Featured Miniature Paintings Just Arrived! Mozart and Sophie Charlotte of Prussia

Hi all! I've been waiting for these to arrive, and after a delay, today they did! All 5 are from the same seller. I'll divide them into separate threads so nothing gets lost.

First up: This is a pair that I bought separately. They're framed together so together they stay! The man was sold as Mozart and she was listed as Sophie Charlotte of Pressia. I'm wondering about the material of the frames...They have some of the patterning of bone or ivory, but in hand they're cool to the touch and very smooth. The sides have an almost plastic quality to them. I can't find any Schreger lines. They're backed in wood and covered in old paper. Sophie's paper has latin and Mozart is in French. Sophie is signed as well.




Other than 'old', I don't really have an age for these. Sophia lived from 1744-1818, Mozart died in 1791. The seller had them catagorized on ebay as 1850-1899 for Sophia, and Mozart as 1800-1849. That's all I have to go on.

Not sure if there's dust on the glass, I keep trying to wipe it off so apologies for all the dots on mozart in particular lol!​

 

This is not what you want to hear but... In my experience, these types of paintings in bone frames are 20th century decorative miniatures. They are typically copies of known portraits. The backings are designed to give them the appearance of age.

Debora

 

uh oh.....my bank doesn't like the sound of that. They cost me 30 something each....

 

The woman is Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire as painted by Thomas Gainsborough. She is often reproduced in these types of miniatures. Here's another example.

Debora

 

The male portrait may be intended to be Mozart and loosely based -- keeping in mind that Mozart died at the age of 30 -- on this portrait by Barbara Krafft. The seller of the lot below claims the figure in the red coat is also Mozart.

Debora

 

Yikes. Looks like I may have been done then.

 

Ditto. Although it looks like real piano keys were used for the, uhm, piano keys of the frame. I can see some wavy ivory markings.

Sophie Charlotte of Prussia is indeed "The Duchess", and Mozart isn't Mozart either.

 

Did you ask here before you bid? I can't imagine you weren't warned by our members if you did.

 

No unfortunately not. I tend to if I'm not sure, but this seller's inventory is/was all 16th-19th century paintings etc so these seemed to fit right in.

I may see if I can get a return on them, I spent too much to swallow it here...

 

Good luck. Decorative and possible ivory is double trouble.
Stay away from piano key frames in future, they are home decor.

 

If the seller misrepresented the items, you may have some luck. And there are a number of old threads here re similar if you want to take the time.

Debora

 

Noted!

I'll have a look thank you. Hopefully I can return the two and I won't be so sad lol!

 

have u experience with google image search..?

 

Yes lol I use it all the time for large lots to pick items out, I just didn't for these.

 

...... .........................

 

You've done very well on your other buys, consider this part of your education. I still hope you get a refund though.

 

Just to further things to look for....that center, bottom key on the Duchess's frame is definitely a cross-hatched ivory pattern. Others have lines I can see too, but that's a good clear one. So that will help you identify ivory in future. Also look out for those "old-timey" printed paper backs. The real old stuff usually has plain papers, if any.

That portrait is possibly the single most copied for these decorative wares. You're gonna see Georgina everywhere now. She was a stunner and a diva and very popular lol.

I hope you can return them, but 30 is about what these go for as painted decor. It's not a terrible price....but I understand they aren't what you expected them to be.

 

I agree with the comments. Those newspaper or book page backings are a warning. No decent framer of the period would use this.

 

I cannot say much about the paintings or the frames, but I can say something about the pieces of text on the reverse of the frames.

The one with the yellow 074 label:

Responsa plane omnibus tum in foro, tum in scholis versantibus, apprime conducibilia, non minus necessaria, quam utilia (Frankfurt, 1589, page 159)


The one with the yellow 094 label:

Historia ecclesiastica novi testamenti (Augsburg 1756, Page 87).

It does not say much about the rest, but it is fun to know

 

I thought someone would know! Thanks so much Libris that's great to learn.