Pair of Portraits, Husband and Wife, ca. 1840

Possibly attributed to Orlando Hand Bears (1811-1851)
Lived/Active: Long Island, New York and Coastal Connecticut
Oil on canvas
36” x 29 ¾”, 38 ½” x 31 ½” (frame)
Excellent condition; a few small minor patches visible verso; less than one percent of in-painting; retaining original gilt liner.
This wonderful, vibrantly painted pair of husband-and-wife portraits share many attributes of the work of Orlando Hand Bears, including the landscape vignettes seen behind drapery accented with tassels and the incorporation of architectural columns and fancy furniture, commonly used as props in Bears work. His subjects, often husband and wife sitters, share the reoccurring posturing of their hands, however in this pair of portraits the faces are quite different compared to other examples of Bears work, which tend to be narrower and more slender. His clientele were affluent families and relatives that were capitalizing on the wealth and prosperity of the local whaling industry.