Catalog (181)

A striking American rendering of a handsome gentleman, nattily attired in a black jacket and tie, and with a patterned vibrant blue vest. In a 2 3/4" by 2 1/4" gilt metal cast foliate frame with a glazed aperture on the reverse.

An incredibly charming portrait miniature brooch of a young child, painted on natural material. The subject is beautiful, wearing a coral necklace and a pale lavender gown, and with brown eyes that were so finely and realistically painted with such depth that it is almost hard to believe when seeing this gem in person.

The condition is excellent, with no issues, and the overall size is 1 3/8" by 1".

A finely painted miniature portrait, watercolor on natural wafer, of an attractive young woman. She is wearing a black dress, a white and pink fichu with a brooch, and a lace collar.Original case with a glazed aperture on the reverse. This fine example was part of the well-known sale of the Paul and Barbara Carpenter collection.

The sight size is 2 3/8" by 2".Aside from a small chip to the edge of the cover glass, the condition of the painting and case is excellent, with no issues. The white f...

A fine American miniature portrait of a young woman with sausage curls, wearing a lace cap and fichu, with a black dress with black dots. The watercolor painting is done on natural wafer, and enclosed in a period cast bronze foliate case with a glazed aperture on the reverse.

The miniature has no chips, cracks, or bowing. The painting slipped slightly in its case when I scanned it, but this is easily adjusted. Sight size is 2 1/4" by 1 7/8", while the case size is 2 3/4" by 2 1/4".

A nicely done American folk art watercolor on paper profile portrait. The young man is wearing a blue-gray jacket and a white lacy cravat. Housed in an old gilded frame with a newer interior velvet liner. Framed size is 7 1/4 " by 7 1/4", and the sight size is 2 5/8" by 2 5/8". Excellent condition with no problems.

A nice miniature painting done by Christopher Greiner. The sitter is a gentleman in a black coat and tie, but Greiner emphasized the somber feel of the painting by using a background of black and dark green.

The painting has no condition flaws, and is housed in a cast foliate pendant case with hair in the glazed aperture on the back. The size is 2 1/2" by 1 3/4".

Note: Not much seems to be known about Christopher (or Christian) Greiner (died 1864), other than that he was a painter and min...

A finely done miniature portrait painting on naturalk organic material, depicting an handsome gentleman wearing a black coat, white shirt and collar, with a stickpin.

The painting is in superb condition, with no problems or restoration. It is housed in its original case of cast foliate brass with the reverse having a glazed aperture. The case and glass are also in excellent condition, though the reverse has several unimportant dents.

A nicely painted miniature portrait, on natural organic material, of a pretty young woman in a blue dress with a white fichu. Condition of the painting is excellent, with no problems. The glass in the rear aperture of the case is cracked. Overall size is 2 3/4" by 2 1/4".

A charming and well limned naive miniature portrait painting on organic wafer. The sitter is a nice-looking young man attired in a black coat with brass buttons and the lapels with blue embellishment. Hi has a white shirt and stock, a high collar, and a yellowish gray vest. Housed in a cast foliate case with a rear glazed aperture containing cross-braided plaits of hair.

Condition is excellent, with no cracks, bowing, paint loss, etc. The case condition is also excellent. Sight size is 2 5/16...

A striking miniature with a good attribution to George Newcombe. As opposed to the more usual bust length rendering, this is a 3/4 length pose. That, combined with the style of the dress, intentionally gives a longer, or imposing, feel to the figure.

When the organic substrate of the painting was trimmed, it was done unevenly and close to an edge, so it could be framed better than in the current half of a travel case. Sight size is 3 1/8" by 2 1/2".

A fine 19th century miniature version of Gilbert Stuart's "Lansdowne" portrait, the iconic 1796 life size portrait of George Washington. The painting here is done in watercolor and gouache on organic wafer. From its origin until the present day many copies of the portrait have been made, but very few on ivory.

This 3 1/8" by 2 1/2" example is in excellent condition, with no issues. The 11" by 9 3/4" gilt over gesso frame is period and might be original.

NOTES: 1. The Lansdowne port...

This is a superbly rendered watercolor on paper attributed to Henry Walton. The name of the sitter, John Andrew Jenny, is written in pencil at the top of the painting, in penmanship not unlike Walton's.

Mr. Jenny is a nice-looking young man wearing a black coat, with highlights in gum arabic. The style of the coat and the cravat place this portrait in the 1841-1844 time period. This is consistent with Walton's development as an artist, when he began to paint the faces of his subjects with mod...

A beautifully executed miniature folk art watercolor on thin card portrait by J. H. Gillespie, housed in a cast foliate metal locket with an aperture on the reverse.

The condition is excellent, with no issues whatsoever. The reverse of the case is lacking the surround and glazing to the aperture.

Note: Gillespie was active on the East Coast of North America, Baltimore, New York, and Philadelphia around the 1829-1838 time period. Gillespie painted miniature portraits and silhouettes very c...

A fine miniature portrait painting, on natural organic material, done by John Alexander McDougall. The sitter is a distinguished gentleman dressed fashionably in a ruffled blue shirt, light blue vest, and black coat.

The miniature is in excellent condition, with no problems or restoration. The brass case is also without flaws. The photo of the back does appear to have blemishes, but these are label residues. Sight size is 3 1/4" by 2 1/2" .

MacDougall was born in New Jersey in 1810, and pri...

A fine pair of miniature portrait paintings, on natural organic material, housed in a 1/6 plate daguerreotype case, which is embossed in a cartouche on the front and back "M.B. Brady Case Maker NY". Cases by Brady are highly desirable and avidly collected.

As to the wonderful portraits, the first is of a bewhiskered gentleman in a black jacket, vest, and stock, and a white pleated shirt. The woman is attired in a black pleated dress with lace edging, and a white lace cap. It is highly probabl...

A delightful c1908 miniature painted by Mildred E. Walker (listed in Who's Who of American Art as having worked in New York.) The young child has a mass of red hair, brown eyes, and is dressed in a blue blouse. The reverse of the gilt metal case identifies the sitter as "Spiky/Aged 3 years/October 1908." Artist signed along the left edge "Mildred E. Walker 1908."

The case size is 3" by 2 3/8". The condition of the painting is excellent, with the case having some wear and oxidation on t...

A French portrait miniature of a woman done in watercolor on natural material. The sitter, clearly a woman of means,is dressed in au courant fashion in an elaborate white lace hat, a blue ribbon at her throat, and a white lace fichu over her blackish green dress.

On the backing of the painting is written in ink (at the time the painting was done) in French, the name of the sitter "Antoinette Francoise Garison," some other information, and that she was born on September 20, 1773 (see photo #4)...

A stunning miniature portrait painting, watercolor on natural organic material, of a beautiful young girl with hazel eyes. The artist has painted the sitter with a background of clouds against a blue sky, often thought to denote that the piece was done as a mourning keepsake.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with no chips, cracks, bowing, or restoration. This little gem is housed in its original cast bronze brooch, with a mother-of-pearl backing. The sight size is 1 5/8" by 1...