Portrait of George Sparhawk, 1836, signed, titled and dated verso, "George Sparhawk 1810-1879, painted by Alvin Clark, M.E.S.A.K.S.E,  Harvard - 1836",  watercolor on ivory, sight, 4 x 2-7/8 in.; black lacquer wood frame, 6-1/4 x 5-1/8 x 1/2 in.

Provenance: Skinner, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, unidentified sale, lot 46; The Collection of Michael Rainey, Beaufort, South Carolina

This appears to depict Boston attorney George Sparhawk, who was born May 9, 1810, the son of Edward and Elizabeth Murdock Sparhawk. He attended Hingham Academy and then Harvard Law School, which he graduated in 1836. He practiced law in Boston and subsequently lived in Newburyport and Weston, Massachusetts, before he died in November 1879.

Alvan Clark (1804–1887) was a Massachusetts artist who later became a professional portrait miniaturist and engraver. He was also the founder of the telescoping-making firm, Alvan Clark & Sons.

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