Antique Miniature Ivory Portrait Painting Gilt Bronze Jewelry Box Artist Signed

Antiques : - Miniature Portraits & Portrait Boxes

 

A gorgeous antique 19th century gilt bronze jewelry casket or trinket box adorned with a hand painted miniature portrait on ivory. The painting depicts a beautiful lady, with a serene countenance, delicate features and lovely auburn curls held back by a bright yellow scarf. She is wearing a lace fichu collar with a shawl of a pinkish hue. The portrait is done on a strikingly blue background, with bright colors hand painted with the tiniest of brushstrokes. Artist signed Berton and mounted under convex or bubbled glass. The artist captured every bit of detail, you can even see the design of the lace from her fichu collar! At the back is the lady's name- Miss Frankland.

Surrounding the portrait is a Sevres style porcelain plaque festooned with hand painted raised gilt bees at each corner, representative of many symbolic meanings during the 18th and 19th centuries including purity, order and industry.

Decorating the bronze box is a frieze patterned in an arabesqued floral motif. The lid opens to revel a very colorful brocaded silk-like material lining the interior.

The whole piece is in very good condition for its age with some gilt loss to the porcelain plaque. The portrait measures 2 1/4" in length x 1 1/2" in width. The box measures 3 3/4" in width, about 3" in length and about 1 7/8" in height.

This painting is a smaller rendition of Miss Frankland from "Portrait of the Frankland Sisters" painted in 1795 by John Hoppner, in which case our Miss Frankland can be seen sitting along side her sister in a forest glen. Both ladies were daughters of Admiral Sir Thomas Frankland, who had seven daughters.

Item ID: MP-418