Catalog (971)

A c1835 delightful and rare miniature by Pamelia Hill, depicting an attractive young woman with hazel eyes and reddish hair gathered in a snood. She is wearing drop earrings and a brooch just below the lace edging of her pleated, deep blue dress. And, of course, the aforementioned snood. Snood, snood, snood...that word always makes me smile.

The painting, in a red leather traveling case, is in excellent condition, having a sight size of 2 1/2" by 2 1/8", and a closed case size of 3" by...

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. Excellent condition (any apparent problems in the photo are due to reflections) and presented in a 2 3/4" by 2 1/4" gilt metal case with a lock of hair...

A c1840 portrait, attributed to Richard Morrell Staigg, of a handsome older gentleman with a stately presence. Shown in a 2 3/8" by 2" gilt metal case with a glazed aperture in the reverse.

Both the painting and the case are in excellent condition. The lower central section of the painting is not damaged, but was intentionally painted that way, possibly to indicate that the sitter has passed away.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Richard Morrell Staigg was born in England in 1817 and moved to the...

A lovely and ethereal miniature of a blond-haired, blue-eyed beautiful young girl. Signed center left "T.R. Manley 1900", it is in its original gilt sterling case with a beaded edge, with the reverse appearing to be evenly tarnished. Excellent condition with no problems, and measuring 3 1/4" by 2 3/4".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE : Thomas Rathbone Manley (1853 - 1938), later referred to as "The Dean of the Montclair (NJ) Artists". Originally studying law, he realized his love was painting and enr...

A rare c1835 American miniature by Mrs. Samuel Richardson (1790 - 1852), nee Schetky. It took quite a while, using various lighting settings and filters, to finally discern the almost illegible S (?) Richardson signature along the extreme right. That led me to one of the very few examples of her miniatures, one of which is in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City, MO), which confirmed my interpretation. The painting and the cast foliate case which measures 2 1/8" by 1 3/4" are in excellen...

This charming miniature, done in watercolor on natural wafer, shows a little girl who obviously just spent time working diligently picking enough berries to fill her basket. Judging by her slight smile, she either had fun doing that, or is anticipating enjoying the (literal) fruits of her labors.

Note how the artist, as naive as was his style, took care to magnify the use of certain features by highlighting them in various areas, such as using the blue background and the blue bow to go w...

This is a rather large portrait miniature done in body color and watercolor on ivory. The signature on the lower right is "P(or T)ouktuz Sta??er". The signature and attire indicate the painting was probably done by an Eastern European or Russian artist. The subject of this 19th century work is an attractive young girl from a wealthy family, based on the expensive clothing (the fur coat, gloves, hat, and boots).

The condition of the painting is excellent, with some scattered black speck...

A wonderful miniature by Daniel Dickinson of a handsome gentleman. The sitter is dressed in the height of fashion for the time, wearing a blue jacket with velvet lapels. Note the broadness of the brush strokes and chiseled modeling of the face, both characteristics of Daniel's style, contrasting with his brother Anson's work.

The frame deserves special mention, being gilt silver with a 14K gold back and central plaque with "AM" initials. It is quite thick and weighs about 3 1/2 ounces. The...

The title of this wonderful oil on canvas work by George Henry Story is "Daydreaming," and that beautifully conveys the feeling of the piece. A pretty young girl is sits on a ladderback chair with a pan of fruit she is peeling resting on her lap. At the right of the painting is a wooden cupboard displaying tableware. At the left the family bible and another book rest on a table which is covered with a flowered cloth. However, it is the window at the far left, and the gaze of the subject, pensive...

A striking c1790 miniature by Richard Cosway. The subject, a blue-eyed infantry officer with his hair en queue, is wearing a red jacket with a white epaulet, white trim, and cravat.

This portrait is a good study example as many of Cosway's techniques and style characteristics are present: use of floating transparent paints to allow the luminosity of the substrate to show through, enlargement of the pupils, massed hair as opposed to finer individual strands, a sky background using a stro...

A beautifully worked c1890 Japanese repousse tri-color silver button showing an ornate lotus blossom and foliage. Japanese hallmark on the reverse.  1 1/4" diameter and in excellent condition.