Antique Signed Hand Painted Miniature of a Woman in Dark Wood Frame
Description: An antique hand painted miniature of a period woman in a brass bezel and in a wooden frame. The painting, which is round in shape is of a woman having a long neck and wearing what appears to be a Pearle necklace. Her red hair is up and she is wearing a blue dress. Her lips are red and her eyes are brown. She is also wearing earrings dangling from the woman’s ear. The miniature appears to be initialed with G?. M. The painting is done on a purplish-brown background. The back of the frame is covered with printed paper that was partially opened but not all the way and we chose not to open it to investigate the material on which the miniature was panted. The back also has a hanger at the top edge to hang it from. The hanger, which is a bit loos, is held with a nail. The painting appears to be done on a round piece of material and is drawn using what we believe are water colors. 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 ~4 1/4' by ~4 1/4", while the painting is ~2" in diameter. The piece weighs slightly over 2 ounces.
Artist: Unknown.
Marks: The piece is signed with two initials above the left shoulder G.? (we are not certain of this one) and M. that are underlined.
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, with no losses. The frame is also in very good condition. The back of the frame is covered with printed paper that was partially opened but not all the way and we chose not to open it to investigate the material on which the miniature was painted. The back also has a hanger at the top edge to hang it from. The hanger, which is a bit loose, is held with a nail. The wood frame has scratches, some dings, and minor losses of color here and there. We do note, when examining the piece with a 10X magnifying glass that the shaded parts of the painting (at the chin, below the lip, on the eye lids, and the tip of the nose) 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 as is the wooden frame. A very nice piece worthy of a spot in your collection of antique miniature paintings. Please see photos for additional condition information.
