Antique
jewelry and other fine antique items from the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian
eras
E-mail Darlene
Georgian portrait miniature with cobalt glass and hair work on the reverse
Reference #: 8568
Status: sold
Dimensions: 2.25 inches by 2.75 inches (not including loop at the top)
Condition: excellent
Year: 1770-1800
Price: sold
Description: Georgian portrait miniature, probably
on ivory, set in a rose gold pendant frame. The portrait
miniature is from the English school and depicts a blue eyed
young lady with a scarf in her hair. On the back is
interwoven blonde and brown hair surrounded by cobalt blue glass
(see note at the bottom). The entwined hair denotes that
this was a sentimental piece, given by the young lady to her
beloved as a remembrance. This portrait miniature is
signed, "Charles, RA". This artist created a
"shocking" scandal by signing a few of his miniatures, Charles
RA, instead of just Charles. The RA after an artist
name meant that the artist was a graduate of the Royal Academy
of Arts in London and Charles was not! To me, this bit of
scandal adds to the charm of the piece. To see other images of this
Georgian portrait miniature, please click here:
photo1 and photo2 and
photo3 and
photo4 and a photo of the
signature and here is a photo that is more representative of
the blue on the back
Note about the cobalt blue glass on the back:
To create the illusion of radiating rays of light within the
cobalt blue glass, etched foil was placed behind it. The
artist would take a piece of rose colored foil and etch a design
into it. He would then place the foil behind the
translucent cobalt glass. The resulting effect is lovely
and quite striking.
