Catalog: Fine Art: Paintings (339)

A superbly painted miniature portrait by the important American miniaturist Anson Dickinson, originally in a heavy wooden frame that was damaged, but now housed under glass in one half of a dag case. The reverse of the original frame has quite a bit of information on it, indicating that the sitter is Ambrose Dickinson, one of Anson's nine siblings...

A finely rendered miniature portrait of a boy, done in watercolor on natural wafer. The sitter is wearing a black jacket, vest, and bowtie, with a white shirt with a gold stud.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with no issues...

A charming miniature portrait painted in watercolors on wafer. The sitter, with curly auburn hair and blue eyes, is simply attired in an off the shoulder sky blue gown, and is depicted in front of a cloud filled blue sky. Such a pose is often used to indicate that the work is a mourning piece...

An extremely fine John Wood Dodge miniature portrait, done in watercolor on natural wafer. The sitter is a very handsome hazel-eyed young gentleman dressed in a white shirt and collar, with a black coat and osbaldeston cravat. The backing paper of the miniature is signed by Dodge as follows: "Painted by John W. Dodge Miniature Painter 42 Franklin St. New York Sept. 30th, 1836 Geo. C...

A strong watercolor portrait, on natural material, of Mrs. James Pattenden (nee Weston) in a white dress with lace collar, gold necklace, hoop earrings, a brooch at the bodice, and a pearl comb in her upswept hair. Signed and dated 1817 on the reverse, and housed in a gold locket.

The condition of this work is excellent, with no issues at all. The newer locket is also without flaws. The case size is 3 1/8" by 2 1/2".

NOTES: 1...

A miniature painting displaying the work of Walter Stephens Lethbridge at its finest. The sitter, according to family records of the former owners, is H.B. Lott, a Member of Parliament from Honiton, Devon...

An interesting pair of miniature portraits, painted on organic wafer. Framed in a slightly different manner, there is no question these were done by the same artist at the same time.

Fairchild is an obscure artist, with very few, if any, signed works. This attribution is based on the similarity in technique to an example in a book by Bolton, and information that the pair came from a couple living in CT who are purportedly descendants of the artist...

A beautifully executed miniature folk art watercolor on paper portrait by J. H. Gillespie, housed in a metal locket with a black card backing.

Condition is excellent with no paint loss, tears, folds, foxing, or restoration. The piece is 2 3/4 inches by 2 3/8 inches.

NOTE: Gillespie was active on the East Coast of North America, Baltimore, New York, and Philadelphia around the 1829-1838 time period...

A charming miniature portrait of two beautiful children, painted on natural material by William Egley. Housed in what is probably the original bronze frame.

Both the painting and the frame are in excellent condition, with no issues. The painting is 1 3/4" in diameter, and the frame is 2 7/8".

Biographical Note: William Egley (1798–1870), was born in Doncaster, England, and moved shortly after to Nottingham...

A beautifully painted miniature portrait, on natural organic material, with an attribution to Pauline Augustin. The sitter, a young gentleman of strong presence with brown eyes and long flowing brown hair, is attired in a black coat, with white stock, vest, and shirt. The photograph does not do any justice to the quality of this piece.

The sight size is 4 5/8" by 4" and the framed size is 7 1/4" by 6 5/8". The condition is excellent with no issues or flaws...

A portrait miniature done by Moses B...

An absolutely charming and well painted portrait of Lady Clementina Villiers, done by George Lethbridge Saunders on natural wafer. Clementina, with blue eyes and golden-brown sausage curls, is posed in a classic white gown with a red shawl, holding a dove in her lap. The background features a blue sky and a tree.

Condition is excellent, with strong colors and no cracks, chips, paint loss, bowing, or restoration. The wood frame is also in excellent condition. Sight size is 3 1/2" by 2 7/8", wit...

A very nicely executed pair of portraits of a man and a woman, done in watercolor on card or paper. The woman is identified on the reverse as Elizabeth Gill Elford, painted by J. Mitchell Cox in 1835. The sitter's name and the artist's signature are on card that was cut out and applied to the newer backing, but were part of the original backing to the painting. The man is identified as Benjamin Elford , and signed twice on the back as painted by J. Mitchell Cox in 1835.

Beth is wearing a...

A finely painted portrait miniature, on natural wafer, of a bespectacled officer of the 7th Bengal Native Infantry of the Honourable East India Company. Done in vibrant colors and wonderful; detail, the work can be strongly attributed to Raja Jivan Ram. Works from this period in this style by Indian artists are quite uncommon and highly collected. More specifically, very few works by Ram are in private hands.

The painting here is in overall excellent condition, with no chips, cracks, or bowing...

This rare and fine pair of portrait miniatures were painted by John Porter in organic wafers. Each is signed "J.S. Porter 1824 Pinxt". The sitters are a well off husband and wife.

The condition of the miniatures is excellent, with no issues to speak of. Each is under glass, with card backing, gilt metal matting, and gilt foil edging. They are presented in a A.P. Critchlow & Co. case which still retains its original label and is also in excellent condition. Sight size of the paintings is 2...

A strongly limned portrait miniature, on natural material, done by Augustus Fuller. The subject is a young lady with dotted white organza collar and fichu, a tall tortoiseshell comb, and ruby and diamond earrings.

Fuller did sign a number of his miniatures, but apparently always on the back. Since this example is presented in its never opened original frame, it is possible that it is a signed piece. Regardless, because of the technique and composition, there is no question that this was done ...

A strong naïve miniature portrait, rendered in oil and watercolor on organic wafer, which is a very unusual combination. The sitter is a fine looking gentleman attired in a white shirt and collar, with a black jacket, vest and tie. He is seated in a formal armchair, holding a green covered book, in front of a red drapery with a red tasseled tieback. A wooded scene with a blue sky is in the background.

The size of the work is large and quite unusual for an American piece on natural material, h...

Painted by Louis Francois Aubry with watercolor and gouache on organic wafer, this portrait miniature combines the superb skills of the artist with the radiant beauty of a young woman. The sitter, with hazel eyes and curly black hair, is wearing a deep navy velvet jacket over a white dress with a fancy lace ruffled collar. Completing her ensemble is a long double looped gold chain. Note the shadow, on the white dress, of the bottom loop of the chain, exemplifying the care and evolved technique t...

A wonderful watercolor on natural wafer, painted by Robert Field. The sitter, a very pretty young woman with brown hair and eyes, is posed in front of a red drapery, and is wearing a black jacket over a white dress with a neck ruffle. The ebonized frame appears to be original, as is the cover glass which has a black and eglomise border.

The condition of this rare gem is excellent, with no cracks, chips, paint loss, or bowing. Except for a discolored area in the top right, the frame is also in ...

An unusual miniature portrait, done by firing enamel on glass. This combination of subject matter, style, medium, and technique is quite rare for this period and area. The sitter is a quite handsome man in a black coat with a white shirt, vest and tie. He is posed on a red chair in front of a drapery done in hues shading from red to orange. In the center left is a window view of hills, a river and two ships.

The frame is original, and bears the label of F.A. Wenderoth of Phila. Since Wenderot...

A finely done miniature portrait painting by Joseph Wood. Although unsigned, there is no question that this fine rendering of a young woman was done by Wood.

Sight size of this nice example is 2 1/4" by 1 13/16", and the period case is 2 1/2" by 2 1/16". The condition of the painting is excellent, with vibrant coloring, and no chips, cracks, or restoration. The period case (and glass) is in excellent condition, but it is missing the back, a replacement for which which can be made.

Joseph...

A fine portrait on natural material of a gentleman in an early 19th century officer's uniform. Within the locket is the remnant of the backing paper of the miniature, which was incorrectly and poorly removed. A portion of the name "Miller" can be seen. Prior to this removal, a previous owner had written down on a piece of paper what had been on the backing paper. This is shown in the third photo and gives a portion of the sitter's name as John L. Sc?h???, the name of the artist (Miller) and the ...

A rare miniature portrait by Leopold Unger, painted with watercolors on organic wafer. The sitter, a very attractive blue-eyed young woman with brown hair done in sausage curls, has a wistful or slightly sad expression on her face and in her eyes. She is in a black dress with black lace edging at the bodice, and is sitting in a brownish-red chair, holding a red book, and with a multicolored scarf draped over her arm.

The miniature is signed "P. Unger. px. 1839" along the lower left. The bac...

A fantastic Clarissa Peters (Mrs. Mose B. Russell) mourning painting of a baby and toddler. Peters chose a simple palette of white and bluish-gray to emphasize the ethereal and ephemeral nature of the painting, reserving the use of colors to the hair, lips, and eyes of the subjects. Known for painting children, Peters' mourning paintings are scarce, and double mourning portraits are exponentially rarer yet.

Adding to the importance of this piece is the velvet lined gutta percha case, which h...

A rare portrait miniature on organic wafer, painted by W.E. Mynerts (also referred to as M.E. Mynerts), depicting a rosy-cheeked young man wearing a black jacket and tie, and a white collar and shirt. The backing paper indicates that the sitter is Solomon Mills. Research into the name unearthed an obituary from the New Orleans Times of January 23, 1876 (4th photo below) which shows that Mills was born in MA in 1815, and had lived in New Orleans from 1836 until his death.

Housed in a cast foli...

A charming miniature painting done in watercolor on organic wafer. The subject of this delightful work is a very pretty young woman, with brown hair and eyes, wearing a pleated white dress with a lace lined bodice, at the midpoint a brooch with flowers. An old label attached to the painting attributes this work to Moses B. Russell. Housed in a bronze frame with fabric backing.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with no chips, cracks, paint loss, bowing, or restoration. The sight size ...

A fine miniature portrait painting done in watercolor on organic material. The young boy, wearing a black hat, white coat, and coral sash, is posed against a background of a blue sky and a tree. The artist has cleverly painted the tree branch to arc over the boy's head, creating a natural framing effect and drawing the eye to the center of the work.

The painting is in excellent condition, with no flaws, and is housed in its original silver case, which measures 1 7/8" by 1 5/8".

A mourning portrait miniature attributed to John Henry Brown of an attractive young woman with blue eyes and long curly hair. The painting is in excellent condition with no problems. The velvet lined leather case is also in excellent condition, with normal and expected light wear to the exterior. The white flecks in the photographs are dust motes, and not present in person. Sight size is 3" by 2 1/2", and the case size is 3 5/8" by 3 1/8".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: John Henry Brown (1818-1891), b...

A fine miniature portrait painting by the important artist John Carlin. This work shows a beautiful young woman posed simply in a white dress. Carlin obviously intended to have the viewer focus on her fine features and luminous eyes.

The painting is signed and dated on the reverse backing papers, and is housed in a brooch. The sight size is 1 5/16" by 1 1/8", and the brooch size is 1 3/4" by 1 1/2". Condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, bowing or restoration. The brooch is missing its...

An American miniature portrait painting, on natural organic material, of a very attractive boy with gray-blue eyes, wearing a red velvet jacket. The painting is 2 3/4" by 2 1/4" and is in excellent condition.

A beautifully painted miniature portrait on ivory, signed and dated lower left "Gerald S. Hayward 1882". The sitter is an attractive young woman wearing a diamond necklace and white gown. The background is white clouds against a blue sky. This, taken with the 1883 date of the painting contrasting with the engraved 1884 date on the reverse of the cast foliate case (along with the sitter's initials of F.L.A.) would be a strong indication that this is a mourning painting, done in the year prior to ...

A superbly painted portrait of a handsome gentleman, strongly attributed to James Tooley. The sitter has blue eyes, red hair and beard, and is attired in a black jacket, black vest, with a blue-gray waistcoat and cravat.

The artistry shown in this piece is of the highest quality, and the feel and techniques indicate that it was done by James Tooley. Further, on the back of the painting, under the protective paper backing, was a trade label for Kaussler & Smith, a 19th c Philadelphia maker of ...

A miniature painting done in watercolors on natural material, signed "C. Greiner along the left center. The sitter is a gentleman dressed in the clothing and hair style popular in the 1841 to 1844 period. Presented in a cast foliate case, the reverse being engine turned with a glazed aperture containing a braid of hair and engraved with the initials JLD.

The painting and the case are in excellent condition with no issues. Overall size of 2 3/8" by 2".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Christopher (or...

A beautiful and finely painted miniature portrait painting, done in watercolor on natural material, by Thomas Seir Cummings. The sitter is a very attractive woman wearing an academic or possibly a cleric gown, and a white lace and blue material cap. The frame, which is later, is a beautiful burl wood.

The sight size is 4" by 3", and the framed size is 6 1/2" by 5 1/2". Condition is excellent, with no cracks, chips, paint loss, bowing, or restoration. The slight disturbance along the botto...

The title of this wonderful oil on canvas work by George Henry Story is "Daydreaming," and that beautifully conveys the feeling of the piece. A pretty young girl is sits on a ladderback chair with a pan of fruit she is peeling resting on her lap. At the right of the painting is a wooden cupboard displaying tableware. At the left the family bible and another book rest on a table which is covered with a flowered cloth. However, it is the window at the far left, and the gaze of the subject, pensive...

A lovely and ethereal miniature of a blond-haired, blue-eyed beautiful young girl. Signed center left "T.R. Manley 1900", it is in its original gilt sterling case with a beaded edge, with the reverse appearing to be evenly tarnished. Excellent condition with no problems, and measuring 3 1/4" by 2 3/4".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE : Thomas Rathbone Manley (1853 - 1938), later referred to as "The Dean of the Montclair (NJ) Artists". Originally studying law, he realized his love was painting and enr...