Studio RT Ltd

Description

We are offering for sale this attractive portrait of an 8 year old boy by the artist J. Orr, who has signed the painting in the lower right hand corner. Sadly, although there was a label on the reverse of the canvas, part of it is missing, which would have elicited more information. The scrap that remains reads "De...... Portrait of a Boy and someone has written in pencil 8 years. Presumably De, as it is in quotation marks, may be the beginning of a Christian name, so could have been Declan, Derek, Desmond etc. At the bottom of the label it also reads 'May be reproduced by pres.... The writing is black fountain pen.

The canvas bears a Reeves & Sons oval stamp, with the address of the Dalston Factory and E8 postcode, which dates it to after 1917. It is also stamped ASP, which means it is A quality single primed pure flax canvas.

The portrait shows a young boy wearing a brown double breasted, belted,coat, with a matching peaked newsboy cap. He has a beige shirt underneath the coat and no tie. He has a fresh complexion, rosy cheeks, brown eyes and dark brown hair. As the surname Orr can be of Scottish or Irish origin, it is likely that the boy comes from one of those countries and we thought that he had a look of the Irish about him when we first saw the portrait.

We have been unable to definitively trace the artist as there are several J. Orrs, but Jack Orr tends to sign in full, James Orr is too modern, James R. Orr was an engraver and we have been unable to find a signature for J. T. Herbert Orr from Dublin. Miss J. F. Orr was active before 1900, so that rather rules her out, so the portrait will have to stand on its merits as by a signed but unknown artist.

The portrait has been newly framed in a 2 3/4" two-tone gilt frame, which suits it very well. It will be supplied wired and ready to hang.

Image size: 21 1/4" x 17 3/8" - 54.1cm x 44.15cm

Frame size: 27 1/8" x 23 1/8" - 68.9cm x 58.75cm

Medium: Oils on Reeves canvas

Condition: Very good. The canvas is clean and taut and there are no repairs. There are some areas of craquelure mainly around the shoulders and lapel of the coat, with a little on his face and fringe. The frame is new.