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John F. Francis (American 1808 - 1886) Pineapple, Oranges and Nuts

Oil on canvas, 10 x 13 inches/Signed lower right

Interested in this painting? Call 724-459-0612

sold John F. Francis (American 1808 - 1886)
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Jerry & Joan - Thanks for your hospitality and helping us find this beautiful new piece for our home. Until next time...

Adrienne & Jon W.

"Of all the mid-century still-life specialists, Francis was the most painterly. There is often a freshness and a brio to his paint application that successfully balance his sure delineation of form and his establishment of texture." (art historian William Gerdts).

Francis was born i n Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was self-taught as an artist. In the early 1830s, he was supporting himself and his wife as an itinerate portrait painter in eastern Pennsylvania. According to art historian, William H. Gerdts, Francis was the finest practitioner of portraiture in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. From 1832 into the 1850s portraiture was to be his focus.

Although Philadelphia was to later be his home base, up until 1865 he traveled throughout the eastern part of Pennsylvania-- Pottstown, Harrisburg (where he was particularly active), Bellefonte, Lewisburg (where he painted a portrait of James Moore II, the founder of Bucknell University), Sunbury, Northumberland and Milton, Williamsport and Lock Haven and also in Delaware, Washington, D.C., Kentucky, Ohio, Maine, Connecticut and Nashville, Tennessee.

Francis was well-known for his portraits prior to the mid-1850s; he was patronized by four Pennsylvania governors. His wife and two children died in the 1850s and he never remarried. It was in 1854 that Francis had ceased portraiture altogether and instead focused on his tabletop still-lifes that often feature luncheon and dessert items. He painted somewhat in the manner of Williamsport, PA artist Severin Roesen, but not as elaborate. Francis also painted fruit tumbling out of a hat or basket against a landscape backdrop.

There are no known paintings by Francis after 1879. He died in Jeffersonville, PA in 1886. He exhibited at the Art Union (Philadelphia); Artists Fund Society; and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1840-1844).

Call now to talk about your interest in this painting: 724-459-0612 Jerry Hawk, Bedford Fine Art GalleryORWe don't know which of your own thoughts will convince yourself that a great decision is going to be made. Only you can find yourself doing so because it naturally and easily makes sense and feels right for you. So please feel free to ask any questions that allow you to recognize that is happening.

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230 South Juliana St.
Bedford PA 15522

Phone: 724-459-0612

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