Catalog (181)

A charming miniature painting done in watercolor on organic wafer. The subject of this delightful work is a very pretty young woman, with brown hair and eyes, wearing a pleated white dress with a lace lined bodice, at the midpoint a brooch with flowers. An old label attached to the painting attributes this work to Moses B. Russell. Housed in a bronze frame with fabric backing.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with no chips, cracks, paint loss, bowing, or restoration. The sight size ...

A miniature portrait painting by John Wood Dodge of a U.S. naval officer, his position as such identified by the scarf and silver buttons on his jacket. He is posed wearing his glasses, which is rarely seen in portraits. The backing paper of the ivory contains the following information in Dodge's hand:
"Painted by/John W. Dodge/Feb 1850/Natchez Miss".
Based on the detailed records that Dodge kept of his commissions, the sitter is one of three possible men - James Metcalf, David Ker, or Mr...

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.

Adding to the importance of this piece is the velvet lined gutta percha case, which h...

A rare miniature portrait by Leopold Unger, painted with watercolors on organic wafer. The sitter, a very attractive blue-eyed young woman with brown hair done in sausage curls, has a wistful or slightly sad expression on her face and in her eyes. She is in a black dress with black lace edging at the bodice, and is sitting in a brownish-red chair, holding a red book, and with a multicolored scarf draped over her arm.

The miniature is signed "P. Unger. px. 1839" along the lower left. The bac...

A miniature painting done in watercolors on natural material, signed "C. Greiner along the left center. The sitter is a gentleman dressed in the clothing and hair style popular in the 1841 to 1844 period. Presented in a cast foliate case, the reverse being engine turned with a glazed aperture containing a braid of hair and engraved with the initials JLD.

The painting and the case are in excellent condition with no issues. Overall size of 2 3/8" by 2".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Christopher (or...

A wonderful example of a portrait miniature painted by Mrs. Moses B. Russell (nee Clarissa Peters). This work, done in watercolors on natural wafer, is of a blue-eyed woman wearing a black dress with a brooch centered at the lace-edged bodice. Her strong visage, looking directly into eyes of the viewer, is offset by a beautiful and soft multi-colored background. Housed in a cast foliate case with the reverse engraved "SAWC" and having a lock of hair in the glazed aperture.

The condition of the...

A mourning portrait miniature attributed to John Henry Brown of an attractive young woman with blue eyes and long curly hair. The painting is in excellent condition with no problems. The velvet lined leather case is also in excellent condition, with normal and expected light wear to the exterior. The white flecks in the photographs are dust motes, and not present in person. Sight size is 3" by 2 1/2", and the case size is 3 5/8" by 3 1/8".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: John Henry Brown (1818-1891), b...

An unusual and spectacular pair of portrait miniatures. Although both are signed by Moses B. Russell, it is almost certain, due to slight technique variances, that the portrait of the woman was done by Mrs. Moses B. Russell, nee Clarissa Peters. Although it is known that some of his signed pieces were, in fact, done by her, I know of no other instance where each artist did one of a pair.

The paintings are in excellent condition, with vibrant colors and no cracks, bowing, mold, retouch, ...

An extremely fine miniature portrait by John Henry Brown, done in watercolors on natural material. One of the best examples of his skill, showing an attractive woman, beautifully painted. Adding to the importance of this piece is that Brown used a trompe l'oeil technique in painting what appears to be matting around the portrait. Signed "J Brown Pinxt" lower left along the curved line of the matte. Inside the case was a piece of paper with information about the sitter: "Mary E. Mathias Lancas...

A beautiful c1840 miniature, painted on natural material by Thomas Seir Cummings. The sitter, a gray-eyed young woman, is in a pale pink off the shoulder dress, and is resting against a blue cushion. The reverse is inscribed in pen with an illegible name and "22 yrs". Presented in a bronze surround set into a burl wood frame. Excellent condition with no issues. The sight size is 3 1/2" by 2 3/4", with a framed size of 7" by 6 1/4".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Thomas Seir Cummings was born in Englan...

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 striking miniature portrait painting on organic material, finely painted by John Ramage. The sitter, a gentleman elegantly attired in the height of late 18th century fashion, is wearing a white shirt with a ruffled white cravat and a brick-red coat over a brown-striped vest.

The condition of the painting is superb, with no flaws whatsoever, as is that of the later case. Sight size is 1 5/8" by 1 1/4", and the case size is 1 3/4" by 1 1/2". The case has the original pin on the back for use a...

A wonderful and rare southern folk art small watercolor on paper portrait of a gentleman, identified as Mr. Bunning on the reverse, along with the date of 1824. Examples of southern folk art are quite uncommon and highly sought after. This fine example was found in Florida, and the presence of a palm tree and water in the background, along with a classical style column, indicates that it was done, in fact, somewhere along the southeastern coast of the U.S

The figure of the man is very nicely r...

A beautifully rendered watercolor and pencil portrait of a woman done by Jane Anthony Davis, more commonly known as J.A. Davis. The sitter, as was usual with Davis' portraits, is dressed in black, with color being reserved for decorative objects, such as books, flowers, or jewelry, as in this case. What is highly unusual is that Davis signed very few of her works, and on this piece, on the cardboard insert behind the painting, is written "Caroline Mathilda Brown Wife of Nicholas Brown". Beneath ...

A fine miniature portrait painting, strongly attributed to Samuel Broadbent. The sitter is reputedly Michael Butler, founder of the Union News Company. The attribution is based on the heavy coloring used in the sitter's face, the positioning in the painting of the sitter, the background technique, and the similarity to the example in the Manney collection.

The painting is in excellent condition, with no cracks, bowing, or restoration. It is housed in what appears to be the original locket fram...

A charming and beautifully rendered watercolor portrait, of a very attractive young woman, painted by Emanuel Reynolds. The sitter is dressed in the height of fashion for the period, around 1837, with a spangled diaphanous blue shawl over a low cut, pleated, black dress highlighted with a central blue brooch. Long blue and purple earrings, and a fine gold chain woven through her elaborate hairdo complete the picture of a wealthy member of the elite society.

What makes this piece truly spe...

A beautifully limned miniature portrait painting by Elkanah Tisdale. The sitter, though unknown, is a handsome young man dressed in a black coat. The painting measures 3" by 2", and is in superb condition, with no chips, cracks, bowing, paint loss, or restoration. It is housed in a later metal case.

Few miniatures by Tisdale are known to exist, and with very rare exception, are, as is the case here, unsigned.

Tisdale was born in CT around 1771, then moved to and worked in NYC from 1794 to ...