Sold for: $22,420

PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the Artist by John Budden, Quebec, circa 1854
By descent to the present Private Collection, Vancouver

LITERATURE
Marius Barbeau, Cornelius Krieghoff, A Pioneer Painter of North America, 1934, page 26

In 1853, Cornelius Krieghoff moved from Montreal to Quebec City at the invitation of his friend, patron and the original owner of this work, John Budden. The next year, Krieghoff traveled to Europe, visiting Italy and Germany, and Krieghoff’s biographer G.M. Fairchild commented that the works inspired by this trip “quickly found their way into the collections of pictures in Quebec and Montreal.” We can assume the inspiration for this fine work came from The Merchant of Venice, the famed play by William Shakespeare, as one of its main characters, Shylock, has a servant, named Launcelot Gobbo. This work vibrantly demonstrates Krieghoff’s masterful brushwork in the fine details of the servant's costume and in the background, as well as his understanding of character, shown in the servant’s inviting, almost mischievous glance. Krieghoff was accomplished in portraiture, and notably, his large oval portrait of Budden sold for $405,000 through auction in 2005. Both this work and lot 155 in this sale have remained in the Budden family until their consignment to Heffel.

On verso is a remnant of a framing label from Louis Morency, a framer and gilder in Montreal. This work is in a fine period frame.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars