Philadelphia Antiques Show 2024

81 THE PH I LADE L PH I A SHOW FIGURE 1: Portrait of Matthew McConnell Attributed to Wiliam Clarke (active 1785–1806) Philadelphia, 1791 Oil on canvas, 57 x 45 1/2 x 2 3/4 inches (framed) Promised gift of Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Photo by Gavin Ashworth FIGURE 2: Portrait of Julia and Benjamin McConnell Attributed to Wiliam Clarke (active 1785–1806) Philadelphia, 1791 Oil on canvas, 45 3/4 x 55 3/4 x 3 inches (framed) Promised gift of Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Photo by Gavin Ashworth harmony. Matthew’s finger is holding a place in his copy of Aesop’s Fables , the ancient collection of parables of cunning animals that reveal ethical truths and were especially popular in early Philadelphia; that, combined with the dog to his left and the large cat (whose name was Fox) on his sister’s lap in the pendant portrait, suggests that Matthew has his finger on the fable of “The Dog and the Cat,” which explains the overt gestures towards the two family pets. The moral of “The Dog and the Cat” advocates for children to play well together as well as seek family harmony in all that they do. For over three decades, Miller and Worley have supported numerous dealers at The Philadelphia Show with a wide variety of purchases, including Portrait of the Parsee Merchant-Philanthropist Sir J. J. (Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy) (Figure 3) from the London dealer Martyn Gregory. It was painted in China for the Indian market between 1842 and 1860 by the renowned painter Lam Qua and is a promised gift to the museum.