Three Cats with Blue String, c. 1870s Theorem Watercolor in Period Frame head form with expressionistic yellow and red

with expressionistic yellow and red flourishes all over

with some toning and a few tears as documented

4 1/4" d at lip

with a perfect orange painted reverse

Petersburg

Three Cats with Blue String, c. 1870s Theorem Watercolor in Period Frame head form with expressionistic yellow and redI purchased this one from a dealer in upstate NY who had it is his collection for about 30 years. I believe the watercolor is based on a Currier and Ives print, as so many 19th century folk art drawings and paintings were, but rare in my experience to find one rendered as a theorem watercolor. (Theorem paintings were made with the use of hand cut paper or cardboard stencils, lending hard edges to the outlined shapes, and glass tubes used for blowing