A Charming Tinsel Painting c1875
Directory: Antiques: Decorative Art: Folk Art: Pre 1900: Item # 1446645
Please refer to our stock # a1408 when inquiring.
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A sweet tinsel (foil) painting of a large bouquet of flowers. The painting itself is in very good condition, with no chips, breaks, or image loss. The period or earlier gilded wood frame has normal expected wear. Period wood backboard. The sight size is 11 1/4" by 9 5/8", and the overall size is 12 3/4" by 11".
NOTE: Between September 12, 2012 and January 13, 2013 the American Folk Art Museum held an exhibit on this art form. The following is excerpted from the catalog of that exhibition: "Tinsel paintings are reverse paintings on glass with smooth or crumpled metallic foil applied behind translucent and transparent areas; when viewed in candlelight or gaslight, the effect was one of shimmering highlights. In the first half of the 19th century, tinsel painting was taught to young women whose parents were dedicated to providing refined education for their daughters and paid for such special classes. By the mid to late 19th century, the art had expanded outside the school curriculum, and instructions proliferated in books and were advertised in women's magazines. Its origins are related to forms developed in Renaissance Italy, 18th-century China and France, and 19th-century Austria, England, and Germany. Floral imagery predominates, as botanical copy prints and patterns were often employed."
