Catalog: Fine Art: Paintings: Miniatures (328)

A strongly painted portrait miniature of a gentleman, rendered in watercolor on organic wafer. The sitter is a good-looking chap with blue eyes and fulsome sideburns, attired in a black jacket and cravat, a white collar and ruffled shirt, and a gold chain. He is identified by engraving on the reverse of the case as J.A. Reed...

A fine pair of strongly painted miniature portraits done on natural wafer. Based on the technique and the area in which the sitters lived (Cincinnati), a strong attribution to Richard Verbrick can be made.

The woman is finely attired in a black puffy sleeved dress with lace at the collar and a wide black belt. Her jewelry includes a brooch at her neckline and earrings, with a tortoiseshell comb in her hair...

A miniature portrait painting by Abraham Parsell, done in his recognizable style with somewhat frizzy hair, and the sitter posed with his arm on a chair. Housed in its original cast foliate frame with a rear aperture containing a lock of hair.

The painting is 2 5/16" by 1 7/8", while the overall locket size is 2 1/2" by 2 1/8"...

A French portrait miniature of a woman done in watercolor on natural material. The sitter, clearly a woman of means,is dressed in au courant fashion in an elaborate white lace hat, a blue ribbon at her throat, and a white lace fichu over her blackish green dress.

On the backing of the painting is written in ink (at the time the painting was done) in French, the name of the sitter "Antoinette Francoise Garison," some other information, and that she was born on September 20, 1773 (see photo #4)...

A nicely rendered painting of a satyr and nymphs, a classical mythological motif, done in watercolor on natural wafer.

In overall very good condition with some minor paint loss at the very edge at the top left of the work. There is a very tight line on the center far right that does not affect any of the figures. The white area at the center bottom is due to light reflection and is not present when viewing in person...

A totally charming miniature painting of a child, done in watercolor on natural material, and housed in an elaborately molded 15K gold case and surround. The cute sitter is in a white gown and posed against a cloud-filled blue sky, with foliage and a tree to the right. The reverse of the case is glazed, with a lock of hair in the aperture, and a pin so that the miniature can be worn as a brooch.

The condition of this lovely example is excellent...

A signed Hyacinthe Mercier miniature portrait, painted on natural wafer. The beautifully rendered sitter is a pleasant looking woman wearing a lace bonnet with lavender and light blue bows, and a dark blue robe or gown. "Mercier 1824" in script along the right side.

The painting is in excellent condition, with some rough edges which do not show while the piece is in its period bronze frame. Sight size is 2 3/8" by 1 7/8", with a frame size of 2 3/4" by 2 1/4"...

A striking miniature with a good attribution to George Newcombe. As opposed to the more usual bust length rendering, this is a 3/4 length pose. That, combined with the style of the dress, intentionally gives a longer, or imposing, feel to the figure.

When the organic substrate of the painting was trimmed, it was done unevenly and close to an edge, so it could be framed better than in the current half of a travel case. Sight size is 3 1/8" by 2 1/2".

A c1840 fine portrait miniature of a young woman in a black dress with elaborate white lace edging around the collar and bodice, and running down the center of the dress almost to the waist. A necklace and lavalier complete her outfit.

Housed in a brown leather over wood case measuring 2 3/4" by 2 1/2" when closed. The sight size of the painting is 2 1/4" by 1 3/4". Excellent condition with wear to the case exterior..

An interesting painting of a rather ruddy-faced gent, in a dark jacket with a striped yellow waistcoat, holding a book at the bottom center. The reverse of the case has blue and yellow striped fabric and a lock of hair, all under beveled glass which has worn reverse painted gilding. The gilded metal case is 2" by 1 7/8".

A c 1840 signed portrait miniature by Gabriel Aristede Passot, done on natural material. As is usual with his work, it is superbly painted, and is of a gentleman in a black coat with a multi-colored merit award ribbon.

The miniature is in fine condition, with no chips, cracks, paint loss, or bowing. A light area along the top edge is due to light reflection. The case, of high quality silver with a royal crown and a mother-of-pearl reverse, is in excellent condition...

A finely limned miniature of a woman wearing a lace edged black dress, a blue shawl, and gold earrings. In a 5" by 4 1/2" ebonized frame with a brass liner and a sight size of 2 1/8" by 1 3/4". Excellent condition.

A watercolor portrait, on natural wafer, of a handsome gentleman attired in a black jacket and vest with a pale pink cravat. Housed in a very heavy and well-made brass case with the reverse side being fully glazed over fabric.

The condition of the painting and the case is excellent, with no flaws. The white dots and background color variations are just due to exterior dust and light reflections. Overall size is 2 7/8" by 2 3/8".

A beautifully painted c1810 miniature of an attractive woman, attributed to Thomas Hargreaves. Clearly well off, and  wearing a white lace bonnet and collar, a black dress, and a chatelaine, the sitter is posed on a red sofa in front of a dusky pale orange drapery. The skill of the artist is evident, even to how he carefully painted the dress material so that it is obvious that the fabric is silk...

A finely done miniature portrait painting on naturalk organic material, depicting an handsome gentleman wearing a black coat, white shirt and collar, with a stickpin.

The painting is in superb condition, with no problems or restoration. It is housed in its original case of cast foliate brass with the reverse having a glazed aperture. The case and glass are also in excellent condition, though the reverse has several unimportant dents.

A very nicely done naive watercolor of a gentleman, housed in its original embossed brass frame. The painting has had no restoration and has no tears or losses. sight size is 2 1/4" by 1 3/4", and the framed size is 3 3/4" by 3 1/8".

A wonderful portrait miniature of an attractive young woman, painted in watercolor and gouache on organic wafer. The sitter, set against a bluish gray background, has a tortoiseshell comb in her hair and is wearing a black dress with lace at the cuffs and at the neckline. Pearl earrings and gold chains complete her ensemble.

The painting is in excellent condition, with no flaws...

A striking miniature portrait by Johann Christian Schoeller. The sitter is a girl child, dressed in purple, with a basket of flowers on her lap and posed in front of a window showing a landscape. Charming and colorful, this is an fine example of Schoeller's work. Presented in a period bronze frame, with an overall size of 3" by 2". The reverse has a label and a backing paper with the artist's name...

A miniature portrait of a handsome gentleman in a blue jacket with gold buttons. Presented in the original cast foliate case, the reverse having chessboard hairwork centered with "RD" initials in underlying gold topped with pearls.

Excellent condition with any apparent issues being due to my infamous photographic skills. The case size is 2 1/2" by 2".

A miniature portrait, done in watercolor and gouache on organic wafer, of a young man, well portrayed by the artist to capture his power and possible arrogance. The hazel-eyed sitter is shown in a casual pose, wearing a dark jacket and white ascot.

The condition is excellent, with no cracks, bowing, or paint loss. Presented in a cast bronze frame without glazing the sight size is 2 1/8" by 1 5/8", with an overall size of 4 1/2" by 3".

A nice c1814 example of a Frederick Buck miniature of a woman in a blue dress. The backing of the mini has "Caroline ??? 1814". Presented in what might be the original frame, which measures 4 3/4" by 4 1/8". The sight size is 2 3/4" by 2 1/8". Excellent condition.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Frederick Buck, the younger brother of Adam Buck, was born in Cork in 1771, where he had a thriving practice as a miniaturist for an extended period. During the Peninsular War (1808 - 1814), when Cork was a bu...

A stunning miniature portrait painting, watercolor on natural organic material, of a beautiful young girl with hazel eyes. The artist has painted the sitter with a background of clouds against a blue sky, often thought to denote that the piece was done as a mourning keepsake.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with no chips, cracks, bowing, or restoration. This little gem is housed in its original cast bronze brooch, with a mother-of-pearl backing. The sight size is 1 5/8" by 1...

A wonderful portrait of an attractive young woman, done in watercolor on organic wafer. The blue-eyed, red-haired sitter is in a black gown with a gauzy white top, highlighted by a large pink bow at her bodice. The artist carefully chose the ground color and the bow to complement the subject's coloring. The frame is period and probably original, with an eglomise glass cover to the painting.

The painting is in excellent condition, with no issues. The eglomise glass and the frame have wear but a...

Nothing less than superb would describe the quality of this c1835 American portrait miniature. The artist, as yet to be identified, even went so far as to show the shadow cast on the cheeks of the sitter by the lower rims of the glasses. The sight size is 2 7/8" by 2", with the size of the modern black painted wood frame being 5 1/2" by 5".

A nicely done watercolor on organic material portrait miniature, depicting a half-length view of a young woman. In a black dress with a lace-edged neckline, she has accessorized with gold drop earrings and a triple strand gold necklace.

Of interest is the backing of the painting, which shows a portion of a finely drawn ink portrait of a man's head. The miniature is in a velvet lined leather case with a brass mat and glazing, with the two halves having separated, but which could be taped back t...

A well executed miniature of an English gent. The reverse of the painting identifies the sitter as Thomas Sheppard, painted by W. Bate in 1802. Presented in an unusual gold painted frame with the miniature displayed in the diagonal direction. The condition of the miniature is excellent, with the inside rim of the frame having a "ding" at around 2:00 o'clock. Sight size is 2 7/8" by 2 3/8" with an overall size of 4 1/2" by 4 1/2".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: There is not much known about William B...

Painted in watercolor on organic material, with the sitter attired in a black coat, vest, and stock, and sporting a stickpin. In a wood frame with fragments on the back possibly indicating the artist and/or the sitter.

Very good condition with no chips, cracks, bowing, or restoration. Sight size is 2 1/4" by 1 13/16", and the framed size is 3 7/8" by 3 3/8".

A fine American miniature painting on natural wafer of a hazel-eyed woman, dressed in a white bonnet and fichu. Original locket gilt metal case has a plait of hair in the aperture on the back of the case.

Superb condition with no problems. The locket is 2 3/8" by 2", and the sight size of this little gem is 2 1/4" by 1 7/8".

A truly lovely and engaging portrait miniature, on natural wafer, of a beautiful young woman. The subject, attired in a green velvet dress with a black cape and a white fichu, is seated in front of an orange drapery with a view of a landscape. The framing of this gem is of fine construction, with an inner gold plated frame that is easily removable (and replaced) if a smaller overall size is desired. Both frames are in very fine order.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with bright col...

A beautifully executed miniature folk art watercolor on thin card portrait by J. H. Gillespie, housed in a cast foliate metal locket with an aperture on the reverse.

The condition is excellent, with no issues whatsoever. The reverse of the case is lacking the surround and glazing to the aperture.

Note: Gillespie was active on the East Coast of North America, Baltimore, New York, and Philadelphia around the 1829-1838 time period. Gillespie painted miniature portraits and silhouettes very c...

A naïve but appealing watercolor and gouache painting on organic wafer of a young gentleman. The background is done with great effect in blues, brown, and pink.

The 2 1/4" by 1 3/4" painting is in fine condition, with no flaws to speak of. The case is structurally sound, with a glazed aperture on the rear, but could use a good overall cleaning.

A striking and strongly limned Andrew Plimer miniature portrait of Edward Buller Hicks, of the Royal Navy. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1812, and this portrait was most likely done at that time. In a later ebonized wood frame which nicely complements the piece. Both the painting and the frame are in excellent condition with no issues. Sight size is 2 7/8" by 2", and the framed size is 6 3/4" by 5 3/4".

Provenance: Elle Shushan and then to a NY collector.

Notes: 1. Edward Buller Hicks wa...

A portrait miniature beautifully painted on organic material. The sitter, M. Roland, is an attractive woman with flowing black hair, a white fichu over a white dress decorated with blue flowers, A wide pink sash completes her attire. This piece was based on the full length portrait of M. Roland done by Jules-Adolphe Goupil, titled "Le dernier Jour de Madame Roland" and shown in the third photo.

The painting is in excellent condition with no flaws or restoration. The diameter is 2 11/16" sight...

A nicely painted portrait of a fashionably dressed attractive young woman, done in watercolor on natural wafer. The sitter is wearing a lace-edged blue dress, tightly belted at the waist, with a gold and red brooch centered at the bodice, and a lace cap, The painting and the ebonized wood frame (which has a finely craquelured surface) are in fine condition. Sight size is 2 7/8" by 2 1/4", with a frame size of 5 1/4" by 4 1/2".

Two paintings are offered here for the price of one! The first done in India ink on prepared cardboard, this finely limned profile shows a man facing left with his right hand tucked into his jacket. It is presented in a gilded, stamped sheet metal frame.

The condition is quite good with several unimportant white streaks, mainly in the jacket. The sight size is 3 1/2" by 2", with an overall size of 5 1/4" by 4".

The second piece is a watercolor and ink on cardboard of a young man n...

A nicely painted miniature portrait of a blue-eyed older woman with a strong yet kindly bearing. To be more specific, the sitter is identified on the reverse as "Grandmother ??? Berry (Agnes Eman)  Bel??? Scotland".  Agnes is shown in a squared away pose, looking directly at the viewer, and with an expression indicating she might be wistfully revisiting  past memories. 

  The painting is in excellent condition, and presented in a 2 1/2" by 2" metal covered hand worked wood frame, almos...