(American, 1842-1910)

Four Orientalist Portraits, circa 1866-1880s, one signed, all variously inscribed, oil on paper, 7 x 5 in. (sheet); (two) matching painted wood frames, (two) matching gilt wood frames, all 9-1/2 x 11-1/2 in.

Notes: Born in the U.S., Chapman was raised in Rome. He returned to the U.S. to fight in the Civil War, returning to Rome in 1866. He then studied with Jean Leon Gerome in Paris, who had been painting Orientalist subjects since his visit to Egypt in 1856. Two of these portraits are purported to be the Chinese Ambassador and his wife. 

all with foxing and staining verso, crackle, pinholes at some edges, small areas of retouch, two with chipped or cut corners, signature partially hidden under hinging tape, three hinged in, one in corners, frames with minor abrasions