Catalog (115)

An excellent example of the work of David Gibson, signed, lower left, "Gibson 1793". The sitter is a woman wearing a gown with low decolletage and a green and yellow hat. She is posed looking pensively to the viewer's left.

The painting is in excellent condition, with no flaws to speak of, and is in a gilt metal pendant case. Sight size is 1 7/8" by 1 3/8", and the case size is 2" by 1 5/8".

NOTE: David Gibson (active 1788 - 1797) worked primarily in London and Edinburgh, with some sojourns ...

A beautifully painted c1810 miniature of an attractive woman, attributed to Thomas Hargreaves. Clearly well off, and  wearing a white lace bonnet and collar, a black dress, and a chatelaine, the sitter is posed on a red sofa in front of a dusky pale orange drapery. The skill of the artist is evident, even to how he carefully painted the dress material so that it is obvious that the fabric is silk.

Watercolor on organic wafer, the condition is excellent, with a sight size of  3 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 finely painted watercolor portrait of a good looking gentleman wearing a black jacket and a white shirt, stock and collar. The talented artist specifically painted the entire piece in shades of white, black, and gray. Note the way he used white highlighting on the left collar and shoulder of the sitter to give a sense of depth to the piece.

The back of this work deserves special mention as it is composed of a backing of metal guilloche. (Guilloche is a decorative technique in which a very pr...

A miniature of a beautiful young child who unfortunately passed away in 1798. The theme here is blue and white: in the clouds, in Harriet's eyes, and the ribbon in her hair. In contrast to that are the small areas where red makes its appearance: in the necklace, the child's lips and cheeks, and, to a lesser extent, in her hair.

The reverse of the case is engraved "Harriet Franklyn/B. 9 Oct 1795 D. 31 August 1798/Daughter of/Richard Franklyn/One of the Moneyers/of H. Mint, of Oxgate/Will...

A wonderful pair of miniature portraits of two young near identical twin boys, painted on organic material. Although it might often be a decent bet that any attractive English portraits of young children done in this time period were by William Egley (joking, sort of) I cannot, in good conscience, make that attribution, so the artist will, at least for now, remain unidentified.

Possibly Scottish, and in excellent condition, each portrait has a sight size of 1 7/8" by 1 1/2". They are mou...

A fine c1751 miniature watercolor on natural wafer, signed and dated by J. Lacon. The sitter is wearing a décolleté white dress and a lace underslip. The trimming of the blue ribbons provides a pop of color and wonderful contrast to the rest of the painting. Presented in a gilt metal reeded frame with remnants of collection labels on the reverse. 1 7/8" by 1 1/2".

Lacon (fl. c1740 - 1760) worked in Bath, England, painting miniatures and water color portraits. He also owned a popular pup...

A striking and colorful R. Mills miniature portrait of a blue-eyed blonde woman. The subject is wearing a white gown with lace edging and balloon sleeves, a blue necklace and sash belt. Those colors nicely complement the carefully chosen background, which is blue with pink tinges, which also complements her ruddy or over-rouged cheeks.

The painting is signed on the backing paper "Painted by Rd Mills Birmingham 1829" and is housed in a 4 1/4" by 3 5/8" bronze frame. The painting itself mea...

A beautiful miniature portrait of a young man, done by William Egley. The painting is in a stickpin mounted elaborate gold case, with engraving on the reverse identifying the sitter as "John McDonnell Webb/August 1839". A plait of hair is in the glazed rear aperture.

Both the painting and case are in excellent condition, with no issues. The spots in the photos are due to external dust. Sight size is 1 5/8" by 1 1/4", with an overall size of 2" by 1 5/8".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: William Egl...

A fine miniature portrait painting, on natural organic material, attributed, by two experts, to Joseph Saunders. The sitter is a young boy dressed in blue garb with gray trim. Condition is excellent, with no issues. The piece is actually much better in person than the photos indicate. Sight size is 2" by 1 1/2", while the frame (newer) is 3 1/4" by 2 3/4".

NOTE:Joseph Saunders (fl 1772-1811), considered to be a very fine artist, exhibited at the Free Society of Artists and the Society of Art...

A strong English portrait miniature on natural wafer that will cause you to see spots before your eyes. However, they are on a high-necked dress worn by this woman whose attire also features a cap or wide headband. The reverse of the 2 1/2" by 2 1/8" gilt metal case has interwoven plaits of hair. Excellent condition.

A fine portrait miniature by William Charles Ross, executed in watercolor on natural organic material. The subject, a gentleman with receding brown hair and blue eyes, is fashionably attired in a brown jacket, white collar, black vest, shirt, and ascot, which sports a turquoise and gold stickpin. Ross' superb skill is evidenced by, among other things, the way he has limned the hair tones, the lifelike quality of the skin, eyes, and lips, the texturing of the different fabrics, and the jewel-like...

A fine and charming portrait miniature with an unusual and exceptional reverse. The sitter is a sweet woman painted in an ethereal manner. She is wearing pearl earrings and a cream gown with a pair of roses at the low point of the neckline. There is a lace fichu with a double blue line at the border. The background is done in a grayish green color.

The case is of gilt floral form, with the reverse being testudines with a large inset area of sterling silver, the initials "GU" engraved in the ce...

A nicely executed miniature portrait painted on organic wafer by Thomas Hull. The sitter is a blue-eyed gent in a blue coat, frilled chemise, and white waistcoat. Presented in a gilt metal frame with a collection label on the reverse.

The condition of the painting and the frame are excellent, with no issues. The dark areas at the edges of the painting are due to light refraction in the photos and do not appear in person. The overall size is 2 3/16" by 1 3/4".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Thom...

A miniature portrait of a handsome gentleman in a blue jacket with gold buttons. Presented in the original cast foliate case, the reverse having chessboard hairwork centered with "RD" initials in underlying gold topped with pearls.

Excellent condition with any apparent issues being due to my infamous photographic skills. The case size is 2 1/2" by 2".

A very fine miniature bust length silhouette on natural organic material by John Miers. The piece is signed along the left side of the bust line. As is usual with his best examples, this painting shows very finely executed bronzed work. The interior of the top is glazed with a hairwork enclosed. Sight size is 1 1/8" by 7/8", and the locket size is 1 1/4" by 1".

Both the miniature and the locket are in excellent condition, with no issues.

NOTE: The following are excerpts from two reference w...

A nicely done late 18th century miniature of a woman wearing a blue dress and white fichu, her powdered hair with an interwoven white ribbon. Presented in a gilt bracelet clasp mount. Excellent condition with an overall size of 1 3/8" by 1 1/8".

A portrait miniature of a young and handsome man unabashedly directly facing the viewer. He is dressed in the height of fashion, wearing a black jacket, light orange cravat (which nicely matches his hair), and a white vest. Presented in a gilt cast foliate case, the reverse of which features a glazed tightly woven field of plaited hair.

Because of the convex glass, the photos unfortunately show reflections, white streaks, dots, and shadows, none of which are in the miniature. The overall...