Oil on canvas portrait of Rev. Hans Herr (1639-1725), attributed to Baron Leon von Ossko, unframed.
Painting depicts elderly gentleman with nearly shoulder-length hair and long beard, wearing a plain brown coat with two buttons showing at front; plain dark background. Up-cast eyes and unsmiling face denote a properly pietistic expression for this patriarch and pastor of the first group of Mennonites to settle in Lancaster County in 1710. At upper right hand corner in block letters is painted "HANS HERR."
Canvas is attached with tack to sides of a mitered stretcher. The miters are fitted at back with a cast iron device embossed with two patent dates of 1883 and 1885.
The book Genealogical Record of Rev. Hans Herr & His Lineal Descendants depicts a copy of this painting, noting that it was painted by John Funk. Von Ossko reportedly produced a number of these paintings for the Herr descendants, apparently copying the original Funk portrait. The artist married a descendant of Hans Herr, Ella Louisa Breneman, in 1884. They lived in Lancaster City. Marrying into the Herr clan likely sparked the idea for generating copies of the patriarch on canvas.
(Written by Wendell Zercher.)
Provenance
The Farmers (Mr. and Mrs. C. Richard Farmer) say they obtained painting from an unknown source. They gave it to their son years ago, but he never used it.
This painting was after the original by John Funk of Strasburg.
Puncture of 1/2" x 1/2" to right of sitter's left eye; near complete puncture at bottom, 7" in from right corner, with pigment loss. A ft-long scratch begins at right of sitter's curl and extends obliquely to lower right corner. Some pigment loss at edges; deterioration of canvas and tacks failing along left edge. Soiled overall. A small piece of paper is affixed at back to repair the major puncture. Recent tacks added to secure canvas at sides.
