Lot 190
José Francisco Xavier de Salazar y Mendoza (Mexican/Louisiana, 1750-1802), "Portrait of a Louisiana Gentleman", 1801, oil on canvas, signed, dated and inscribed "J. M. Salazar, pinxit, Nova Aurelia, 1801" lower right, 36 1/4 in. x 27 in., antique gilt frame Note: Little is known concerning the early life of the artist José Francisco Xavier de Salazar y Mendoza. What is clear is that by 1782, when Salazar had arrived in New Orleans from the Yucatán, he was already a mature artist as evidenced by the portraiture he created during the next two decades featuring Louisianas most prominent civic, military and religious elite. Of the fifty-three known works attributed to Salazar, only thirteen are signed and even fewer are additionally inscribed. From the Portrait of Abraham Kortright Brasher, signed, dated 1800, and inscribed New Orleans, and the Portrait of James Mather, Mayor of New Orleans, signed and dated 1802, it is clear that Salazar was actively painting in this city even during the year of his death; it is not surprising, therefore, to find this portrait of a New Orleans gentleman dated to 1801. While the New Orleans gentleman in this painting remains unidentified, a relatively common occurrence among Salazar paintings, there are several prominent families living in or near New Orleans in 1801 with gentlemen of the approximate age of our sitter. Three candidates - based on age and prominence within the Louisiana community with connections to Salazar through family portraits - should be examined as likely sitters for the portrait offered here: Andry, de la Vergne and Roman. (1) Bernard Noel Manuel Andry (1758-1839), who was born in New Orleans, owned a plantation in what is now LaPlace, Louisiana, near the site of the ill-fated 1811 German Coast Slave Uprising. Andry lived on his plantation in St. John the Baptist Parish and was a frequent visitor to New Orleans, where he met and married his second wife, Josephine Trudeau, whose father, Carlos Laveau Trudeau, was a well-known surveyor in New Orleans who owned property in the French Quarter. The portraits of Carlos Trudeau and his wife, in the collection of Tulane University, are among the finest of the paintings attributed to Salazar. Salazar is also known to have painted portraits of two of Trudeaus other sons-in-law, Thomas Urquhart and General James Wilkinson (sold Neal Auction Company, November 2013, lot 465). (2) Count Pierre de la Vergne (1760-1813) was born in France and came to New Orleans as a member of the French Royal Military. Settling in Louisiana, he married Marie Elizabeth du Verjé (also spelled du Vergier) de Marie, the widow of Jacques Verret, in 1780. The couple had a son, Hugues de la Vergne, in 1792. Paintings illustrated in Louisiana Portraits depict both Countess Marie Elizabeth de la Vergne, attributed to Salazar circa 1792, and Hugues de la Vergne, painted by A.D. Lansot in 1838. (3) Jacques Etienne Roman (1748-1811) lived in Opelousas, where he greatly profited from his sugar plantations and cattle ranches. He married Marie Louise Patin and had six sons and one daughter. Three of the six sons followed in their fathers footsteps and became prosperous plantation owners. The daughter, Josephine, married Valcour Aime, one of the greatest sugar planters of the time. Their sons also became leading sugar planters in Louisiana the oldest, Andre Bienvenu Roman, later became the ninth governor of Louisiana, and the youngest, Jacques Telesphore Roman, built the famed plantation Oak Alley. These three distinguished figures represent likely candidates for the identity of the sitter here, a man undoubtedly of prominence with the means necessary to procure a likeness by the most admired portraitist in colonial Louisiana. Ref.: National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Louisiana. Louisiana Portraits. New Orleans: Wetzel Printing, Inc., 1975. Arthur, Stanley Clisby and de Kernion, George Campbell Huchet. Old Families of Louisiana. Gretna: Pelican Publishing Company, 1931.
Shipping Options
Accepted Forms of Payment:
American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer
Neal Auction Company
You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 28% and any applicable taxes and shipping.
View full terms and conditions
| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $99 | $10 |
| $100 | $499 | $25 |
| $500 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $2,999 | $100 |
| $3,000 | $9,999 | $250 |
| $10,000 | $49,999 | $500 |
| $50,000 | $999,999 | $5,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $1,999,999 | $10,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $2,999,999 | $15,000 |
| $3,000,000 + | $20,000 |