Antique Hand Painted Miniature of a Woman on Porcelain Round Brass Bezel
Description: An antique well-done hand painted miniature of a period woman in a brass bezel within a velour covered board rectangle. The entire piece appears to have been part of a enclosed keepsake that would open and close to protect the miniature. This is long gone and all that is left is the piece we are offering. We are offering this piece as found and so we are suggesting that regardless of the lack of the original enclosure, the miniature is beautiful and worthy of a spot in any collection of miniatures. The painting appears to be done on a round piece of porcelain. The back of the piece shows the brass prongs that hold it in place as well as the swing clips that held a backing to the piece. The piece has no metal backing but rather a paper or board backing covered with velour like material and you can see the prongs holding the piece together. The miniature shows a woman with dark hair, blue eyes, and red lips. The woman is wearing a dark dress having lace along the neck line and shoulders of the dress. She is also wearing a gold necklace with a cross and ear rings. She also has a broach just below the cross. It is interesting to note that the earrings and broach are textured with some losses. The image is drawn on a blue background. The drawing is very well done and shows nice details of the woman's face such as the chin, the lips, nose, and the hair. We do note, when examining the piece with a 10X magnifying glass that the shaded parts of the painting (along the neck and the right side of the face) show dark dots which the artist used to create the shading. These dark spots are definitely not pixels but intentional in the technique the artist used to create the miniature. A very well-done painting by what we believe is an accomplished artist. A great piece ready to add to your antique miniature collection. Please carefully review the photos presented as they are part and parcel of our description.
Date: Uncertain but most likely sometime mid to late 1800s (mid to late 19th century).
Origin: Recently acquired at an estate sale in Southeast Pennsylvania.
Size: The piece measure ~2 3/4' by ~2 1/4", while the painting is ~1 1/4" in diameter. The piece with the ribbon weighs about half an ounce.
Artist: Unknown.
Marks: Unmarked/unsigned.
Distinguishing Characteristics - Most Interesting About The Piece: This is a nice hand painted miniature nicely done in good condition. It would make a worthy addition to your collection.
Condition: The art work is in good condition. The piece was obviously part of a more elaborate keepsake that no long is there and we only have the painting within the velour covered cardboard piece with the prongs holding it showing and missing the backing. One of the earrings and broach the woman is wearing are textured with some losses. We do note, when examining the piece with a 10X magnifying glass that the shaded parts of the painting (along the neck and the right side of the face) show dark dots which the artist used to create the shading. These dark spots are definitely not pixels but intentional in the technique the artist used to create the miniature. The art work is in good state of preservation while the surrounding velour covered board has losses. Be that as it may, this is a nice piece worthy of a spot in your collection of antique miniature paintings. Please see photos for additional condition information.
