Irving R Wiles Exhibited Portrait Ex Wm M Chase

Irving R Wiles Exhibited Portrait Ex Wm M Chase, Consuelo, Portrait of a Young Lady informally identified in the Chapellier family as Consuelo Vanderbilt but unverified however new information has come to light with the publishing of this listing, below, oil on canvas, artwork 30 x 25 inches, 30.25 x 25.25 inches on old likely Moro replacement stretchers, 34.25 x 29.25 x 2 inches overall framed, no visible signature, artist or period label Consuelo by Irving R Wiles, Return to Mrs. W. M. Chase, 234 East 15th St., New York City, Insurance Value $500 verso, Parrish Art Museum exhibition label, exhibited Parrish Art Museum, William Merritt Chase in the Company of Friends 5.13.1979 to 6.24.1979 lent by the Rosenberger Gallery, period or original frame with plaque. Per the Parrish catalogue the painting was in the collection of American Impressionist William Merritt Chase. After we published this lot we were contacted by Irving Wiles author G. K. Fleming who was kind enough to research the painting and located it in the Wiles notes as 1918 Presented Mrs. Wm. M. Chase, one, Small panel done of Greenport, two, The Interior, 130, called Twilight, three, Picture of girl in profile against dark blue background about 28 x 32 inches. The entry for this record appears on page 44 of Wiles record book. The painting was likely completed sometime around the time it was gifted, so it is definitely not of Consuelo Vanderbilt and likely simply depicts a local model. Geoffrey K. Fleming, Executive Director, Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV. Additional notes from our auction staff include that we located a portrait of Mrs. Vanderbilt by Boldini from 1906 in her 29th year and we feel it approximates the age Vanderbilt was when she resembled the sitter in this portrait which would confirm Mr. Flemings assertion as by 1918 Vanderbilt would have been in her 41st year. It has been our experience however that owners of portraits often ascribe names to works when they remind them of famous people or people they know. Since the portrait was not titled by name in Wiles records it it might be possible Mrs. Chase had taken to calling her Consuelo by the time she lent it for the occasion of the rear label but of course it is equally possible that the sitter or her name being Consuelo was known to Mrs. Chase even though it was not recorded in the Wiles book. Interestingly, famous people often influence baby names and a woman half a generation younger than Consuelo Vanderbilt might have received her name partially influenced by Mrs. Vandebilts popularity. One more point of interest is that Mrs. Vanderbilt died in Southampton on Long Island where Wiles worked. We are grateful for the assistance and scholarly contribution of Mr. Fleming, Provenance: Georges Chapellier was a Belgian art dealer who came from London to America after WWI and opened a gallery in New York. His estate was inherited by three daughters in 1978. A portion of the estate was descended to John Rosenberger who operated Rosenberger Galleries on Long Island. By descent in the Long Island family. All Chapellier labeled and or exhibited items descend from the Georges Chapellier Estate while some items only cited as Rosenberger may have other sources by Rosenberger prior to inheritance by the Long Island family. CX MRD8
Condition Report: Older post War conservation on replacement stretchers, no significant craquelure, darkened varnish, backing panel not removed. Frame craquelure and edge wear.