Description 

This pair of portraits of the Sheffields dates from Ammi Phillips’ Kent Period (1820s-1830s). The style is marked by strong contrasts and vibrant hues, as exemplified in many of the best paintings by Phillips. The Kent Period also features Phillips’ unique approach to composition. Favoring stylized shapes, bold lines and an almost formal sculptural quality, Phillips brought his subjects to life.


Phillips was part of a broader movement of itinerant portrait painters in 19th century America, but his distinct artistic vision set him apart. While many folk artists relied on repetitive formulaic approaches, Phillips continually refined his techniques and introduced personal touches, making each portrait unique. For example, he infused his portraits with individual details like varied lace patterns and costume elements that reflected the distinct identities of his sitters. Unlike some of his contemporaries, who might have focused solely on replicating faces, Phillips masterfully used color and form to create a sense of presence and life in his portraits, making his subjects "emerge as jewels on black velvet" in his Kent Period works.

A sculptural, nearly hyper-real quality is the defining hallmark of this period, and the primary reason that these two portraits possess such a commanding, almost hypnotic presence, one uniquely embedded in the American Folk Art aesthetic. Phillips stripped away visual clutter during his years working around Kent, Connecticut. He relied on pure, geometric compositions and crisp silhouettes to effectively carve his subjects out of the canvas. This removal of distraction is exactly what gives the sitters their unique permanence. The visual magnetism of Ammi Phillips’ Kent Period lies in its startling modernity.

Provenance: Edith Halpert via Sotheby Parke-Bernet, November 1973