Catalog: Fine Art: Paintings (339)

A nice portrait miniature of a handsome young clergyman, posed in front of drapery at his true right side. The painting is in a bronze surround set into a period ebonized wood frame. Excellent condition with a sight size of 3 1/4" by 2 1/2" and a frame size of 7" by 6 1/4".

A well painted miniature portrait on natural organic material of a sea captain, identified on the reverse as "Phillip…MHK Captain". The miniature is in very good condition, with no cracks, chips, bowing, or restoration. The period lacquered frame is missing its cover glass, easy enough to replace. Sight size is 2 7/8" by 2 3/8", and the frame size is 5 1/8" by 4 3/8".

A nice English c1795 miniature of a gent wearing a white shirt and ascot, with a red waistcoat and black jacket. The reverse of the gilded metal case has a a central fabric section set into an opalescent surround over guilloche work. Excellent condition with an overall size of 2 5/8" by 2 1/8".

A striking portrait, on natural material, of a French colonel, purportedly Charles Ferdement, Baron de St. Clair. The colors are vivid, and the strength of the sitter is well captured by the artist. The condition is excellent, and the diameter is 2 3/4".

A finely done miniature portrait painting by Joseph Wood. Although unsigned, there is no question that this fine rendering of a young woman was done by Wood.

Sight size of this nice example is 2 1/4" by 1 13/16", and the period case is 2 1/2" by 2 1/16". The condition of the painting is excellent, with vibrant coloring, and no chips, cracks, or restoration. The period case (and glass) is in excellent condition, but it is missing the back, a replacement for which which can be made...

A nicely done watercolor in natural material portrait of a young woman. Complementing the blue background, the sitter is presented with blue eye shadow and a blue ribbon and bow in her hair. The glazed reverse of the gold filled case is covered with a nice display of woven hair plaits.

Condition is excellent, with a case size of 1 7/8" by 1 5/8".

A nicely executed portrait miniature, done in watercolor and gouache on organic wafer. The sitter is a fine looking gentleman with blue eyes and brown hair, attired in a black jacket, vest, and stock.

The painting was descended in the family, and the sitter has been identified as John Amory Lowell (1798 - 1881). He was the grandson of John Lowell (1743 - 1802), an American lawyer, selectman, jurist, delegate to the Congress of the Confederation, and federal judge...

A portrait miniature beautifully painted on organic material. The sitter, M. Roland, is an attractive woman with flowing black hair, a white fichu over a white dress decorated with blue flowers, A wide pink sash completes her attire. This piece was based on the full length portrait of M. Roland done by Jules-Adolphe Goupil, titled "Le dernier Jour de Madame Roland" and shown in the third photo.

The painting is in excellent condition with no flaws or restoration...

A finely painted portrait miniature of a young girl, presented in its original gilded case, the reverse with woven plaits of hair under glass. The sitter, who has a slight smile playing on her lips, has blue eyes and brownish-blonde hair, and is simply dressed in a white top.

The painting and the case are both in excellent condition with no issues at all. The case size is 1 5/8" by 1 3/8".

An endearing small English or continental miniature of an attractive young woman with reddish-brown hair with a pearl clip, and wearing a blue and white gown with pearl decorations at the shoulders. The glazed reverse of the frame features hair in a basket weave pattern.

No condition issues to speak of. The length is 1 1/2" with a 1 1/4" width.

A classic example of a Moses B. Russell portrait on natural wafer, fully signed and dated on the backing card. The sitter is a young woman with brown sausage curls and blue eyes. Obviously from a well-to-do family, she is wearing a blue dress with lace edged sleeves, a cameo brooch at the bodice, a gold ring, and a long gold chain, and has a mink wrap on her lap. The colors are vivid, with the dark mauve chair contrasting nicely with the blue dress...

A portrait miniature done by Moses B. Russell and I wish I could say more about this painting or the sitter, but the original backing paper, where Russell signed and often threatened people (incorrectly) not to remove the paper, has been removed. However, the painting was clearly done by Russell and closely mirrors one in the Metropolitan Museum...

A fantastic Clarissa Peters (Mrs. Mose B. Russell) mourning painting of a baby and toddler. Peters chose a simple palette of white and bluish-gray to emphasize the ethereal and ephemeral nature of the painting, reserving the use of colors to the hair, lips, and eyes of the subjects. Known for painting children, Peters' mourning paintings are scarce, and double mourning portraits are exponentially rarer yet...

A watercolor on natural material done by Nathaniel Plimer. The sitter is a somewhat older woman, with a pensive and somewhat sad mien about her. Set against a background with gradations of blue, she is simply dressed in a white gown and bonnet, accented with a pendant medallion on a black ribbon, and a gray belt.

The painting and the original bronze frame are in excellent condition with no flaws or restoration...

A charming and beautifully rendered double portrait miniature attributed to Nathaniel Plimer. Executed in watercolors on natural wafer, he depicted, in classical style, an attractive young woman dressed in a low cut white gown with a reddish robe draped around her. The very young and strikingly angelic child, with fulsome red curls, has its arms clasped around the mother's neck.

This appealing gem is in excellent condition, with no flaws...

A wonderful English watercolor miniature on natural wafer, painted by Ozias Humphry. The gentleman depicted is clearly of the upper class, dressed in a dusty rose colored jacket with a lace collar, a style worn in England specifically in the 1765 to 1770 period...

A fine pair of miniature portraits, done in watercolor on wafer, by Ozias Humphry. They are mounted back to back in a gold case which has black and gold eglomise work on the cover glasses. The sitters are, purportedly by descent within the family, a Mr...

A fine watercolor on card portrait done by Paul Gomien. The sitter is a woman wearing a puffy sleeved gray-blue dress with a lace collar. Her accessories include a black belt and a gold necklace.

In addition to being signed "Gomien" and dated "1822" along the center right edge the reverse has a trade card reading "P. Gomien/Peintre, Rue St. Honore No 247 pres le Palais Royal". For the period and location this is quite rare. The framing attests to the expense of the piece at the time it was pai...

A fine painting of a youth, signed and dated "P. Jean 1789" on the right side. The sitter is dressed in a red jacket with a white ruff. The reverse of the gold case has interwoven plaits of hair under glass.

There are no condition issues with the painting or the case. The discoloration along the top of the painting is light reflection. The size is 2" by 1 1/2".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Philippe Jean (1755-1802)was born in Saint Ouen, Jersey, the son of Nicholas Jean and Marie Grandin. He was at fi...

A fine miniature portrait by Augustus Fuller, done on natural material. The sitter is an attractive hazel-eyed woman sporting sausage curls and wearing a white lace bonnet, a white lace fichu with a centered brooch, and a black dress. Fuller took pains in this painting to the extent of showing details of the dress design with faint white highlights, shown in the second photo.

The condition of the painting is excellent, and viewed in person the miniature is far better than the photo shows. The...

Confidently attributed to Edward Savage, this miniature portrait is painted on organic material. The sitter, who has a strong countenance and blue eyes, is wearing a deep blue coat with gold buttons, a white vest and shirt, and a white cravat.

The painting is in excellent condition, with no flaws, and is housed in a gilt copper case, the reverse of which has a glazed aperture containing woven plaits of hair.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Edward Savage (1761 in Princeton, Massachusetts – 1817 in Pri...

A beautifully painted watercolor on natural wafer, with a very strong attribution to John Barry as the artist. The sitter is an attractive woman with brown eyes and gray-brown hair cascading down her shoulder. She is wearing a dark blue velvet bow in her hair, a gauzy white fichu, and a blue dress with fine white lines and small white dots.

The painting is in superb condition, with no chips, cracks, bowing, or restoration. The sight size is 2" by 1 1/2" and the gold case is 2 3/16" by 1 3/4"....

A nice example of a miniature portrait, painted by Nathaniel Hancock on organic material. The sitter is a woman in a blue gown with a lace edged bodice. The gold case has chamfered glass on the front, and the reverse identifies the sitter as "Ridgely 1791."

The condition of this little gem is very fine, with no flaws to speak of. There was some minimal clean-up of a few painting drips in the background. Overall size is 1 3/4" by 1 1/2".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Information about Hancock is rel...

A charming first half 19th centrury miniature of a young woman. The exceptional thing about this piece is the wonderful high karat gold flip case with guilloche work (engine turning) on the front and back. The painting in this little gem is 1 1/8" in diameter and the case is 1 1/2" in diameter. Excellent condition.

An incredibly sweet miniature done in watercolor on organic wafer. Posed against a background of a blue sky with clouds, foliage on the right, and a body of water on the left, the subject is a beautiful young girl with large eyes, golden curls, and rosy cheeks. The artist used her red lips and the sash of her embroidered dress to provide "pops" of color.

The condition of this gem is excellent, with only a very small spot of restoration at the water at the extreme edge at 8:00 o'clock. T...

A good c1770 British miniature portrait of a older gentleman, with the artist having cleverly displayed the wrinkles of age. He is dressed simply in the style of the time, wearing a wig, a white stock, and a gray coat.

The condition of the painting is excellent, and the papier mache frame is also in good condition but with a nick at the top right edge. The sight size is 2 1/2" by 2", with a framed size of 4 5/8" by 4".

NOTE: For those of you who are new to collecting portrait miniat...

A miniature portrait, painted in watercolor on organic wafer, depicting a gentleman with powdered hair, a deep blue jacket, and a white shirt and tie.

The miniature is housed in a period, heavy gilt bronze frame which in and of itself has a good amount of intrinsic value.. Neither the painting nor the frame have any condition issues. Sight size is 2 1/8" by 1 5/8", with a frame size of 5 5/8" by 3 1/4".

A nicely painted miniature portrait, on natural wafer, of a fashionably attired gentleman. The sitter is wearing a white shirt and stock, a black coat with velvet lapels, and a gray vest with black polka dots. Presented in a period, and possibly original, ebonized frame.

No cracks, chips, restoration or other condition issues. Sight size is 2 1/2" by 1 3/4", and the frame size is 4 3/8" by 3 3/8".

A fine c1790 portrait miniature of a woman with a somewhat serious demeanor, wearing a white fichu with lace trim, her powdered hair beneath a white bonnet with blue bows. The painting is in a period gold bracelet clasp frame. Excellent condition with an overall size of 1 5/8" by 1 1/4".

Meet Captain William Hathaway, of Brooklyn NY, who passed away in 1834, according to the original section of his obituary, which was found inside the case of the miniature. Please note the gold anchor centered on his ruffled shirt.

The painting is finely done, with no condition issues. Any apparent flaws are due to my poor photographic skills. The in-person brightness is about midway between the first two photos. The cast foliate frame is also in excellent condition, measuring 2 3/8" by 2...

A finely limned miniature of a woman wearing a lace edged black dress, a blue shawl, and gold earrings. In a 5" by 4 1/2" ebonized frame with a brass liner and a sight size of 2 1/8" by 1 3/4". Excellent condition.

A miniature painting of a lovely young woman attired in a double strand coral necklace and a blue gown with puffy sleeves and a pink flower at the waist sash. Excellent condition with no issues, and in a period black wood frame. Sight size is 3 1/2" by 2 7/8", and the framed size is 5 5/8" by 4 1/2".

NOTE: I have shown two full length photos as the background color varies somewhat depending on whether the painting is seen in natural, fluorescent, or incandescent lighting.

A naïve miniature watercolor on wafer painting of a gentleman with a piercing gaze and a neatly trimmed beard. Set against a darkish green background, he is wearing a black jacket, vest, and tie with a stickpin. In a cast foliate case with a coil of plaited hair in the glazed window on the reverse.

Condition is excellent, with no issues. Sight size is 2 1/8" by 1 3/4", and the overall size is 2 3/8" by 2".

A totally charming miniature painting of a child, done in watercolor on natural material, and housed in an elaborately molded 15K gold case and surround. The cute sitter is in a white gown and posed against a cloud-filled blue sky, with foliage and a tree to the right. The reverse of the case is glazed, with a lock of hair in the aperture, and a pin so that the miniature can be worn as a brooch.

The condition of this lovely example is excellent. Sight size is 2 1/4" by 2 1/8" and the case size...

A fine mid 19th century watercolor on organic wafer of a good looking young man. The sitter, with blue eyes and brown hair, is wearing a black coat and tie with a white shirt.

This painting is in its original A.P. Critchlow thermoplastic velvet lined case, an item which, in and of itself, is often sought after by collectors. Note that this case was produced even before a patent was granted.

Condition of the painting is excellent, with no issues whatsoever. The case condition is also excellen...

A finely painted portrait of a beautiful young woman, done in watercolor on natural wafer. The sitter, identified on the reverse as "Wife of Dr. Kent" is attired in a simple white gown, with no jewelry or other embellishments shown, and is presented against a multicolored background.

The painting is in excellent condition, with no flaws to speak of. The later case shows some wear, and has a cardboard or leather backing. Overall size is 2 5/8" by 2 1/8".