Lot 431
John William Casilear, N.A.(American, 1811-1893), "The Artist's Sister", graphite on paper, signed with initials and dated "1829" lower right, 5 7/8 in. x 4 3/8 in., unframed. E500-800 Note: When Casilear drew this incisive portrait (presumably of one of his older sisters-Elizabeth, then aged 27, or more probably Abilgail, then 22), the precocious graphic artist (and later painter) himself was only 18, and was just two years into his engraving apprenticeship with Peter Maverick (1780-1831) in New York. After Maverick's death, Casilear ( whose earliest speciality was banknote engraving) worked with his former master's partner, Asher B. Durand (1796-1886), who encouraged him toward art engraving; Casilear began exhibiting such works at the National Academy of Design in 1833. His skill at currency engraving, however (already suggested by the graphic precision of this fine sketch), made him an eventual partner of the American Banknote Company which dominated the field for a century and a half, and earned Casilear a conspicuous fortune. He turned full-time to painting only in 1854.
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