Henry Davis Sleeper

Wallace Bryant (1870–1953)
1906
Oil on canvas
Gift of Steven Sleeper, 1941.1703

Wallace Bryant painted Sleeper’s portrait soon after the designer met Piatt Andrew. The work’s unusual horizontal format places equal emphasis on Sleeper and the gleaming vase beside him, creating a double-portrait of collector and collection. Manifesting a color harmony for which Beauport would become famous — Bryant undoubtedly found Sleeper a demanding client on this score — the portrait is a catalogue of reds. From the oxblood vase and dusky red damask to his scarlet tie and rosy lips, Sleeper brandishes the signature color of Andrew’s home, Red Roof, with the grace of a matador.