Bidspirit auction | John Koch ”Mary and Michael”

John Koch ”Mary and Michael” Portrait Painting - John Koch (American, 1909-1978). Oil on canvas portrait painting titled ”Mary and Michael, ” 20th century. Depicting a portrait of two young children, a boy and a girl, against a dark green background. The boy stands along the left, staring directly at the viewer as he holds a toy British soldier in his right hand. Positioned along the right, the young girl is seated in side profile facing towards the left. Her blonde, curly hair is tied back with a small blue bow ribbon visible behind her left ear. Signed along the lower right. Pencil titled along the verso. With a Kraushaar Gallery label adhered along the verso; also with a Christie's label adhered along the verso. John Koch was a prominent American Realist artist know for his meticulous technique and mastery of light. While Koch is most famous for his complex, light filled interior scenes of Manhattan high society, he frequently accepted high-end portrait commissions for wealthy families as ”Mary and Michael” exemplifies. Provenance: Kraushaar Gallery, New York, NY; Christie's, New York, NY, ”American Watercolors, Drawings, Paintings and Sculpture of the 19th and 20th Centuries, ” September 30, 1988, Lot 432; The Distinguished Collection of Leo & Doris Hodroff. Unframed; height: 16 1/2 in x width: 20 in. Framed; height: 28 in x width: 32 in x depth: 2 1/4 in. Condition: The painting is in good condition overall. There is a thick varnish layer with some scattered areas of restoration. Mostly along the background, some along the border of the children, visible under UV. The canvas is not lined. Some wear to the frame.