Catalog: Fine Art: Paintings: Miniatures (328)

An uncommon c1840 miniature by Richard Morrell Staigg, signed lower right. The sitter is a blue-eyed young woman, simply posed in a black dress with lace edging at the bodice. Presented in 1/2 of a dag case. The sight size is 3" by 2 1/4".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Richard Morrell Staig was born in England in 1817 and moved to the U.S. in 1831, first settling in Newport, RI. While there, Staigg studied under Jane Stuart, Gilbert Stuart's daughter...

Considering all the feathers and foliage, I wouldn't be surprised if there were a bird actually living in the mass of ostrich feathers, flowers, and upswept hair of the blue-eyed sitter. This late 18th century miniature is in excellent condition and is presented in a 1 5/8" by 1 3/8" gold bracelet clasp.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Francisca Efigenia Meléndez y Durazzo, sometimes given as Francisca Meléndez de Múquiz (1770–1825) was a Spanish miniaturist and pastellist...

A fine c1751 miniature watercolor on natural wafer, signed and dated by J. Lacon. The sitter is wearing a décolleté white dress and a lace underslip. The trimming of the blue ribbons provides a pop of color and wonderful contrast to the rest of the painting. Presented in a gilt metal reeded frame with remnants of collection labels on the reverse. 1 7/8" by 1 1/2".

Lacon (fl. c1740 - 1760) worked in Bath, England, painting miniatures and water color portraits...

A fine portrait miniature attributed to John Downman, although Charles Hayter is a secondary possibility. Simply attired in a white gown, and with powdered hair, the sitter is shown with a pensive and somewhat downcast expression. Presented in a gold frame, the glazed reverse having a plaited hair border and a hairwork wheat-sheaf with seed pearls on opalescent glass...

A fine miniature by Charles Dixon, signed "CD" and dated 1750. The subject is a gentleman with his hair tied back, wearing a blue coat, red waistcoat, and black stock. Presented in a gilt metal mount with bracelet clasp, measuring 1 3/8" by 1 1/8".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Information about Charles Dixon (fl 1748 - 1798) appears to be quite sparse, and there is not even certainty that his first name was Charles since those pieces he signed were done so with "CD"...

A nicely done late 18th century miniature of a woman wearing a blue dress and white fichu, her powdered hair with an interwoven white ribbon. Presented in a gilt bracelet clasp mount. Excellent condition with an overall size of 1 3/8" by 1 1/8".

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 well painted c1800 - 1812 miniature of a British officer. The sitter is wearing the uniform of a major general, with a red tunic, blue lapels and collar, and gold epaulettes and buttons. The miniature is signed lower left, with a somewhat indecipherable calligraphic monogram of "RM"?. Presented in a gilt metal frame with a bevelled blue glass back. Excellent condition, with an overall size of 2 1/2" by 2"

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 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 nicely executed miniature portrait painted on organic wafer by Thomas Hull. The sitter is a blue-eyed gent in a blue coat, frilled chemise, and white waistcoat. Presented in a gilt metal frame with a collection label on the reverse.

The condition of the painting and the frame are excellent, with no issues. The dark areas at the edges of the painting are due to light refraction in the photos and do not appear in person...

An excellently painted miniature portrait of a gentleman, rendered by Thomas Richmond in watercolor on organic wafer. The sitter, with powdered hair, is attired in a black coat, matching waistcoat, and a frilled white shirt and stock.

Presented in a gilt metal frame, with printed interior scene on the reverse. The condition is excellent, with strong colors and no issues. Any white specks in the photo are dust motes...

An exceedingly rare portrait miniature, done in watercolor on organic wafer, by John Miers (1756–1821) who was the most famous profilist or painter of silhouettes in Britain. (Actually, the term “silhouette” was not used until the 1830’s. Prior to that, black silhouettes were known as “shades,” “shadow portraits,” or “profiles.”) Although Miers was known to have done tens of thousands of shades, only a very few full color portrait miniatures are thought to exist.

The p...

Nicely painted on organic wafer, this miniature portrait is of a handsome gentleman set against a bluish-gray background. Housed in a low karat gilded cast foliate pendant case with an empty glazed aperture verso. The miniature is in a specially made leather case that opens and props open to allow the miniature to be displayed or removed.

The condition of the miniature and case are excellent, with no issues to speak of. The white areas along the top edge and at the lower left are due to re...

An endearing small English or continental miniature of an attractive young woman with reddish-brown hair with a pearl clip, and wearing a blue and white gown with pearl decorations at the shoulders. The glazed reverse of the frame features hair in a basket weave pattern.

No condition issues to speak of. The length is 1 1/2" with a 1 1/4" width.

Signed "Inman 1842" along the right edge, this fine miniature portrait is purportedly of Theodore Roosevelt's grandmother. Painted with watercolors on organic material, it shows the sitter simply attired in a black dress with a lace collar, with the only other adornment being a brooch on that collar.

A later note on the back of the bronze frame states that the sitter is Mrs. Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt (nee Margaret Barnhill). Margaret was the mother of Theodore Roosevelt Sr., the grandmo...

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...

An incredibly charming portrait miniature brooch of a young child, painted on natural material. The subject is beautiful, wearing a coral necklace and a pale lavender gown, and with brown eyes that were so finely and realistically painted with such depth that it is almost hard to believe when seeing this gem in person.

The condition is excellent, with no issues, and the overall size is 1 3/8" by 1".

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 fine miniature portrait by Jeremiah Meyer, painted in watercolor on organic wafer. The sitter, an attractive woman with long brown hair, is simply presented in a teal gown, with no jewelry or other distractions from her natural beauty.

The painting has no cracks, chips, bowing, or restoration. The brass case is in fine condition with an unimportant dent in the back. The overall size is 1 7/8" by 1 5/8".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Born in Germany, and brought to England in 1749, Jeremiah Me...

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 waist length portrait, done on organic material, of an attractive woman with dark brown eyes and hair. The sitter, posed in front of a reddish-brown drape, is wearing a black gown with a lace collar cinched with a brooch matching her earrings. A gold chain with two pendants completes her outfit. Presented in a later gilt frame.

The painting is in excellent condition with no issues. The sight size is 2 1/2" by 2" and the framed size is 5 1/2" by 4 1/2".

A beautiful pair of miniature portraits, both signed Fuger, painted in watercolors on organic material. In addition, the elaborate frames are made out of this same natural material, something rarely, if ever, seen. The sitters, in 18th century attire, are a young gent and lady posed against a blue sky with foliage and hills behind them.

Notes on the backs of the frames provide the following information: "These miniatures were bought by Ellen Franklin in antique shop Bellagio Italy in 1929. ???...

A finely limned painting, done in watercolor on natural wafer, and attributed to Francois Ferriere. The sitter is a woman dressed in a white gown with a ruffled collar and shown against a grayish blue background.

The frame is period and the painting is mounted so that the backing paper is under glass and visible on the reverse of the frame, displaying the following identification "Ann Moffat died 20th May 1805 aged 32 years". It also misattributes the painting as being done by a French ...

A fine watercolor on card portrait done by Paul Gomien. The sitter is a woman wearing a puffy sleeved gray-blue dress with a lace collar. Her accessories include a black belt and a gold necklace.

In addition to being signed "Gomien" and dated "1822" along the center right edge the reverse has a trade card reading "P. Gomien/Peintre, Rue St. Honore No 247 pres le Palais Royal". For the period and location this is quite rare. The framing attests to the expense of the piece at the time it was pai...

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 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. The original mahogany frame is in excellent condition, with a diameter of 4 1...

A striking portrait miniature, on natural wafer, done by Geibel (signed along left side). Thus far we have not been able to find the artist listed in any of the main directories. The sitter is shown wearing a white stock, waistcoat, and a royal blue jacket.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with no problems at all. Please note that the darker area on the right part of the jacket is due to the difficulty of photographing the painting. In fact, because of the angle of the glass the p...

A fine miniature portrait, watercolor on organic wafer, of a blue-eyed gentleman.

Excellent condition with no issues. Sight size is 2 1/4" by 1 7/8", with the period frame being 4 1/4" by 3 3/4".

A finely limned miniature painting done in watercolor on natural material. The sitter is a hazel-eyed young man dressed in a black coat and tie. The condition of the painting is excellent, with no issues. The bluish area on the left side was painted in that fashion.

The bronze frame is also in fine shape, originally made to be worn as a pendant or as a brooch, but is missing the brooch pin on the reverse. Sight size is 2 1/4" by 1 7/8", and the overall size is 2 5/8" by 2 1/4".

A fine miniature painting done with watercolors on natural material. The sitter is dressed in a diaphanous white gown edged in pale blue at the bodice, with a similar scarf trailing from her towering hair style.

The reverse of the portrait deserves special mention as it depicts a sheaf of wheat done with meticulous hairwork, cinched with a gold band and set against a mother of pearl background. Wheat was often used to symbolize immortality and resurrection.

The condition of the vermeil (gi...

Using watercolor on organic material, Francois Theodore Rochard painted this beautiful portrait of an attractive blue-eyed young woman with brown hair done ion sausage curls. The sitter, identified on a very old label on the rear of the frame, is Clara Stevens (?) age 18. She is posed against a wall with a climbing rose bush showing through a window to her left. Attired in a puffy-sleeved lace-edged white gown with a brooch below the bodice and a wide blue belt, she is also wearing a pink and bl...

A nicely painted miniature painting of a blue-eyed gentleman wearing a black tie, coat and black silk vest. The artist has chosen a nice blue background, complementing the sitter's eyes.

The condition of the painting the case are excellent. The spots on the painting are bits of dust, and the lighter color black along the inner edges of the coat are intentionally painted that way. The case size is 2 3/4" by 2 3/8".

A fine watercolor on vellum painting of an aristocratic woman. The sitter, a blue-eyed blonde powder haired woman who is coquettishly toying with a long lock of her hair, is gloriously decked out in a very low cut white gown with a red shawl. The gown is partially held up by a long strand of diamond and gold jewelry with a matching bracelet on her left arm. Farther up that arm the sleeve of the gown is cinched by a diamond and pearl brooch. A pearl bracelet circles her right arm.

A label on p...

An uncommon miniature portrait, done in oil on copper, of a member of a Scandinavian royal family. The gentleman, wearing a red coat and blue tunic, is shown 3/4 length in a field.

The condition is good, with some scattered small losses, and looks better in person than the photo shows. Presented in its beautiful original bronze frame. Sight size is 3 1/4" by 2 1/2" and the frame size is 5" by 4 1/4".

A nicely painted portrait miniature, on natural wafer, of a woman with an elaborate hair style and wearing a gold gown with a white fichu.

The painting and the gilt metal case are in excellent condition. Sight size is 1 5/8" by 1 1/4", and the case size is 2 1/4" by 1 1/2".