The pick of
this week is a tiny portrait miniature circa 1675. I became interested in
portrait miniatures about 3 months ago. They are fascinating. Unlike full sized
paintings that were meant to be hung in homes, miniatures were painted to be
worn, close to the heart of someone who loved the sitter dearly. In 19th
century America they were most commonly painted as a memorial or a mourning
piece, many having locks of intricately woven hair of the sitter in the back of
the case.
I was search
browsing eBay and came across this newly listed miniature with no bids yet. I
noticed it was very small, in an appropriate silver and gold case and was
signed in tiny letters SR. After a lightning fast reference adventure in
comparing my suspected artist’s extant pieces in the Victoria Albert museum as
well as Foskett’s dictionary of British Miniatures I emailed the seller in the
UK and asked if they had a buy it now price in mind. It was late in the UK but
I heard back from the seller. They’d be willing to let it go for £280 ($445). It
was a risk (picking always is) but on a hunch I bought it. As it happens, just
a few blocks down the street from the seller was the Phillip Mould art gallery
(http://philipmould.com/) where Miniature
expert and art consultant Emma Rutherford works so after securing payment I had the
seller drop it off there and I let Emma know it was coming. Excited to see it, Emma wrote a full report and confirmed the
miniature to be the work of Susannah-Penelope Rosse, the 1st
recorded British female portrait miniaturist painted around 1675. Watercolor on Vellum (as opposed
to the later medium, ivory). The sitter is unknown but was probably a relative
or friend of Rosse (Rosse’s status and wealth did not necessitate her art). She
was also married to a well-known jeweler, Michael Rosse and since the case is
original, he may have made the case for this miniature. Rosse’s work is scarce.
Signed Rosse’s are almost non-existent outside of museum collections. It’s a
special piece and a very good start to a British portrait miniature collection.
Although no signed Rosses' have sold at auction in the past 10 years, comparing
size, quality and context, Emma estimated the value of the miniature at $3,200.
See more of her work at http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/p/portrait-miniatures-susan-penelope-rosse/
Happy
Hunting
