Featured The creme de la creme (and actual jewelry) 18/19th miniature paintings

As my jewelry journey goes on I find myself with two obsessions, georgian jewelry and miniatures. Why couldn't I have cheaper tastes??

Anyway, LOOK at this young man.



He's set in brass, possibly framed in gold, I need to test it. Solid hardware and beautifully done. I did some googling on his dress, at first I thought 1850s but there seems to be more bow ties than ruffles as my young squire has. He also strikes me as english, though I have no reason to believe that.





See for reference:

1800-1809


1810-1819


1820-1829




This lady I was going to sell in favor of keeping the older man and the above brooch, but when she arrived she is SO tiny, so much smaller than I was expecting, and all the more beautiful because of it.

I'd like to think she's late 18th early 19th, am I correct?

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I'd also like to hold a moment of silence for the most gorgeous miniature that I lost because ebay took a high bid that was ONE CENT over mine, two seconds before it ended. I almost cried when I lost him.

The intensity of his eyes, the damage making him look like a lost renaissance painting, he would have had pride of place in my home. But one cent...

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The woman is wearing Georgian, not Victorian costume.

Debora

 

Indeed, but so is my other lady who is circa 1860 based on the frame at least. Of course she would have been put in a newer brooch later on. This frame though does look of the period...

 

Here's your lady. Off a biscuit tin. So likely an original somewhere.

Debora

 

The young man is charming. But I don't see Regency attire. Someone else will be able to date by the pinback.

Debora

 

About the lady, that loose way of wearing the fichu is ca 1780s-90s. The frame looks the same period to me.
The gent's collar is not a shawl collar like the ones you posted for comparison, it is a buttoned collar much like modern shirt collars. (Don't know the exact terms in English.)

 

I m no help with this. But I love the brooch you bought more than the damaged one that got away.
I don't know, the portrait is much better painted and I like the way the guy laughs at the viewer.

 

The one that got away looks very angry.

 

My guy is very rosy cheeked isnt he! He's the sort of character you could imagine Mr Bingley was inspired by.

Thats why I love him, he's very unusual. What sort of man was he to be portrayed that way? Its so intriguing.

 

Hm okay interesting, thank you!

Excellent! I was hoping she was that old, even if she is now Biscuit Tin Lady instead of mystery noblewoman

 

Here's your Biscuit Tin Lady again. Seller describes as both "19th century" and "Roccoco" both of which is incorrect. On offer in Germany. As I wrote above, an original is out there somewhere.


https://www.invaluable.com/auction-...rait-painter-19th-century-po-263-c-37b45688e2

Debora

 

I don't know how old the painting is, just the period of the costume.

 

I love both of your gents. Well the one you got and the one you didn’t. I have a small collection of miniature portraits. It’s one of the things I plan on keeping a small good collection for rather than selling them. At least for the most part. I totally see your interest in the one that got away. The bidding increments I have never grasped on eBay. Not sure how they do it and if it’s the same for every listing. If it’s any consolation for all you know the winning bidder could have bid $1,000 more than you but only ended up winning by the one cent. It’s defiantly a hard niche to find good cheap examples in.

 

"Biscuit Tin Lady" is Queen Marie-Antoinette! Here's one of many lithos of the image, that names her. This one is credited to the lithographer François-Séraphin Delpech, but it seems the original painting these may be based on is lost (if it was not just always a litho).

I LOVE the gent you snagged. He's really beautiful and well done. A very soft painting from someone with an impeccable technique. I agree with others, it looks like he has a collared shirt and not a cravat.

Your Marie-Antoinette is adorable. I might be completely off but it almost looks like someone remounted an older frame with a newer stand?

The one that got away has got an amazing gaze. Some things that have gotten away from me haunt me a little but I save the photo and then go look at all the treasures I've managed to scoop away from others. Makes me feel better. I always try to interrogate myself on what's the top amount that feels worth the item, will it haunt me if someone goes over? Or will I be glad I didn't spend that much? Then I just let the dice roll. @J Dagger is right...tell yourself they bid wayyy over you and you'll feel better. You're gonna keep finding other amazing stuff anyway.

 

Wonderful! Great find and one that makes perfect sense. (And an image of the queen I'm not familiar with.) I like the portrait of the young man very much too. But I'm puzzled by his costume. I'm not familiar with that exaggerated pointed collar worn outside of the 1970s. I thought perhaps an academic or clerical robe but can find nothing like it.

Debora

 

I think it's hard to see, but it looks like a collar like the gent in the second example image Rachel posted, with a dark velvet (?) top part and a wool bottom part. It's just really hard to see the line of the collar, with that button under it. He does very much look the part of that example, excepting his coat being closed and that funky shirt. I wonder if our young man is just smushing his collar/cravat with that pose and/or didn't have it tied up as tightly. With coat closed, maybe we just don't see as much of it?

 

True. I bid 61.99, which I thought might be a lot (not that much interest in him up till that point) because of the damage. So I went with a high bid hoping to scare off people. I did the 99 (or 98/59/whatever) to get people who do the 01 thing because ebay normally does bids by 50 cents. He sold for 62. Hopefully the buyer did have a massive bid! That would make me feel better. I do have the photo saved and my mom said we'll get it printed and framed so he can be in my house anyway.

Thanks so much for the ID! Of course its Marie haha. I did wonder about the stand. We're starting to get out of the realm of my limited knowledge so I can't say for certain, but I was looking for something a little different somehow if the whole thing was of the period. If it is c1780/90, then that's Marie pre-revolution!

Interesting! I'll have to go down some rabbit holes it seems...

 

Marie post-revolution would paint quite a different picture.

Debora

 

True