Featured A Questionable Miniature Portrait Brooch/Pendant

Hi all,

I'm always confused with this piece I bought last year:a miniature portrait brooch&pendant framed in 15ct gold. It was sold to me as georgian, but the style of the frame is clearly wrong. Knowing that, I still bought it since the portrait looks lovely, yet wondering what it actually is? I can tell the 15ct gold frame is surely an later addition, what do you think about the portrait then? The guy looks georgian correctly, but not so sure about the style of the painting.

 

PS: 100% sure it's hand painted, brushestrokes visible uuder loupe

 

I'd wonder if the portrait wasn't a copy of a Georgian painting. It could have been made later; that's been done early and often with other things, maybe for the guy's wife. The uniform doesn't ring bells for me, but ... Napoleonic era? A little later? I'm not that good with European military uniforms.

 

That's possible, as I haven't found another painted example with similar style from georgian era, but I can see under magnificaction that there's another metal layer under the 15ct gold frame, so it should be an earlier metal framed pendant cased within a later gold frame. And yes the uniform is tricky

 

Sounds like that's what happened. Maybe it was fancied up later, as an anniversary gift or something.

 

Doesn't look quite old, but still looks good and deserves treasuring!

 

Looks old enough to me! Then again, we 'murricans rarely find much made earlier than the 1860s of any sort.

 

Haha ok, wish you better luck in the future!

 

Better still, at prices I can afford.

 

I think that is a mid 19th century uniform. Here is Prince Albert wearing similar epaulettes, high collar and double buttons.

 

Thank you that helps! But I noticed their facial hair fashion is different, guess there's a chance it could be earlier?

 

Looks Victorian to me. Military dress not an area I'm knowledgable about but... If he were earlier, I'd expect a military wig or a queue + powder. And the sensibility for the portrait is Romantic

https://revolutionarywarjournal.com/pigtails/

Debora

 

Great to learn that, thank you!

 

The frame looks twenties or thirties. I’ve similar ones with cameos in.

 

Yeah I think early 20th century too, the safety clasp also indicated that, so a later alternation

 

I think hinge & clasp are misleading replacements. To the extent I've ever seen any evidence, these brooches with a convex back are maybe first third of the 19th century.

 

Thank you! Guess those additions could be made by his descendants, adding more story to it