteristic Fletcher manner, the face is angled at a pronounced three-quarters view, with strongly modeled features and dramatic use of light and shadow. 

Most noticeably of all, Fletcher’s gift and aptitude extended to the technical details of his medium: Fletcher was so adept at crafting his paints that his portraits display nearly no craquelure. Though this painting remains unsigned, there is every hallmark of Fletcher’s authorship in material and style. No doubt Mr. Sanford would have been pleased with this flattering likeness.