Description

Description: We offer a portrait of Colonel William Tremper Cuyler which is painted in oil on a board which measures: 20 ½” x 16 ½”. It is housed in what is probably it’s original gold frame with oval panel (24” x 20”). On verso is a typed and signed statement by Cuyler Reynolds (early 20th c. Albany City historian) detailing Colonel William Tremper Cuyler’s life. It reads: “Having settled as a pioneer in Livingston County, New York, the place was given the name CUYLERVILLE. He was the son of Johannes Cornelis Cuyler (of Schenectady) and his wife Hannah Maley (of Albany), N.Y. He was born in Albany, December 22, 1802; and he died in Cuylerville December 21, 1864.” There is also a manuscript note by Cuyler’s father stating the painting was executed by Francois.

Alexander Francois (1824-1912) was born in Belgium, he studied in Paris and came to New York when he was 25, moving to Rochester and then Albany. He painted landscapes and still lifes, but later confined his work to portraits, some of which are in the Court of Appeals in Albany. He also painted portraits of Abraham Lincoln and Spencer Kellogg.

Condition: The portrait is in good condition, though some of the varnish is alligatored. The period frame has cracks and losses, especially at the corners.