I am COMPLETELY in love with these, and especially the top one in the first photo, with this marvelous watercolor border, fabulous urn of flowers watercolor on reverse, and the most incredible hand-sewn mending I've ever seen. Just look at that! All these tiny tiny cream thread stitches that repaired two tears long long ago, telling us that this was a very very prized reward of merit indeed! It is a bit ironic that someone more recently decided a couple of pieces of clear tape on the flowers side was an appropriate way to add reinforcement after looking at that stitching, but I think the juxtaposition is actually quite poignant as a distillation of differences between the early 19th and late 20th/early 21st century! And on the reverse of the second one, with fabulous floral border, is a wonderful watercolor of a soldier and his horse. As these--it is a lot of four--have stayed together for over 200 years, I am not about to break them up now so am selling as a set. These are really rare and exceptional examples of early rewards of merit, and while the inked text at their centers has faded some it is still readable with a bit of effort--all were awarded to a Master Andrew W. Knight from an instructor Orra Fuller. I would frame the first two in a double sided frame and flip them back and forth!
Ink and watercolor on wove. All in good condition, paper is soft and not especially fragile. Mended one: 7 5/8" l x 3 3/16" t. Soldier: 7 1/8" x 3 1/2". Third with colorful border: 6 7/8" x 2 5/8". Fourth, with paler border: 6 5/8" x 2 13/16".
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