Artist: JOAN RAAB (American, deceased, 20th century). Title: Indecipherable Dutch/German text – circa 1970 [2 Colonial Women Chasing a man out of town]. Medium: Original Hand-Painted Pennsylvania Dutch/German FRAKTUR Watercolor on paper. Signature: SIGNED by the Artist, LR, as shown. Seal: Back of frame with ” Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen Juried Member ” seal, as shown. Size: Framed to 18 inches x 19 inches in a painted wooden frame. Notes: This is a folk-art hand painted fraktur by the late Joan Raab. Joan Raab was an antique dealer and also an artist who specialized in watercolors and fraktur. Her style was reminiscent of the Ephrata Cloister Celibate Sisters’ style, blending historical inspiration with her own unique touch. We believe this piece is based on a piece in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The paper is aged and distressed and it is set behind glass in a hand painted wooden frame. Provenance: Hatay Stratton Fine Art, Northampton, Massachusetts. Joan Raab is known for her collection of Pennsylvania German Fraktur, a form of American folk art characterized by decorated manuscripts and printed documents that use bold colors and whimsical motifs. The Johnson Collection, which includes works by Joan Raab, is featured in the book ” Drawn with Spirit: Pennsylvania German Fraktur from the Joan and Victor Johnson Collection “. Book offers a comprehensive study of the topic, presenting significant new information about the artists who made these works and the people who owned them, which includes the Artist and collector Joan Raab.
