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Norman W. Kingsley (1829–1913)
Salon No. 3

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Grouping of Four Portraits By Norman W. Kingsley, circa 1900 Two after paintings by Rembrandt Digital image by owner

From Left to Right: First Image of Group, Untitled, portrait of a man By Norman W. Kingsley, 1900 Pyrography on wood panel, ___ in. wide by ___ in. tall inside frame ___ in. wide by ___ in. tall outside frame After the circa 1633 painting, portrait of a man (see commentary for more notes), by a Rembrandt student or follower Digital image by owner

From Left to Right: First Image of Group, Untitled, portrait of a man, verso, detail of inscription By Norman W. Kingsley, 1900 Inscription by Kingsley, verso: Portrait of William Burgraeff Painted by Rembrandt 1633 This copy burned on Holly in 1900 by Norman W. Kingsley Was presented to Norman A. McKechney By the Artist Christmas 1900 In appreciation of his many years of Kindness and Faithful Service Additional notes from Larry Schopperth, the owner who has provided the images, and interpreted the above inscription: "Norman McKechney (born ~1880 in Bermuda) was my maternal grandmother's brother who also lived in Fairlawn, New Jersey. As you can see, Norman was actually a very dear friend of Dr. Kingsley."

Second Image of Group, Untitled By Norman W. Kingsley Pyrography on wood panel, ___ in. wide by ___ in. tall inside frame ___ in. wide by ___ in. tall outside frame Not after a painting by Rembrandt Digital image by owner

Third Image of Group, "A man in Russian costume" By Norman W. Kingsley Pyrography on wood panel, ___ in. wide by ___ in. tall inside frame ___ in. wide by ___ in. tall outside frame After the 1637 painting by Rembrandt "A man in Russian costume" Digital image by owner

Fourth Image of Group, "Portrait of Nicolaes Bruyningh" By Norman W. Kingsley Pyrography on wood panel, ___ in. wide by ___ in. tall inside frame ___ in. wide by ___ in. tall outside frame After the 1652 painting by Rembrandt, "Portrait of Nicolaes Bruyningh" Digital image by owner

American antiques collector Larry Schopperth in Kinnelon, New Jersey, inherited these masterful portraits by Dr. Norman W. Kingsley (1829–1913) that are exhibited above; they were thought to be after paintings by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669). Because the panels were covered with paper on the back when they were framed, any inscriptions that Kingsley might have left there are not available at this time. For this reason, we are assigning a general date of circa 1900 to all of them. Fortunately, Larry's family offered him a rich oral history to cherish.

"Dr. Kingsley," Larry remembers, "...was a friend of my Grandfather and had given them to him." Three of the panels later went to his daughter, Larry's Aunt Joyce Nuy, who grew up in Warren Point, New Jersey, and who also had known Dr. Kingsley very well through her parents. Larry inherited those from her in 2000. The fourth panel had been given to Larry's Mom from Dr. Kingsley as a wedding present, and Larry has inherited that one from her in 2011. While going through her home at that time, he remembered how happy he was as a kid listening to all of the family stories from his aunt and mother over the years, including about Dr. Norman Kingsley and his dental devices and woodburning tool.

Visit the 1909 Norman W. Kingsley Salon here in the E-Museum for the story of this artist's fascinating life and myriad accomplishments. The pyrographic part begins on page 555. The third of the four works exhibited here is shown, in the upper left corner of page 558, although no title for it is provided there.

Larry Schopperth and his wife plan to hang this collection in a recent addition to their home—a 1700's summer kitchen.

Thanks to Dr. Sheldon Peck of Massachusetts, who currently owns two works by Norman W. Kingsley exhibited here in the E-Museum—his 1899 portrait and his 1901 portrait—we now have additional information (from his notes below) about the four works, designated circa 1900, exhibited here in this Salon, as follows:

From left to right, according to the group image at the top:

First image: The small portrait of a man with elaborate lace collar is no longer thought of as by Rembrandt. It was thought to be a Portrait of Willem Burchgraeff, 1633, but this is no longer supported. It is simply called a portrait of a man, c. 1633, by a Rembrandt student or follower (Bredius 175, now Weltering C77 rejected). It's in the Dresden Gemäldegalerie, where Kingsley no doubt saw it.

Second image: The image of a woman holding a balance, as a moneychanger would, is nowhere in Rembrandt's oeuvre today.

Third image: The largest one of the group is indeed by Rembrandt and is now in the National Gallery, Washington, D.C. and is identified as "A man in Russian costume," 1637. Andrew Mellon bought it in 1937, when it was in the Hermitage (St. Petersburg) as part of Catherine the Great's collection. So Kingsley must have done his pyrography of this from a museum photograph. Kingsley did a full reproduction of the painting, not just a detail of part of it.

Fourth image: The small portrait of a long-haired young man looking to your left is also by Rembrandt (Bredius 268) and is a "Portrait of Nicolaes Bruyningh," 1652. The Kingsley version is only a small bust detail of the full Rembrandt painting, which hangs at the Gemäldegalerie at Cassel, Germany.

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If you have either any questions or any information regarding the artist or these turn-of-the-century pyrographic portraits, please e-mail Larry Schopperth and the E-Museum Curator.