Featured Learned My Lesson, Check before Purchase! Miniature Painting

I was thankfully able to return the two paintings with the piano key frames, sent them off this morning and should only lose the 14 euros I had to pay to ship them back.

This experience has made me wary about others and I wanted to check this other one. This lovely lady would be lovely to bring out at christmas, and the seller has offered 30% off (comes to 65).
The seller describes this as painted on bone, old, and 6x5cm. Is this the real deal or another decorative painting?



Thank you!! Save me from myself if need be!​

 

Depends on what qualifies as the 'real deal'. It probably is hand painted, by the individual signed on the right. It is almost certainly copied from a work by a better known artist. I am too lazy to try to find out who.

I have a plaque about this size with the portrait of an astronomer done in relief, a cameo. The back looks like this. Mine is definitely molded in an artificial material. So suspect little decorative pieces.

 

the thing to look out for with these types is the detailing. a lot of these were printed on celluloid and just touched up with a few brush strokes to make it look painted

in this case looks like they've just sloppily painted the lips and detailing to the shawl, then signed it

i'd pass on this one

 

'Old' can mean a lot of things. Yes, it is old, but not antique imho.
She is lovely, but she looks like an enhanced print to me, with those lips.
The frame looks molded resin to me.
I would also pass on this one. There will be others.

 

The lips aren't period which tells one right away something isn't quite right.

Debora

 

Note how the texture of the "bone" (it's never bone lol) comes through the large "painted" areas instead of seeing brush strokes? Remember that pieces painted on ivory or porcelain have a distinct almost pointillism technique due to the somewhat slippery base. Those lips and detail on her dress standing out as actually painted are a big clue to decorative work because usually it's the eyes, lips, dress collar, short signature, and maybe a hair decoration that get painted on those.

 

I think she's 1930s from the lipstick. If you want 1930s decorative painting, she's pretty. If you're after an ivory miniature, keep looking.

 

I'd think 1930s just about right.

Debora

 

Thank you all! I did notice the mouth but didn't stop to consider why that was out of the ordinary lol. Very informative replies and I now know more of what to look for in future!

 

she has "Cupid's bow" lips, straight out of the 20s into the 30s. It was a style thing, and bright red lipstick was part of it.